Master
and Practice
Masterof
ofDevelopment
Philosophy inPolicy
Development
CM038DPP01
Policy and Practice
CM033DPP01
Course: GPP5016H: RESEARCH DESIGN AND QUALITATIVE METHODS
Course Convenor: Dr Deirdre Rule
Overview
Research comprises one of the most important and fascinating facets of any academic degree.
Furthermore, beyond this MDPP, you will come to appreciate that research provides you with crucial
insights for making sound organisational decisions. This course aims to provide you with knowledge
and skills to be able to undertake as well as use reliable research within the public policy governance
sphere you find yourself in and beyond.
Course objectives
This course introduces students to research methods and principles, with the focus being the
completion of an impactful research project during the second semester. You will be empowered
with the skills and practices to:
1. formulate a research statement – identify and describe a research problem
2. conduct a literature review – conduct a relevant background study
3. develop an appropriate research design relevant to specific research projects
4. employ suitable research methods for collecting data
5. pair a sampling method to the data collection process
6. analyse the data
7. synthesise the information gathered in the form of evaluative conclusions and/or managerial
implications
8. propose a set of recommendations and/or avenues for further research
Prescribed readings and additional resources
There are 37 recommended readings (prescribed by Prof Rajen – your GPP5009S course convenor)
which will be available on Vula. Besides theoretical components, these readings provide detailed
examples and further information in practical research settings. By reading through these you will
gain valuable insights.
However, for my lectures, I will be using the following textbook as the basis and will provide the
Powerpoint lecture slides ahead of time:
Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015. Research Methodology: Business & Management Contexts.
Oxford University Press.
The applicable chapters to read are indicated in the last column in the course seminar table below.
Students will also benefit from using the following referencing manual which gives lots of useful
advice, and is a worthwhile investment (especially for students wishing to publish their research
and/or with PhD ambitions):
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (7th ed.).
There are numerous hardcopies available at the library as many disciplines use this.
20240130 GPP5016H Research Design and Qualitative Methods 2024 Course Outline
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Master of Philosophy in Development
Policy and Practice
CM033DPP01
Course structure
The course comprises ten seminars: nine seminars of class content and one seminar for class review
and discussion of the research proposal assignment. The seminars are scheduled weekly on Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 5pm to 6:30/7pm. We will meet each other online via MS Teams. Allow yourself
sufficient time to ‘arrive’ and settle in – log on early if possible as all lectures we aim to start and end
punctually. Lectures will be recorded.
Please note that you are expected to engage and participate in class. The course seminars are as
follows:
Course Seminars
First Semester 2024
Term 2: 2 April – 15 May 2024
Seminar
Date
Content
Ch
1
4 Apr
Thurs
Course Orientation & Research paradigms
1
2
3
9 Apr
Tues
11 Apr
Thurs
Course Orientation & Paradigms of Empirical Research
Research Design and Qualitative Methods Course Outline
1. Corbetta, P. (2003). Chapter 1: Paradigms of Social Research.
In Social Research: Theory, Methods And Techniques. Sage
Publications, London, pp. 9 – 25.
Research approaches
2, 3
Fundamentals of Research Design
2. Cresswell, J.W. (2014). Chapter 1: The Selection of a Research
Approach. In Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative and
Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications, Thousand
Oaks, California, pp. 3 – 23.
3. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, B. (2006). What is Research Design.
New York University, Spring 2006.
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/bkg/methods/005847ch1.pdf.
4. Queiros, A., Faria, D. & Almeida, F. (2017). Strengths and
Limitations of Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Methods. European Journal of Education Studies, Volume 3,
Issue 9. DOI: https://zenodo.org/record/887089#.Xt4N1UzaUk.
Ethics in research and Research integrity
7
Ethics, Values and Virtues in Research
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5. Macfarlane, B. (2010). Values And Virtues In Qualitative
Research. In Savin-Baden, M. & Major, C.H. New Approaches
to Qualitative Research: Wisdom and Uncertainty, Routledge,
pp. 19 – 27.
6. hooks, b (1989) Feminist scholarship: ethical issues. In hooks,
b. Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black. Boston:
South End Press, pp. 42-48.
7. Houghton, C. et al (2010). Ethical Issues in Qualitative
Research: examples from practice. Nurse Researcher 18(1):1525 DOI: 10.7748/nr2010.10.18.1.15.c8044.
