This course is part of the Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences Specialization

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1,215 ratings

Gerben Moerman

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Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences SpecializationUniversity of Amsterdam

About this Course

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In this course you will be introduced to the basic ideas behind the qualitative research in social science. You will learn about data collection, description, analysis and interpretation in qualitative research. Qualitative research often involves an iterative process. We will focus on the ingredients required for this process: data collection and analysis.
You won't learn how to use qualitative methods by just watching video's, so we put much stress on collecting data through observation and interviewing and on analysing and interpreting the collected data in other assignments.
Obviously, the most important concepts in qualitative research will be discussed, just as we will discuss quality criteria, good practices, ethics, writing some methods of analysis, and mixing methods.
We hope to take away some prejudice, and enthuse many students for qualitative research.

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Course 2 of 5 in the

Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences Specialization

Intermediate Level

Approx. 24 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 2 of 5 in the

Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences Specialization

Intermediate Level

Approx. 24 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.75/5 (223 Ratings)

Gerben Moerman

Dr.

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

93,992 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of Amsterdam

A modern university with a rich history, the University of Amsterdam

(UvA) traces its roots back to 1632, when the Golden Age school Athenaeum Illustre was established to train students in trade and philosophy. Today, with more than 39,000 students, 5,000 staff and 285 study programmes (Bachelor's and Master's), many of which are taught in English, and a budget of more than 600 million euros, it is one of the largest comprehensive universities in Europe. It is a member of the League of European Research Universities and also maintains intensive contact with other leading research universities around the world.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(19,913 ratings)

Week

Week 1

4 hours to complete

Philosophy of Qualitative Research

4 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 61 min), 12 readings, 1 quiz

8 videos

1.0 Introduction6m

1.1 On Elephants10m

1.2 Ontology for social actors6m

1.3 Ontology for social researchers4m

1.4 Epistemology8m

1.5 Hermeneutics7m

1.6 Phenomenology10m

1.7 Pragmatism5m

12 readings

A very warm welcome to Qualitative Research Methods!10m

Course description10m

Prerequisite knowledge needed10m

Course Structure10m

Standing on shoulders of giants10m

Team10m

On Elephants10m

Slides10m

References10m

How to never emerge from the library again...10m

Slides10m

References10m

Week

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Observation

4 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 78 min), 10 readings, 1 quiz

9 videos

2.1 Ethnography5m

2.2 Participant Observation13m

2.3 Views on Observation9m

2.4 Observational Focus7m

2.5 Cyclists in Amsterdam6m

2.6 Privatizing Public Space11m

2.7 Field Notes7m

2.8 Fieldwork organisation6m

2.9 Observation and Interpretation8m

10 readings

Background of observation as a method10m

Slides10m

References10m

Focus and the assignment10m

Slides10m

References10m

Note taking and Interpreting10m

Slides10m

References10m

Peer Review: Assignment B: instructions10m

Week

Week 3

4 hours to complete

Good Practices & Criteria

4 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 89 min), 9 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

3.1 Flexibility10m

3.2 Triangulation8m

3.3 Abduction25m

3.4 Focus on Details and Context5m

3.5 Look for Contradiction6m

3.6 Reflexivity7m

3.7 How Many Cases Are Enough5m

3.8 Theoretical Saturation7m

3.9 Criteria For Research Quality12m

9 readings

Good practices10m

Slides10m

References10m

Selecting Cases10m

Slides10m

References10m

Criteria for Research Quality10m

Slides10m

References10m

2 practice exercises

Practice quiz30m

Midterm exam30m

Week

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Qualitative Interviewing

4 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 62 min), 9 readings, 1 quiz

Week

Week 5

4 hours to complete

Qualitative Analysis

4 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 54 min), 10 readings, 1 quiz

Week

Week 6

4 hours to complete

Writing, mixing & ethics

4 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 59 min), 12 readings, 1 quiz

Week

Week 7

10 minutes to complete

Catch up week

10 minutes to complete

1 reading

Week

Week 8

1 hour to complete

Exam week

This is the final module, where you can apply everything you've learned up until now in the final exam. Please note that you can only take the final exam once every day, so make sure you are fully prepared to take the test. Please follow the honor code and do not communicate or confer with others taking this exam. Good luck! Once you've taken the exam, please consider doing the other courses in our specialisation track. I hope it was an enjoyable experience. If it was, please consider joining in with the Massive Open Online Research by my colleague Christian Bröer. Thanks for all your hard work, feedback and interpretations, the course team and your fellow learners really appreciate it!

1 hour to complete

Reviews

4.6

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TOP REVIEWS FROM QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS

by SOSep 15, 2019

Genuinely engaging and challenging. The more I engaged, the more I made sense of the challenge. I finish with a new set of useful skills to take forward in work and life.

by MJJun 4, 2017

Please provide the complete transcript of a week in pdf format like quantitative research methods?

The slides are too dark (black background) and don't look good in print.

by HUAug 8, 2020

Best course on Qualitative Research.Improved knowledge about the concepts and its application in different steps of research.Thanks to Dr.Gerben Moerman for his matchless delivering of concepts.

by PBJul 11, 2020

This course was particularly enjoyable. I learned quite a lot, especially on the concepts about ontology and epistemology. I found the discussion on the methods and analysis quite useful.

View all reviews

About the Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences Specialization

Identify interesting questions, analyze data sets, and correctly interpret results to make solid, evidence-based decisions.

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Qualitative Research Methods

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