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Qualitative Research Design

This course is part of Qualitative Research Design and Methods for Public Health Specialization

Taught in English

Some content may not be translated

Instructor: Karen Andes, PhD

Financial aid available

12,897 already enrolled

(101 reviews)

What you'll learn

Design a qualitative research project to respond to specific public health problems/questions.

Design strategies and instruments for qualitative data collection linked to study objectives and appropriate for the population of interest.

Address ethical concerns in qualitative research design and implementation.

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There are 6 modules in this course

This course introduces qualitative research, compares and contrasts qualitative and quantitative research approaches, and provides an overview of qualitative methods for data collection. It outlines a step-by-step approach to qualitative research design that begins by identifying a public health topic of interest, works to hone in on a specific research problem, and then specifies research questions, objectives, and specific aims. The course emphasizes the iterative nature of research design in qualitative inquiry and highlights the importance of specifying a population of interest, an appropriate sampling strategy, and potential approaches to recruitment. It introduces the relationship between these considerations and key concepts such as saturation and transferability in qualitative research. Finally, the course considers ethical concerns specific to qualitative research and potential solutions. Learners of this course will not only be able to put what they learn into practice, but they'll also develop a portfolio of qualitative research materials for career advancement.

Introduction to Qualitative Research

In this first week, you'll get the chance to explore characteristics and approaches of both qualitative and quantitative research, understand their differences, and acknowledge how both are complementary.

What's included

6 videos 4 readings 1 quiz 1 peer review

6 videos • Total 20 minutes

Welcome to the Course! • 2 minutes • Preview module
What Is Research? • 2 minutes
What Is Qualitative Research? • 3 minutes
How Is Qualitative Different From Quantitative? • 4 minutes
Five Basic Approaches to Qualitative Research • 4 minutes
Qualitative and Quantitative As Complementary Methods • 3 minutes

4 readings • Total 145 minutes

Course Outline and Grading Information • 5 minutes
Introduction to Qualitative Research • 20 minutes
Qualitative Inquiry • 90 minutes
Mixed Methods Design • 30 minutes

1 quiz • Total 20 minutes

Practice • 20 minutes

1 peer review • Total 60 minutes

Week 1: Comparing Quantitative and Qualitative Studies • 60 minutes

Qualitative Methods

This week, we'll look at two types of data that can be collected and dive into the three main data collection methods used in qualitative studies. Finally, we'll wrap up by discussing the concept of saturation and consider the lingering question, "how much data is enough?"

6 videos 2 readings 1 quiz 1 peer review

6 videos • Total 15 minutes

A Look at This Week • 2 minutes • Preview module
Types of Data • 1 minute
Observation • 4 minutes
Interviews • 3 minutes
Focus Group Discussions • 2 minutes
Saturation: How Much Data to Collect? • 2 minutes

2 readings • Total 135 minutes

Data Collection • 90 minutes
Saturation Point • 45 minutes
Week 2: Exploring Qualitative Methods • 60 minutes

Objective-Driven Design

In our third week, we'll discuss how to develop a problem statement from a topic of interest, craft research questions and aims, and discuss how this process all relates to objective-driven design.

5 videos 2 readings 1 quiz 1 peer review

5 videos • Total 21 minutes

A Look at This Week • 3 minutes • Preview module
What Is Objective-Driven Design? • 1 minute
Uncovering a Problem • 6 minutes
Developing & Refining a Problem Statement • 3 minutes
Developing Research Questions & Specific Aims • 6 minutes

2 readings • Total 75 minutes

Setting Up a Qualitative Project • 30 minutes
Resources for Developing Your Research Problem & Question • 45 minutes
Week 3: Identifying Your Research Problem • 60 minutes

Methods, Population, Sampling, & Recruitment

For our fourth week, we'll take a look at how to choose data collection methods that are best suited for your aims, explore the various sampling and recruitment strategies to select participants, and finally consider how research design is an iterative process.

A Look at This Week • 1 minute • Preview module
Aligning Methods with Aims • 2 minutes
Identifying a Setting and Honing in on a Population • 2 minutes
Sampling Strategies • 6 minutes
Recruitment Strategies • 2 minutes
Iterative Design • 0 minutes

2 readings • Total 95 minutes

Resources for Selecting Appropriate Methods • 35 minutes
Resources for Identifying Your Strategies • 60 minutes

1 quiz • Total 30 minutes

Practice • 30 minutes
Week 4: Identifying Your Methods, Population, Sampling, & Recruitment Strategies • 60 minutes

Research Ethics

Our fifth week is all about ethical considerations in qualitative research. As researchers, we need to be aware and take precautions to ensure our work with human subjects is never exploitative, deceitful, or harmful. We'll go over the key ethical principles to keep in mind when beginning a qualitative study.

4 videos 3 readings 1 quiz 1 peer review 1 discussion prompt

4 videos • Total 12 minutes

Overview of Research Ethics • 4 minutes
Key Issues and Benefits of Qualitative Research • 5 minutes
Strategies for IRBs and Ethics Committees • 1 minute

3 readings • Total 130 minutes

CITI Certification for Human Subjects Research • 10 minutes
Studies with Questionable Ethics • 30 minutes
Resources for Ethics in Qualitative Research • 90 minutes
Week 5: Considering Ethics in Research • 60 minutes

1 discussion prompt • Total 10 minutes

Ethics Around the World • 10 minutes

Course Project and Design Examples

In this final week, you'll combine all items of your research design for a final submission. We'll also review real cases of graduates in the MPH program to see the different approaches that can be taken.

5 videos 2 readings 1 peer review

5 videos • Total 47 minutes

Elements of Research Design: An Example (from Tamar Goldenberg's MPH Thesis Research) • 5 minutes
Candace Girod: Menstrual Hygiene Management at Schools in Nairobi, Kenya • 13 minutes
Wendy Avila: Exclusive Breast-Feeding among Women in Managua, Nicaragua • 15 minutes
Jasmine Kelly: Maternal & Child Nutrition in Rural Tanzania • 11 minutes

2 readings • Total 60 minutes

Interview Series • 30 minutes
Preparing Your Research Design • 30 minutes
Week 6: Your Qualitative Research Design • 60 minutes

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

Emory University, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the world's leading research universities. Its mission is to create, preserve, teach and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.

Recommended if you're interested in Health Informatics

Emory University

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Specialization

University of Amsterdam

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Fundação Instituto de Administração

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Learner reviews

Showing 3 of 101

101 reviews

Reviewed on Oct 2, 2023

It was really a difficult nut to crack but a very useful and descriptive course for those people who wants to do research

Reviewed on Feb 4, 2021

highly productive and a good source of learning. Thank you very much for organizing this professional platform for learners of enhancing their skills and knowledge.

Reviewed on Aug 10, 2022

It was excellent lecture by Dr Karren Andes and nice to be a student of this course!

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Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.