8. McGarry, J (2010) Exploring the effects of conducting sensitive
research, Nurse Researcher 18(1),
DOI:10.7748/NR2010.10.18.1.8.C8043
9. Wall, P. et al (2010) Issues and considerations when
researching sensitive issues with men: examples from a study
of men and sexual health. Nurse Researcher 18(1), DOI:
10.7748/NR2010.10.18.1.26.c8045.
4
5
16 Apr
Tues
18 Apr
Thurs
Starting a research project: Formulating research questions
Research proposal & Literature review
Asking Research Questions
10. Punch, K. (2014) Chapter 4: Research Questions. In
Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative
Approaches, 3rd Edition. London: Sage Publications, pp. 57 72.
11. Robson, C. (2002). Chapter 2: Developing Your Ideas. In Real
World Research, A Resource for Social Scientists and
Practitioner-Researchers, 2nd Edition, Blackwell Publishing, pp.
45 – 76.
Research Design: Experiment, Cross-sectional, etc.
4, 5
6
Principles and foundations of the Qualitative Research approach
12. Moriaty, J (2011). Qualitative Methods Overview. School for
Social Care Research, London School of Economics,
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/41199 .
13. Hammarberg, K, Kirkman, M. & de Lacey, S. (2016).
Qualitative Research Methods: When To Use Them And How
To Judge Them. Human Reproduction, Vol. 31, No. 3 pp. 498–
501.
14. Mack N, Woodsong C, MacQueen KM, Guest G, Namey E
(2005). Module 1: Qualitative Research Methods An
20240130 GPP5016H Research Design and Qualitative Methods 2024 Course Outline
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Overview. In Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector's
Field Guide, Family Health International, North Carolina.
15. Roller, M (2013). Ten Distinctive Qualities Of Qualitative
Research https://medium.com/@rmr_34618/10-distinctivequalities-of-qualitative-research-41645056d385
16. Meadows, K (2003). So you want to do research? An
introduction to qualitative methods. British Journal of
Community Nursing, Oct;8(10):464-9. doi:
10.12968/bjcn.2003.8.10.11700.
17. Moser A & Korstjens I (2018) Series: Practical guidance to
qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data collection and
analysis, European Journal of General Practice, 24:1, 9-18,
DOI:10.1080/13814788.2017.1375091
6
23 April
Tues
Data collection methods I: Interviews and focus groups
11, 14
Qualitative Methods Research in Institutional Contexts
18. Skarbek, D. (2021). Qualitative Research Methods for
Institutional Analysis. Journal of Institutional Economics
(2021), 1–14.
19. Mwangi, C.A.G. & Bettencourt, G. (2017). A Qualitative Toolkit
for Institutional Research. New Directions for Institutional
Research, Vol. 2017(174), pp.11-23.
20. Mack N, Woodsong C, MacQueen KM, Guest G, Namey E
(2005). Module 3: In-Depth Interviews. In Qualitative
Research Methods: A Data Collector's Field Guide, Family
Health International, North Carolina.
21. Mack N, Woodsong C, MacQueen KM, Guest G, Namey E
(2005). Module 4: Focus group Discussions. In Qualitative
Research Methods: A Data Collector's Field Guide, Family
Health International, North Carolina.
22. Valenzuela, D. and Shrivastava, P. (2005) Interview As A
Method For Qualitative Research. Retrieved from
http://www.public.asu.edu/~kroel/www500/Interview%20Fri.
pdf
23. Knight, S. (2013). Formulating In-Depth Interview Questions.
Retrieved from
http://core.ecu.edu/ofe/statisticsresearch/KNIGHT%20Prepar
ing%20Interview%20Guide.pdf
24. Anonymous. Strategies for Qualitative Interviews. Retrieved
from
https://www.slideshare.net/bibliotecarioinvestigando/strateg
ies-for-qualitative-interviews
20240130 GPP5016H Research Design and Qualitative Methods 2024 Course Outline
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7
8
9
25 Apr
Thurs
7 May
Tues
9 May
Thurs
25. Boyce, C & Neale, P (2006). Conducting In-depth Interviews. In
Monitoring and Evaluation – 2, Pathfinder International Tool
Series, Pathfinder.
Data collection methods II: Ethnography and observation
Sampling
12, 14
9, 14
Qualitative Methods Data Collection
26. Mack N, Woodsong C, MacQueen KM, Guest G, Namey E
(2005). Module 2: Participant Observation. In Qualitative
Research Methods: A Data Collector's Field Guide, Family
Health International, North Carolina.
