Explore the methods and tools qualitative researchers use to understand human behaviour and solve social problems. What attitudes and beliefs drive human behaviour? Qualitative research explores people’s stories and lived experiences to help us understand their perceptions, motivations and behaviour. It uses personalised research methods such as interviews, focus groups and observation to help us view the world from another’s perspective.
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Find out about qualitative research tools and techniques, with this course from Deakin and Griffith Universities.
Whether you want to interpret consumer behaviour or investigate the impact of management practices, qualitative research can deepen our understanding of human nature and help solve social problems.
What topics will you cover?
- How qualitative research helps solve social problems and understand human behaviour.
- Key assumptions underlying qualitative research methodology.
- Qualitative research approaches, including ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory and discourse analysis.
- Choosing a qualitative research topic.
- Methods of collecting qualitative data, including interviews, focus groups and observation.
- Key principles for maintaining integrity with data collection.
- Qualitative research data analysis methods.
- Creating a qualitative research planning document.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...
- Explain the value of qualitative research and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this methodology.
- Identify key qualitative research approaches and data collection techniques.
- Produce a short qualitative research planning document, relevant to a research question.
