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See you next week

Let’s recap briefly on what we have covered this week and look forward to what’s in store for Week 2.
9.4
Thanks for a great week, everyone. We look forward to continuing to hear your thoughts and stories in the discussion spaces and trust you’re feeling inspired about the possibilities qualitative research offers to capture stories from your participants. Looking back, we’ve covered a lot of ground so far. You’re now familiar with key concepts relevant to qualitative research and have no doubt begun to appreciate the richness of data we can draw from people’s individual experiences. We also explored a range of qualitative approaches, such as Ethnography and Grounded Theory to name a few. Hopefully, you enjoyed the self-identity audit activity and have begun to be more aware of your capacity to influence the qualitative research process.
53.8
We hope you’ve struck on a research area that you’re interested in and are starting to think about research design. If you’re still working on identifying a suitable topic, continue to brainstorm, take notes, and read widely around an area that fascinates you. Be sure to join us next week when we introduce you to key data collection methods qualitative researchers use, such as observation, focus groups, and of course, the all-important interview. Next week, we’ll also look at techniques for analysing qualitative data and putting together a plan for your research. We hope you’ve had an enjoyable and productive start to the course. I look forward to working with you again in Week 2. See you then.

Let’s recap briefly on what we have covered this week and look forward to what’s in store for Week 2.

Congratulations on getting this far. By now you will have a good understanding of the purpose of qualitative research and have begun to conceptualise the many ways it can be approached.

Next week in the course, we’ll delve into more practical considerations which will help you to:

  • identify key qualitative data collection methods
  • conduct effective interviews
  • formulate strategies to analyse qualitative research data
  • prepare a planning document for your own research project.

Your task

In the comments section, share what you are looking forward to the most next week. Until next time, keep working on identifying a potential research question (if you haven’t decided upon one already) and continue to reflect on your biases and assumptions that may impact on your interaction with others.

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Why Experience Matters: Qualitative Research

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