Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health

SBS 288 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

What students can expect from this course: Qualitative research can be used alone or in combination with quantitative research to investigate public health questions. This introductory course will provide students with an overview of the range of important conceptual and practical issues associated with qualitative research, including providing general familiarity with the design of qualitative studies and conduct of commonly-used qualitative methods. The course begins by examining the variety of potential uses of qualitative methods in public health research and diverse qualitative research approaches. The course then explores specific topics, including: developing research questions; ethics in qualitative research; “entering” the community to conduct qualitative research; role of theory; ensuring study rigor; selecting and implementing qualitative data collection methods (participant observation, different types of semi-structured interviews and focus groups); writing open-ended questions; sampling; data management and analysis; publishing results; writing research proposals; and considerations for choosing qualitative methods for mixed-methods qualitative or mixed-methods qualitative/quantitative studies. 
Students should come to class prepared to apply concepts from readings and lectures through participation in student- and instructor-led class discussions and small group activities that will occur during every class period. In addition, students will demonstrate application of concepts through completion of written assignments that involve practice of qualitative methods.
What this course is not: As this is an introductory course on qualitative research that provides an overview of all pertinent topics to foster familiarity with this research approach as a whole, the course cannot dwell deeply on any one topic. Students who are looking for in-depth training on a particular step in qualitative research, such as how to analyze their own qualitative dataset, or how to use qualitative coding software, are advised to select a different course.