Qualitative Methods in Development Research, 15-18 August 2011

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

Course Coordinator
Thilde Langevang

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 participant has to submit a 3-5 page paper and prepare an oral presentation of 10 minutes. The paper and the presentation should present key issues regarding research design and methods in the PhD projects. The paper and the presentation 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 1st of August, 2011.

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 strengths and weaknesses
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, ethnography) 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
15 August 2011
09.00-10.00	Thilde Langevang	Presentation of participants and course program
10.00-11.00	Katie Willis	Lecture: What are qualitative methods?
11.00-12.00	Katie Willis	Lecture: The role of qualitative methods development research
13.00-16.00	Katie Willis, Thilde Langevang, Søren Jeppesen	Student presentations and discussions
16 August 2011
09.00 -10.30	Søren Jeppesen	Lecture: Linking qualitative and quantitative research
10.30-12.00	Søren Jeppesen	Lecture: Case study designs
13.00-16.00	Katie Willis, Thilde Langevang, Søren Jeppesen	Student presentations and discussions
17 August 2011
09.00-10.00	Thilde Langevang	Lecture: Power dynamics and fieldwork Doing research with ‘the less privileged’
10.00-11.00	Søren Jeppesen	Lecture: Doing research with business people and ‘the elites’
11.00-12.00	Maribel Blasco	Lecture: Ethnography
13.00-16.00	Thilde Langevang, Søren Jeppesen, Maribel Blasco	Student presentations and discussions
18 August 2011
09.00-10.00	Maribel Blasco	Lecture: Life story interviews
10.00-11.00	Maribel Blasco	Lecture: Focus group discussions
11.00-12.00	Thilde Langevang	Lecture: Using written and visual methods
13.00-15.00	Thilde Langevang, Søren Jeppesen, Maribel Blasco	Student presentations and discussions
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.

Chambers, R. (2008): Revolutions in Development Inquiry. Earthscan. Chapter 5: PRA: Pathways, practices and principles, 85- 104.

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. 1-25.

Desai, V. and Potter, R.B. (2006): Doing development research. London: Sage.

Chapter 13: Mayoux, L. (2006): Quantitative, qualitative or participatory? Which method for what and when? 115-129.
Chapter 15: Willis, K. (2006): Interviewing. 144-152.
Chapter 16: Lloyd-Evans, S. (2006): Focus groups. 153- 162.
Chapter 19: van Donge (2006): Ethnography and participant observation. 180-188.
Chapter 20: Participatory methods and approaches: tackling the two tyrannies. 189-199.
Chapter 21: McGregor, J.: Diaries and case studies. 200-206.
Chapter 24: McEwan, C. Using images, films and photography, 231- 240

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.(eds.) (2003): Development fieldwork: a practical guide. Sage.

Chapter 4: Brockington, D. and Sullivan, S.: Qualitative research, p. 57-74.
Chapter 8: Scheyvens, R. Nowak, B and Scheyvens, H: Ethical issues, p. 139-166 .
Chapter 9: Scheyvens, R., Scheyvens, H. and Murray, W.E.: Working with marginalized, vulnerable or privileged groups, p. 167- 193.

Smith, K.E. (2006): Problematising power relations in ‘elite’ interviews, Geoforum 37: 643-653.

Enrolment

Please send your application to Maja Dueholm ( md.ikl@cbs.dk) before 15 July 2011

Sidst opdateret af Maja Dueholm 01.02.2011