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Educational Foundations 840

EDEF 840
Qualitative Methods

1. Catalog Entry

EDEF 840
Qualitative Methods

Credit hours (3)
Prerequisite: This class is offered for students accepted into the Doctoral Program in Education.

Effective leaders require deeply contextualized understandings of the interrelated complexities of school, community and societal problems to enact thoughtful change in their communities. This course will introduce educational leaders to relevant concepts and strategies in qualitative research in preparation for collaborating with community partners and conducting independent and team research. This course will provide a comprehensive overview of how qualitative research methods and methodology shape educational research. This overview includes but is not limited to, how qualitative research provides contextualized understandings of (a.) school reform and policy, (b.) district, school, and classroom conditions, (c.) professional communities, (d.) parental/guardian engagement, (e.) community outreach and, (f.) various approaches to transforming communities and school.

2. Detailed Description of Course

This course focuses on the role of applied qualitative methods with the basic goal of facilitating a general understanding of qualitative research, the role of qualitative research in the field, what constitutes quality in qualitative research, the techniques, tools, methods, and unique considerations of qualitative researchers, and the basic components of the qualitative research proposal and design. Additionally, the course provides a foundational introduction to the philosophy and character of qualitative research. Students will read and evaluate qualitative research. Examples of different types of qualitative research, qualitative evaluation, and the use of qualitative methods in developing research efforts will be discussed. Likewise, the role of qualitative methods in school and community transformation will be discussed.

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

This course will include professional reading, reflective writing, review of the literature, data collection and analysis, discussion, lecture, presentation of project findings, group activities, and short assignments that are direct applications of course readings and students' ongoing research projects.

4. Goals and Objectives of the Course

This course will enable students to a) gain skills with the techniques associated with qualitative methods, b) gain experience in critiquing and assessing the quality and use of qualitative methods in educational research, and c) explore the role of qualitative research methodology in addressing local needs and various educational issues.
Course topics may include, but are not limited to: understanding the role and use of qualitative methods in educational research; identifying, framing, and revising problem statements and qualitative research questions; identifying data and data sources; gathering and managing data; analyzing (including coding) and interpreting data; ethical research considerations; participatory research; incorporating theory and trustworthiness into qualitative research design; and facilitating the uptake and use of research findings in various contexts.

Upon successful completion of course requirements, students will:
• Understand various qualitative methodologies and naturalistic inquiry.
• Use their knowledge of qualitative research methods to evaluate field literature and research reports utilizing qualitative methodology.
• Identify the kinds of problems and questions addressed by qualitative research.
• Identify and develop a clearly stated and delineated qualitative research project.
• Specify the units of analysis examined in qualitative research and the kinds of explanations generated by qualitative researchers.
• Specify the basic research design and criteria of rigor and credibility for qualitative studies.
• Reflect on their assumptions and positionality in regard to the qualitative research process.
• Specify various ways to share and communicate research findings to a diverse audience.
• Reflect on the ethical issues in qualitative research and the range of impacts on participants.
• Build their basic skills in qualitative data collection and analysis, and project reflections.
• Develop an understanding of the relationship of theorizing to the qualitative research process through an examination of a variety of theoretical orientations.
• Identify the impact of cultural bias in the production, development, and application of educational theory, policy and practice.
• Develop an understanding of community change models and policy research methods that commonly intersect with qualitative methods.

5. Assessment Measures

Students will be assessed in multiple ways that may include, but are not limited to, weekly reading reflections, cohort in-class presentations on content, individual research proposal, individual research projects, and peer-reviewed presentations of preliminary finding.

6. Other Course Information

Successful completion of a research sequence is required in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Ed.D.

Review and Approval

May 2017