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Qualitative Research Methods

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Course Type Course Code No. Of Credits
Discipline Core SPG2PP407 2

Semester and Year Offered: Semester 3 (Winter Semester)

Course Coordinator and Team: Dr. Teena Anil (Coordinator) and Dr. Ekta Singh

Email of course coordinators: Dr. Teena Anil: teena@aud.ac.in, Dr. Ekta Singh: ekta@aud.ac.in

Pre-requisites: None

Aim: 

This course aims to equip students with essential qualitative research skills, including study design, data collection techniques, and basic analytical methods like content and sentiment analysis, with a focus on public policy interventions. Through classroom learning, group assessments, and field experiences, students will gain hands-on experience in applying research methods to real-world policy challenges.

Course Outcomes:

  1. Understand the significance of qualitative research in shaping public policy and develop the ability to apply qualitative methods and tools for policy analysis. 
  2. Gain awareness and sensitivity to ethical considerations in policy research, ensuring responsible and informed decision-making.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

This course consists of four modules.

Module 1: Introduction to Qualitative Research and its Relevance for Public Policy

This module introduces students to the qualitative paradigm in public policy, helping them understand its philosophical foundations and its role in decoding complex policy environments. It emphasizes the complementarity of qualitative and quantitative research, the impact of digitalization on policy making, and the importance of qualitative insights for evidence-based and citizen-centric governance.

Module 2: Qualitative Methods for Data Collection and Analysis

This module equips students with essential qualitative research methods, including observation, interviews, and focus group discussions, while also teaching them how to design effective data collection tools like questionnaires and interview guides. By understanding key principles of data collection, analysis techniques, and online research platforms, students will develop the skills needed to conduct rigorous and insightful qualitative research.

Module 3: Case Study Method

This module introduces the case study method as a versatile research approach, helping students learn to design, conduct, and analyze in-depth studies of real-world phenomena. It equips them with essential qualitative research skills, making it especially valuable for disciplines like social sciences, health studies, and policy research.

Module 4: Rigor and quality in qualitative research; reflectivity and reflexivity; ethics

In qualitative research, rigor and quality are maintained through ethical principles and values rather than fixed procedural guidelines, ensuring research is conducted with sensitivity and integrity. For students, understanding these principles—such as rapport building, participant empowerment, reflexivity, and transparency—helps them conduct meaningful and ethical research while fostering deeper engagement with their subjects.

Assessment Details with weights:

  • Qualitative Research Project (50%)
  • Response Paper (20%)
  • Case Study Proposal (30%)

Reading List:

  • Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays. Basic Books.
  • Sen, A. (1981). Poverty and famines: An essay on entitlement and deprivation. Oxford University Press.
  • Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
  • Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. University of Chicago Press.
  • Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage.
  • Yin, R. K. (2002). Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.). Sage.
  • Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography: Principles in practice (3rd ed.). Routledge.
  • Bardhan, P., & Ray, I. (Eds.). (2008). The contested commons: Conversations between economists and anthropologists. Oxford University Press.
  • Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Sage.
  • Hoefer, R. (2011). Policy creation and evaluation: Understanding welfare reform in the United States. Oxford Academic.
  • Wiles, R. (2013). What are qualitative research ethics? Bloomsbury.
  • Bell, J., & Waters, S. (2014). Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers (6th ed.). Open University Press.
  • Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage.
  • Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
  • Abaimenov, P. L. (2019). Big data driven public service in the twentieth century: The politics of big data in public service excellence in 21st century. Palgrave Macmillan
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