Qualitative Methods in Development Research

Faculty
Katie Willis (Royal Holloway, University of London), Søren Jeppesen (CBS), Thilde Langevang (CBS), Maribel Blasco (CBS), Katherine Gough (University of Copenhagen)

Course Coordinator
Thilde Langevang

Prerequisite
The course applies to PhD students
Prerequisite/progression of the course

This course applies to all PhD students who are doing qualitative research in developing and emerging economies and/or cross-cultural contexts.

Each participating PhD student has to submit a 3-5 page paper presenting key issues regarding research design and methods in their PhD projects. The paper will function as input to group work and discussions with faculty. Each student has to act as a discussant on another PhD scholar’s paper and is expected to engage actively in discussions.

Deadline for submission of papers is Monday 9th of August, 2010.

Participation in the whole course is a precondition for receiving the course diploma.

Aim of the course

The course aims at giving an introduction to the particular issues involved in doing qualitative research in developing countries and emerging economies and explore a range of different qualitative approaches and methods.

Course content, structure and teaching

The course will:

Examine the aims and characteristics of qualitative research generally and its use in business and development studies
Present and discuss different types of qualitative research designs
Review the strategic issues involved in planning and executing research in a developing and emerging economy context considering the particular ethical issues involved in doing development research
Explore different qualitative methods for data collection and discuss their advantages and shortcomings
Examine ways of linking qualitative and quantitative research
Scrutinise and discuss the research designs and methods of the participants’ projects

The course will run over four days. The mornings will contain lectures including presentations and discussions on, for example:

What is qualitative research?
Ethical issues in development research
Case studies and linking qualitative and quantitative research
Fieldwork and power dynamics: studying ‘up’ and ‘down’
The practice of interviews, oral histories and focus groups
Visual and written methods

The afternoon sessions will include student presentations and group discussions related to the theme of the morning session and the students’ particular projects.

Learning Objectives

The aim of the course is to enable the students to:

Identify and analyse the objectives of qualitative research in a development context
Recognize key ethical issues involved in doing development research
Understand issues of research design (e.g. case studies) and the selection of appropriate methods
Identify different qualitative methods (e.g. interviews, oral histories, observation, focus groups, photography, diaries) and analyse their strengths and weaknesses for particular research purposes
Understand the particular issues involved in studying ‘down’ (i.e. studying those who are less privileged) and studying ‘up’ (i.e. the more privileged)

Lecture plan

Time/period	Faculty	Title
30 August 2010 09.00-10.00	Thilde Langevang	Presentation of participants and course program
30 August 2010 10.00-11.00	Katie Willis	Lecture: What are qualitative methods?
30 August 2010 11.00-12.00	Katie Willis	Lecture: The role of qualitative methods development research
30 August 2010 13.00-16.00	Katie Willis, Thilde Langevang, Søren Jeppesen	Student presentations and discussions

31 August 2010 09.00-10.30	Søren Jeppesen	Lecture: Linking qualitative and quantitative research
31 August 2010 10.30-12.00	Søren Jeppesen	Lecture: Case study designs
31 August 2010 13.00-16.00	Katie Willis, Thilde Langevang, Søren Jeppesen	Student presentations and discussions

1 September 2010 09.00-10.00	Thilde Langevang	Lecture: Power dynamics and fieldwork
1 September 2010 10.00-11.00	Søren Jeppesen	Lecture: Doing research with business people and ‘the elites’
1 September 2010 11.00-12.00	Thilde Langevang	Lecture: Doing research with ‘the less privileged’
1 September 2010 13.00-16.00	Thilde Langevang, Søren Jeppesen	Student presentations and discussions

2 September 2010 09.00-10.00	Maribel Blasco	Lecture: Life story interviews
2 September 2010 10.00-11.00	Katherine Gough	Lecture: Focus group discussions
2 September 2010 11.00-12.00	Thilde Langevang	Lecture: Using written and visual methods
2 September 2010 13.00-15.00	Maribel Blasco, Katherine Gough, Thilde Langevang	Student presentations and discussions
2 September 2010 15.00-16.00	Thilde Langevang	Course wrap up

Teaching methods

The course alternates between lectures, plenary discussions, student presentations and group discussions.

Course literature

Blasco, M. (2009): Linking rights with lives: the micropolitics of educational decision making in urban Mexico. Comparative Education Review 53(1): 41-61.
Bryman, A. and Burgess, R.G. (1999): Qualitative Research. London: Sage.
Chambers, R. (2008): Revolutions in Development Inquiry. Earthscan.
Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S (2000): The discipline and practice of qualitative research, in: Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S (eds.) Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks.
Desai, V. and Potter, R.B. (2006): Doing development research. London: Sage.
de Laine (2000): Fieldwork, participation and practice: ethics and dilemmas in qualitative research. Sage: London
Heinz, W.R. and Krüger, H. (2001): Life course: innovations and challenges for social research, Current Sociology 49 (2): 29-45.
Langevang, T. (2007): Using multiple methods in research with young people in Accra, Ghana, Children’s Geographies 5(3): 267-282.
Sayer, A. (1999): Method in Social Science. A realist Approach.’ 2nd Edition, Routledge – chapter 9. Problems of explanation and the aims of social science, pp. 232-257.
Sayer, A. (2000): Realism and Social Science. Sage – Part I. Introducing Critical Realism, pp. 1-28.
Scheyvens, R. and Storey, D. (2003): Development fieldwork: a practical guide. London: Sage.
Smith, K.E. (2006): Problematising power relations in ‘elite’ interviews, Geoforum 37: 643-653