HPE 507 Qualitative Research Methods in HPE

Qualitative research seeks to enable researchers to "make the world visible" by asking and answering the "who, how or why" questions about social aspects of healthcare. This course is a blended learning experience with course sessions taking place in-person in the classroom and online. Through a variety of hands-on learning activities, readings, videos, field experiences, class discussions, and personal reflection, this course will introduce learners to the core concepts, methodologies (i.e. the philosophical structures and program designs of a particular research approach, such as Grounded Theory) and methods (i.e. the tools used for data collection, such as interviews, observations and focus groups) of qualitative research. Learners will also hone their skills as critical consumers of qualitative literature.

Credits

2

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the kinds of research questions that would be better suited to qualitative vs. to quantitative methodologies and methods;
2. Articulate the differences and similarities between different qualitative methodologies;
3. Identify the relative strengths / weaknesses, and ethical implications of 3 different qualitative data collection methods;
4. Participate in interview and observation data collection;
5. Participate in the thematic analysis of qualitative data;
6. Recognize and assess quality and trustworthiness (rigor) of qualitative research.