27. Collier, D (2011) Understanding Process Tracing. Political
Science and Politics 44, No. 4 (2011): 823-30
28. Beach, D (2017). Process Tracing Methods in Political Science.
Oxford’s Research Encyclopedia on Politics
DOI:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.176
29. Trampusch C & Palier B (2016): Between X and Y: how process
tracing contributes to opening the black box of causality, New
Political Economy, DOI:10.1080/13563467.2015.1134465
Qualitative data analysis methods
17
Qualitative Methods Data Analysis
30. O’Connor, H. & Gibson, N (2003) A Step-By-Step Guide To
Qualitative Data Analysis. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292432218_A_Ste
p-By-Step_Guide_To_Qualitative_Data_Analysis.
31. Kawulich B. (2004). Data Analysis Techniques In Qualitative
Research. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258110388_Qualit
ative_Data_Analysis_Techniques.
32. Mack N, Woodsong C, MacQueen KM, Guest G, Namey E
(2005). Module 5: Data Documentation and Management:
Organizing and Storing Your Data. In Qualitative Research
Methods: A Data Collector's Field Guide, Family Health
International, North Carolina.
33. Lacey, A & Duff, N (2009). Qualitative Data Analysis. National
Institute for Health Research, Retrieved from
https://www.rds-yh.nihr.ac.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/05/9_Qualitative_Data_Analysis_Revis
ion_2009.pdf
Writing up research
8
Qualitative Research Report Writing
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34. Burnard, P (2003). Writing a Qualitative Research Report.
Nurse Education Today, 24, 174–179.
35. Cropley, A. (2019). Chapter 8: The requirements for a rigorous
qualitative report. In Introduction to Qualitative Research
Methods. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285471178_Introd
uction_to_Qualitative_Research_Methods.
36. Cropley, A. (2019). Chapter 9: Rigorous, Accessible, and
Transparent Reporting. In Introduction to Qualitative Research
Methods. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285471178_Introd
uction_to_Qualitative_Research_Methods.
37. Lynch, T (2014). Writing up your PhD Qualitative Research.
Retrieved from
https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/writing_up_your_phd
_qualitative_research.pdf.
10
14 May
Tues
Class Review and Research Proposal Assignment
This seminar is devoted to reviewing the class content from the
previous seminars and discussing the research proposal assignment.
DP requirements
The following are specific DP requirements to pass this course (over and above achieving 50% or
higher for all assignments, on aggregate):
• Full participation in all course assessments and timeous submission of all assignments
• Compulsory attendance at all seminars
• Full class participation – requires doing chapter readings beforehand and active contribution
to class discussion.
Also please note the following:
• Absence from class: absence only through medical or compassionate grounds; students to
email course convenor and cc administrator with the request and supporting documentation
• Assessments and penalties: full participation in all assessments and timeous submission of
all assignments; late submissions will incur a penalty of 5% weekly which will be deducted
off the grade awarded: for the first week late – 5% deduction, 10% for two weeks late; etc.
For example, should you get a mark of 60% for the assignment but handed in a day late, you
will be awarded a mark of 55%; this ensures fairness and consistency.
20240130 GPP5016H Research Design and Qualitative Methods 2024 Course Outline
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Master of Philosophy in Development
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Course assessment
There are no examinations for this course. The course marks are based on two assessments
structured as follows:
Due Date
7 May 2024
7 June 2024
Description
Assignment 1: Research ethics
Assignment 2: Research proposal
Weighting
35%
65%
Assignment 1
The ethics assignment focuses specifically on issues related to the role of research integrity
specifically researcher ethics, values, and potential bias in research. The key resource for this is a
recent research article published by a well-known UCT academic. The short paper, written as a
commentary, generated significant debate, response, and commentary from other academics and
the UCT executive, as well as from commentators in the media and elsewhere.
Nattrass N. (2021). Why are black South African students less likely to consider studying
biological sciences? S Afr J Sci. 2021;116(5/6).
Setting aside methodological and other issues, please review and comment on the paper, examining
how the researcher considers and applies integrity and ethical issues, as well as how the research
may or may not reflect the values and bias of the researcher in the formulation of the study and
measurement of variables.
The assignment has a limit of 750 words. Please label your submitted file as: Ethics
Assignment_Name_Student number. All written assignments must be in MS Word and be uploaded
to Vula by 7 May 2024 11:59pm to enable plagiarism checking before grading.
Assignment 2
Your main assessment entails completing a research proposal on a topic of your choice. The proposal
should present the case for a relevant research project (that would take a maximum of 5 months to
undertake and write up the complete research report), using appropriate research methods. You are
strongly encouraged to use this assignment as a trial run for the research project for your degree.
