Designing a Qualitative Study

• the nature of qualitative research – what it can and cannot deliver
• main methods and techniques
• developing qualitative research questions
• choosing an appropriate research strategy
• drawing a qualitative sample
• designing topic guides for use in interview or focus group based studies
• judging the ‘quality’ of qualitative research.

Anyone considering taking a course in qualitative interviewing or focus group skills would be advised to take the design course as it provides an invaluable foundation.

Course tutor

Karen O’Reilly is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Loughborough University, and an affiliate of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford. She has taught ethnographic and qualitative methods for over 20 years, including the Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Collection and Analysis, the Swiss Summer School in Social Science Methods, in Lugano; at the Universities of Aberdeen, Essex, Loughborough and Oxford; and at universities in Germany, Norway and Hong Kong. Her experience also includes being a Member of the Advisory Board of the NCRM biannual Research Methods Festival 2011-2012; and a member of the ESRC Peer Review College 2012 – 2016.

Karen is a highly experienced ethnographer whose many publications include two widely cited books on ethnography: Ethnographic Methods(Routledge, 2nd ed. 2012) and Key Concepts in Ethnography(Sage, 2009). She has also been instrumental in the design and evaluation of Masters level Research Methods courses and programmes in a number of universities. Karen provides short courses for the SRA on a regular basis.

www.the-sra.org.uk/training