This summer course will introduce you to qualitative research methods. We will address, and practice with several methods of data collection in qualitative research, like doing interviews and field observations, and analyzing data.
During this course we will discuss the mindset you need for doing qualitative research and focus on the quality of qualitative research.
Qualitative research is a powerful type of research for a researcher aiming at understanding the richness of human life and social interaction. It allows for a deep exploration of participants' thoughts, feelings, and experiences, providing rich insights. Qualitative research emphasizes the context in which social phenomena occur, helping to uncover how social, cultural, and historical factors shape human behaviour. The methods (like interviews, focus groups, and observations) can adapt as the research progresses, allowing for a deeper exploration of unexpected findings.
In this course you will discuss the entire qualitative research process, including data selection, data collection, and data analysis. Bearing in mind the flexibility of qualitative research, with different stages, steps, and decision points for various formulations and types, we will discuss the core principles of this process.
The course will cover the main methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews, focus groups, observation and documents as data. You will practice with doing semi-structured interviews and field observations, which you will use to write a vignette. The course also covers the quality of qualitative research, such as rigor and trustworthiness, ethics, positionality, and different frequently used quality criteria. Also, data analysis will be discussed, with a focus on inductive coding, fitting the goals of the grounded theory approach. You will practice with the different stages in inductive coding of interview data.
The course is organized in a way that allows students to learn by doing. Therefore, the students will perform various practical exercises which will give them a hands-on experience on how to do qualitative research. Examples are an interview training, moderating a focus group, doing field observations, writing a vignette, and doing coding.
Participants are requested to bring their own laptop. No specific software is needed for this course.
drs. Marieke den Otter
This course introduces participants to qualitative research methods. A preliminary understanding of general scientific research is preferable (although not mandatory).
There are no restrictions on who can participate beyond the prerequisites; academics, researchers, and professional participants are all welcome to register for the course.
For an overview of all our summer courses offered by the Department of Methodology and Statistics please click here.
We also offer tailor-made M&S courses and in-house M&S training. If you want to look at the possibilities, please contact Dr. Laurence Frank at pe.dsai@uu.nl.
The course aims to provide students with the fundamentals of qualitative research methods. By the end of the course the students will be familiar with the following aspects:
Five full days with breaks for coffee & tea, lunch, and sodas.
On an average day of the course, the students will be in class for eight hours. These eight hours will include lectures and practical exercises.
You will receive a certificate upon course completion. Please be aware that this course does not include graded activities, and therefore we cannot provide a transcript of grades.
This course has the following fee options, depending on your status:
Please make sure to include which price is applicable when registering for this course. This information can be added in the “Comment” field during the registration process.
For PhD students from the FSBS at UU:
As a PhD student from the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FSBS) at Utrecht University, you can attend up to three Winter or Summer School courses funded by the Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Of course, you may choose to take as many other courses as you wish at your own expense, using your personal budget.
When registering, please indicate in the “Comment” field that you are a PhD candidate from the FSBS at UU, so that the course fee can be waived.
There are no scholarships available for this course.
The housing costs do not include a Utrecht Summer School sleeping bag. This is a separate product on the invoice. If you wish to bring your own bedding, please deselect or remove the sleeping bag from your order.
For this course you are required to upload the following documents when applying: