Qualitative Research Design

This is a course designed to acquaint students with qualitative methodology and design. Students are introduced to the philosophical underpinnings of qualitative inquiry, with a focus on anthropological and sociological antecedents of such inquiry. The assumptions of qualitative inquiry, ethical considerations, and appropriate uses of phenomenological, narrative, ethnographic, grounded theory and case study approaches to qualitative inquiry are discussed. Document analysis, content analysis, interviewing, observation, unobtrusive data collection, site selection, building rapport, collecting field notes, data management, and coding procedures are competencies of the course. A qualitative mini-study is conducted utilizing data collection, coding, the preparation of a scholarly report on the study, a presentation of the findings, and receiving peer feedback.