Qualitative methods in development research (28 - 31 August 2012)

Faculty
Ann Varley (Professor, UCL), Søren Jeppesen (Associate Professor, CBS), (Marbel Blasco, Associate Professor, CBS) and Thilde Langevang (Assistant Professor, 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 15 of August 2012.

Participation in the entire 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 at exploring 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

Time/period & Venue	Faculty	Title
PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME:
Monday
09.00-10.00	TL	Presentation of participants and course program
10.00-11.00	AV	Lecture: Why qualitative methods in development research?
11.00-12.00	AV	Lecture: analysing and writing through qualitative research
12-.00-13.00		Lunch
13.00-16.00	AV/TL	Student presentations and discussions

Tuesday
09.00 -10.30	SJ	Lecture: Linking qualitative and quantitative research
10.30-12.00	SJ	Lecture: Case study designs
12.00-13.00		Lunch
13.00-16.00	AV/SJ/TL	Student presentations and discussions
Wednesday
09.00-10.00	TL	Lecture: Power dynamics and fieldwork: Doing research with marginalised groups
10.00-11.00	SJ	Lecture: Doing research with business people and ‘the elites’
11.00-12.00	MB	Lecture: Ethnography
13.00-16.00	TL/MB	Student presentations and discussions

Thursday
09.00-10.00	MB	Lecture: Life story interviews
10.00-11.00	MB	Lecture: Focus group discussions
11.00-12.00	TL	Lecture: Using written and visual methods
12.00-13.00		Lunch
13.00-15.00	MB//TL/SJ	Student presentations and discussions
15.00-16.00	TL	Course wrap up

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)

Teaching methods

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

Course literature

Bergendorff, S.(2007) Semantic Frameworks: Methodological reflections on how to understand Mekeo “sorcery” and “magic”, Field Methods, 19 (4), 407-424.

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 24: McEwan, C. Using images, films and photography, 231- 240

Emerson, R.M., Fretz, R.I. & Shaw, L. (2001) Participant observation and fieldnotes. In P. Atkinson et al. (eds) Handbook Of Ethnography, London: Sage, 352-368.

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.

Madriz, E. (2000) Focus groups in feminist research, in: Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S (eds.) Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks. 835-850.

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.

Sherman Heyl, B. (2001) Ethnographic interviewing. In P. Atkinson et al. (eds) Handbook Of Ethnography, London: Sage, 369-383.

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

Spencer, J. (2001) Ethnography after postmodernism. In P. Atkinson et al. (eds) Handbook Of Ethnography, London: Sage, 443-452

Tedlock, B. (2000) Ethnography and ethnographic representation, in: Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S (eds.) Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, 455-486.

Sidst opdateret af Katja Høeg Tingleff 09.02.2012