RES/724Purpose Approach
Purpose of this Course
This course is the first qualitative-specific research methods course in the School of Advanced Studies doctoral curriculum. The purpose of this course is to build on the foundational understanding of qualitative research established in previous research courses and to focus specifically on qualitative designs. Learners will demonstrate an understanding of qualitative data-collection and analysis approaches suitable to the concept for their research established in the second-year residency.Upon completion of this course, learners will demonstrate an understanding of qualitative approaches to research, the appropriateness of this type of research, and the limitations inherent in this type of research.Additionally, learners will be able to apply their knowledge in creating a research protocol that will be appropriate for their dissertation research.
Approach of this Course
This course is designed to provide learners with a deeper understanding of qualitative research approaches and the application of these methods to various research problems and to their own proposed research.Learners will discover appropriate strategies consistent with qualitative designs to address a specific problem in their field of study.Learners will gain hands-on experience with various qualitative data-collection strategies and will gain an understanding of ethical issues and issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research.
conceptual Framework
RES/724 emphasizes how to determine an appropriate design for qualitative data collection that is applicable to specific research problems.Sound data-collection approaches emanate from the problem being researched and the purpose of the research.Learners examine the difference between various qualitative designs and choose which is appropriate based on their expressed research problem and purpose. Learners build on the work in previous research courses through assignments focused specifically on qualitative research designs to help them formulate a research protocol applicable to their field of inquiry.
This Course’s Fit in the Program
RES/724 is the first qualitative research course in the program and is dedicated to building on the fundamentals of qualitative research and the basic principles and concepts that will be used later as learners develop their individual proposals and dissertations.RES/724 focuses on qualitative research design and data collection.Following RES/724, learners will have the opportunity to take a qualitative data analysis course, further focusing on qualitative approaches to research. Learners will apply the content of this course as well as that of RES/711, RES/722, and DOC/721R as they further transform the Concept Paper or Prospectus that was created in DOC/721R into an appropriate design for carrying out that research.RES/724 serves as a compliment and companion course supplementing the one-on-one courses with a learner’s mentor in DOC/722 and DOC/733.
How This Course’s OutcomesAreUtilized in the Program
Course outcomes include a foundational understanding of qualitative research designs and data collection consistent with specific research problems, including instrumentation, data-collection strategies, and methods to overcome research issues inherent in qualitative research. A strong understanding of qualitative approaches to research and being able to address the limitations of this approach will prepare learners to create a research protocol that will be appropriate for their research and will form the basis of chapter 3 of the proposal and dissertation.
Strategies for Handling Course Assignments and Readings
The assignments for this course represent the ability to differentiate between the various qualitative research designs and the ability to use that knowledge to create an appropriate research protocol that will address a specific problem to be researched.The assignments begin with an overview of qualitative research methods and culminate with a completed research protocol that will be used for the learner’s research.In achieving this goal, the learner will gain an understanding of qualitative research instruments, data-collection strategies, and approaches for validating the research and ensuring ethical considerations are met.
Implications for Leadership
In this course, learners develop the knowledge and skills needed to become informed and critical consumers and producers of sound qualitative research.Throughout the course, the learner must be aware of the research design and how it aligns with an identified researchable problem.The defining attribute of qualitative research is that it allows a deeper understanding of a situation or event from various perspectives.As leaders, learners will improve their ability to go beyond the obvious in their worldviews and to set aside their own assumptions in order to improve decision making and policy making, which will lead to innovative action. Learners will gain knowledge about important ethical considerations inherent in qualitative research and will gain the skills to address these concerns.
Reflections and Insights
This course is designed to provide learners with an understanding of qualitative designs and data-collection approaches. Knowledge gained from this course will help learners write the methodology for their dissertations and will foster an understanding and appreciation of the worldviews of others. Areas that are addressed in this course include the following:
- How do the various qualitative designs differ?
- How do research problems align with the different qualitative designs?
- What are the components of qualitative data collection?How is each approach appropriate to an expressed conceptual framework?
- What are the limitations of qualitative research?What approaches can be put in place to address these limitations?
- What ethical considerations inherent to qualitative research must be addressed?
- How can the knowledge gained from this course be incorporated into a research protocol that addresses the problem being researched?
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