Qualitative Research Methods
Department of Public Policy, Central European University Fall Term 2006
Instructor: Alexandra Krause (
[email protected]berlin.de) Course Format: seminars Credits: 2 Time: Wednesdays, 9.0010.40 a.m.
Course Description The aim is to introduce students to qualitative research methods. To this end, the course will (a) familiarise students with the core theoretical assumptions underlying qualitative research as compared with quantitative research, (b) introduce them to qualitative research techniques useful for policy research, and (c) provide an understanding of how to develop an appropriate qualitative research design. The following research techniques will be discussed in more detail: the case study method, elite interviewing, the document analysis method, and comparative methods. In addition, students will be introduced to the mixed methods approach linking qualitative and quantitative research.
Course Requirements •
Participants are expected to actively participate in all seminars.
•
Each participant will prepare two presentations (15 min each). The presentations should introduce the assigned mandatory readings and present four theses that will be discussed in class.
•
Participants will have to write a final exam.
Evaluation: In Class Participation:
25%
Presentations:
15% each
Final Exam:
45%
Topics and readings:
(1) Introduction to qualitative research Required readings: Babbie, Earl: The practice of social research, 10th edition, Wadsworth Thomson Learning, Belmont, California 2004, chapter 1: Human inquiry and science, pp. 1640. Bryman, Alan: Quantity and quality in social research, Unwin Hyman, London 1988, chapter 5: The debate about quantitative and qualitative research, pp. 93126.
Further reading: Keohane, Robert O./King, Gary/Verba, Sidney: Designing social inquiry – Scientific inference in qualitative research, Princeton University Press, Princeton 1994, chapter 1: The science in social science, pp. 333.
(2) The diversity of qualitative research Required readings: Guba, Egon G./Lincoln, Yvonna S.: Competing paradigms in qualitative research, in: Denzin, Norman K./Lincoln, Yvonna S. (eds.): The landscape of qualitative research. Theories and issues, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp. 195220.
Silverman, David: Interpreting qualitative data. Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction, Sage, London et al. 1993, chapter 2: The logic of qualitative methodology, pp. 2029.
Further reading: Kincheloe, Joe L., McLaren, Peter L.: Rethinking critical theory and qualitative research, in: Denzin, Norman K./ Lincoln, Yvonna, S. (eds.): The landscape of qualitative research. Theories and issues, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp. 260299. Olesen, Virginia: Feminisms and models of qualitative research, in: Denzin, Norman K./ Lincoln, Yvonna S. (eds.): The landscape of qualitative research. Theories and issues, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp. 300332.
(3) Main concepts – thick descriptions Required readings: Keohane, Robert O./King, Gary/Verba, Sidney: Designing social inquiry – Scientific inference in qualitative research, Princeton University Press, Princeton 1994, chapter 2: descriptive inference, pp. 3474. Denzin, Norman K.: Interpretive interactionism, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2001, chapter 6: Thick description, pp. 98118.
(4) Main concepts – causal inference Required readings: Keohane, Robert O./King, Gary/Verba, Sidney: Designing social inquiry – Scientific inference in qualitative research, Princeton University Press, Princeton 1994, chapter 3: Causality and causal inference, pp. 75114.
Hollis, Martin/Smith, Steve: Explaining and Understanding International Relations, Clarendon, Oxford 1990, chapter 3: Explaining, pp. 4567.
(5) Main concepts – interpreting and understanding Required readings: Gubrium, Jaber F./Holstein, James A.: Analyzing interpretive practice, in: Denzin, Norman K./Lincoln, Yvonna S. (eds.): Strategies of qualitative inquiry, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp. 214248. Hollis, Martin/Smith, Steve: Explaining and Understanding International Relations, Clarendon, Oxford 1990, chapter 4: Understanding, pp. 6891.
Further reading: Schwandt, Thomas A.: Constructivist, interpretivist approaches to human inquiry, in: Denzin, Norman K./Lincoln, Yvonna S. (eds.): The landscape of qualitative research. Theories and issues, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp. 221259. Hollis, Martin/Smith, Steve: Explaining and Understanding International Relations, Clarendon, Oxford 1990, chapter 9: Explaining and understanding, pp. 196216.