The key requirement is to apply all the learning from this class to the research proposal. This
assignment has a limit of 5 – 7 pages/2500 – 3500 words, must be submitted in MSWord through
Vula by 7 June 2024 11:59pm to enable plagiarism checking before grading.
We will discuss this assignment during Seminar 10, but it’s best to start working as early as possible
as time waits for no one. It is important to structure your proposal as per the recommended outline
presented in class (Seminar 4). The following additional resources are provided (but please comply
with Seminar 4’s proposal outline/structure): How to Write a Research Proposal; Nelson Mandela
School Research Proposal Guide. NB: Please label your submitted file as: Research
Proposal_Name_Student number. Please ensure that you include and cover the following key
sections/elements:
20240130 GPP5016H Research Design and Qualitative Methods 2024 Course Outline
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Master of Philosophy in Development
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CM033DPP01
Section
Title page
Pages
n/c
Abstract
n/c
250
words
n/c
Table of
contents
Introduction 1 - 1 1/2
Literature
survey and
theoretical
framework
Method
References
2 - 21/2
2-3
n/c
Description/Details
Title of proposed study (brief and descriptive)
Full name and student number
The degree programme and course number
Plagiarism declaration
Summarise your proposed project. The research problem, the
research aim, rationale for the study and the method and sample
that will form your empirical study.
Use of MS word style formatting for heading levels
Correct MS Word TOC formatting
•
•
Background and Problem statement
Research questions – (primary and secondary: answerable
through inquiry using empirical data)
• Rationale of the study/ Significance of the study (Why should
you investigate this – what is its importance/contribution to
practice and policy?)
Brief survey of extant literature related to your research questions –
preferably empirical work (previous studies) that can inform your
study. Also mention any specific theoretical/conceptual framework
that will frame and help analyse the research problem.
• Research approach
• Research design- cross-sectional, case study, etc.
• Population and Sampling – describe the study population,
sample design (size and method)
• Data collection method/s
• Data analysis method/s
• Risk mitigation
• Ethical considerations: informed consent, anonymity,
confidentiality, minimising harm
• APA / Harvard referencing – no footnotes
• The body of the proposal must include proper citations for
every source used
• Include full publication details of each reference cited
• Do not include uncited texts – this is not a Bibliography
Weight
*P
5%
*P
15%
20%
40%
10%
*p
n/c = not counted; *P = Presentation total weight = 10%: Correct font size; Proper 1.5 spacing; Proper use of styles for
headings; Coherence and logic in sentences and paragraphing; correct referencing technique.
Course Communication
My email address is deirdre.rule@uct.ac.za. Besides communicating during the weekly seminars,
email is the chosen communication method between us. Please access your email daily and reply to
any queries from myself as soon as possible. Important information regarding this course will be
20240130 GPP5016H Research Design and Qualitative Methods 2024 Course Outline
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Master of Philosophy in Development
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posted on VULA and emailed to you regularly. If you have any queries or concerns, please do email
me. Please allow 3 days for a response before you follow up.
Please don’t email me about every query you may have; most of the information you will need is
available on Vula. Should you require a face-to-face or MS teams discussion about anything, please
send me an appointment request via Outlook to schedule an appointment at a suitable time.
Please note the following etiquette pertaining to email:
• To: poorly directed email irritates people; do not send email to people who have nothing to
do with the issue; also, think about who you exclude.
• Cc: you cannot include everyone on everything; think carefully before you copy people on
emails.
• Subject/Re: subject lines should be directly related to the content of your email and should
be descriptive. Don’t just click ‘reply’ on an old email with a subject line that has nothing to
do with what is in your current email. This causes confusion and it also may result in an
urgent email being overlooked.
• Reply All: use this function sparingly (e.g., if a group of people is invited to a meeting, do
not respond by means of ‘Reply All’ that you will attend; respond only to the sender).
• Always use temperate language (i.e., don’t send rude, sarcastic, accusatory, emotional text).
Also, it’s best to avoid emoticons (e.g., smiley faces), and don’t use more than one
exclamation mark!
• Do not write overly lengthy emails; electronic mail was designed specifically for short
messages.
• Superfluous responses should be avoided. It is good manners to say thank you when you
receive something but when you receive an email, do not respond with ‘thank you’ and
when you receive a request, do not respond with ‘will do’. You are clogging up the sender’s
email with such unnecessary replies.
• Don’t try and resolve a disagreement via email (emails flying back and forth should be
avoided at all costs). If on the third email you are still trying to sort things out, it is a clear
indication that it is not an issue for electronic communication and that a meeting should be
scheduled to discuss the issue.
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