Psychological Research Methods II

The primary objective of this course is to teach students the basics of qualitative research methods that are commonly used in social sciences to study (business) phenomena. It enables participants to understand, discuss, critically evaluate, and conduct qualitative research projects.

Research Design

To gain a better understanding of qualitative research designs, the course covers the general ideas behind and first steps towards a qualitative research project. We explore several themes throughout the course: For what types of research problems are qualitative methods best suited? What are good questions for qualitative research? How can we generalize qualitative research findings? What are criteria for assessing qualitative data?

Research methods

To become familiar with basic techniques of qualitative research, you will get to know two key methods of qualitative social research, namely in-depth interviewing, and ethnographic observations. Regarding these two methods, you will become acquainted with their distinctive features and learn the practical steps to apply them (designing an interview guide, conducting an interview, determining a sampling strategy, writing field notes, linking research design, data collection and coding). You will also become attuned to common methodological themes like sampling and desirability bias. We will then tease out the method’s advantages and disadvantages.

Oral Participation (20%)