Department: Doctor of Philosophy in Project Management
Module Description: This module covers the underlying theory and forms of qualitative research approaches, methods and ethics as they apply to education. This includes acquiring a critical and interpretive understanding of qualitative research approaches, theories and concepts, as well as methods and techniques that constitute the qualitative research realm. This also includes an introduction to epistemology, ontology, and research ethics. The emphasis in this module will be on an understanding of and rationale for adopting qualitative research for education, as well as controversies and debates about qualitative forms, the role of the researcher, rights of the research subject, cultural and social norms, and research practices in educational settings. This involves examining some of the more prominent forms and examples of qualitative research that are well-established in educational fields, such as grounded theory, ethnography, narrative research, semiotics, visual sources, historical methods, case studies, research for critical theory, existential, hermeneutic and phenomenological approaches. Also covered are a number of the major research methods including various types of interviews, types of observations, focus groups, archival and documentary sources, visual records, and journaling.