(6) The case study method Required readings: Stake, Robert E.: Case studies, in: Denzin, Norman K./ Lincoln, Yvonna S. (eds.): Strategies of qualitative inquiry, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp. 134164. Yin, Robert K., Campbell, Donald T.: Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Sage, London et al. 1994, chapter 2: Designing case studies, pp. 1853.
Further reading: Silverman, David: Interpreting qualitative data. Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction, Sage, London et al. 1993, chapter 8: Selecting a case, pp. 102112. Keohane, Robert O./King, Gary/Verba, Sidney: Designing social inquiry – Scientific inference in qualitative research, Princeton University Press, Princeton 1994, chapter 6: increasing the number of observations, pp. 208230. (7) The qualitative interview method Required readings: Fontana, Andrea/Frey, James H.: Interviewing. The art of science, in: Denzin, Norman K./Lincoln, Yvonna S. (eds.): Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp. 4778. Miller, Jody/Glassner, Barry: The 'inside' and the 'outside'. Finding realities in interviews, in: Silverman, David (ed.): Qualitative research. Theory, method and practice, Sage, London et al. 1997, pp. 99112.
Further reading: Kvale, Steinar: Interviews. An introduction to qualitative research interviewing, Sage, London et al. 1996. Silverman, David: Interpreting qualitative data. Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction, Sage, London et al. 1993, chapter 5: Interview data, pp. 90114. Johnson, Graham I./Briggs, Pamela: Questionasking and verbal protocol techniques, in: Cassell, Catherine/Symon, Gillian (eds.): Qualitative methods in organizational research. A practical guide, Sage, London et al. 1994, pp. 5571. Holstein, James A./ Gubrium, Jaber F.: Active interviewing, in: Silverman, David (ed.): Qualitative research. Theory, method and practice, Sage, London et al. 1997, pp. 130143.
(8) The document analysis method
Required readings: Holder, Ian: The interpretation of documents and material culture, in: Denzin, Norman K./Lincoln, Yvonna S. (eds.): Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials, 2nd edition, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp.110129. Atkinson, Paul/Coffey, Amanda: Analysing documentary realities, in: Silverman, David (ed.): Qualitative research. Theory, method and practice, Sage, London et al. 1997, pp. 4562.
Further reading: Silverman, David: Interpreting qualitative data. Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction, Sage, London et al. 1993, chapter 4: Texts, pp. 5989. Popping, Roel: Computerassisted text analysis, Sage, London et al. 2000.
(9) Comparative qualitative research designs Required readings: Dogan, Mattei/Pelassy, Dominique: How to compare nations. Strategies in comparative politics, Chatham, Chatham House Publishers, New Jersey 1984, Part I: The compass of the comparativist, pp. 337. Landman, Todd: Issues and methods in comparative politics, Routledge, London et al. 2003, chapter 1: Why compare countries? pp. 322.
Further reading: Landman, Todd: Issues and methods in comparative politics, Routledge, London et al. 2003, chapter 3: Choosing countries and problems of comparison, pp. 3960. Peters, Guy B.: Comparative politics. Theory and methods, Houndsmills, Basingstoke: Macmillian Press 1998, chapter 3: The number of cases, pp. 5879.
(10) Quantitative research methods Required readings: Creswell, John W.: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, Sage, London et al. 2003, chapter 9: Quantitative methods, pp. 153178. Punch, Keith F.: Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, Sage, London et al. 2005, chapter 5: Quantitative research design, pp. 6284.
(11) Mixed methods Required readings: Creswell, John W.: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, Sage, London et al. 2003, chapter 11: Mixed methods procedures, pp. 208227. Tashakkori, Abbas, Teddlie, Charles: The past and future of mixed methods research: From data triangulation to mixed model designs, in: Tashakkori, Abbas, Teddlie, Charles (eds.): Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioural research, Sage, London et al. 2003, pp. 671702.
(12) Final Exam