Title:	Qualitative Research Methods and Data Analysis in International Health
Keywords:	Research Qualitative methods Knowledge, attitude and practice Anthropology
Country:	Germany
Institution:	Germany - Institute of International Health, Berlin
Course coordinator:	Angel Phuti
Date start:	2025-05-05
Date end:	2025-05-16
About duration and dates:	Two weeks face-to-face/synchronous online plus 2 days for proposal development (submission deadline 1 week after face-to-face/synchronous online week)
Classification:	advanced optional
Mode of delivery:	Face to face
Course location: Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin Campus Virchow-Klinikum Augustenburger Platz 1 Campus address: Südring 3b 13353 Berlin, Germany Phone: +49 (30) 450 565 752 Fax: +49 (30) 450 565 989 Email: mscih-student@charite.de Website: http://internationalhealth.charite.de/en/ tropEd representative: Dr Hans-Friedemann Kinkel Email: mscih-coordinator@charite.de
ECTS credit points:	3.5 ECTS credits
SIT: SIT: 108 hours Contact: 60 hours (46.5 hours lectures + 4 hours guided group work + 6.5 hours practical + 3 hours class tests) Self-study: 48 hours (19 hours private reading during face-to-face week + 29 hours for proposal development)
Language:	English
Description: At the end of the module students will be able to • Design a qualitative research proposal • Appraise peer reviewed qualitative research • Apply ethical considerations including understanding the issues of bias (reflectivity and subjectivity) in qualitative research • Demonstrate the ability to collect, transcribe and code qualitative data gained through in-depth interviews, focus-group discussions and/or participants’ observation methods and appraise qualitative research findings • Formulate clear and succinct research questions for qualitative research applying all theoretical knowledge • Explain main conceptual and methodological approaches in qualitative research (e.g. ethnographic, phenomenological, observational, cases study, grounded theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
Assessment Procedures: A written assignment (1500-2500 words, accounting 100% to the overall mark). The assignment assesses the capability of the student to design a proposal for a qualitative research project of their choice. Each student will receive an individual feedback on the assignment and a grade using a rubric matrix. Students pass the assignment if they gain 60% or more of the achievable points. If a student fails the assignment, s/he is allowed to revise and resubmit the assignment considering the comments provided by the marker (grading will not be capped). Students receives two grades, one according to the German (absolute) 6 point decimal grading system - (1.0 excellent/sehr gut) -(6.0 not sufficient/ungenügend), pass mark: ≥ 4.0 (sufficient/ausreichend) and one according to the (relative) ECTS grading system (A top 10%, B next 25%, C next 39%, D next 25%, E lowest 10%). In addition there are two unmarked mandatory short written tests (formative assessment) at the end of each week to assess learning progress.
Content: The course will cover the following topics: Day 1: • Introduction to qualitative research and differences between quantitative and mixed methods (lecture) (2 hrs) • Methods: ethnographic, phenomenological and grounded theory methods, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), Participatory Action Research, case study (lecture) (3 hrs) • Formulating aims and objectives in Qualitative research (lecture) (2 hrs) • Self-study (2 hrs) Day 2 • Qualitative data collection methods: in-depth interviews, focus-group discussions (FGDs) and participants’ observation methods (lecture) (3 hrs) • Appropriate methods in qualitative data capturing (lecture) (1 hrs) • Ethical issues in research (1 hr) • Group work: Qualitative data collection methods (pre-selected simple topics with two objectives) using different methods & capturing methods (2 individual interviews/ 2 observations/ 1 FGD (2 hrs)) • Self-study (2 hrs) Day 3 • Discussion or feedback from group work (2 hrs) • Strengthening and Assessing Rigour in Qualitative Research- how to achieve rich and high quality qualitative data (use role play as examples) (lecture) (2 hrs) • Transcription process (lecture) (2 hrs) • Self-study (transcribe a recorded interview (3 hrs) Day 4 • Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis and types of Analysis (lecture) (2.5 hrs) • Overview of data collection software and traditional methods (lecture) (1.5 hrs) • Group-work: Create themes/nodes or coding tree from transcripts and feedback (2 hrs) • Self-study (3 hrs) Day 5 • Written class test I (Content from day 1-4) and revision lecture in the class (1.5 hrs) • Practical: Introduction to NVivo. - Setting the project from the data collected/ transcripts and data coding (4,5 hrs) • Self-study (3 hrs) Day 6 • Reporting writing and presentation of qualitative research findings (lecture) (3 hrs) • Writing qualitative papers for peer review (lecture) (1.5hrs) • Interpretation of research findings (lecture) (1.5 hrs) • Self-study and read 3 recommended peer reviewed articles (3 hrs) Day 7 • The role of qualitative research in global health (lecture) (2 hrs) • Critique and discussion of peer reviewed articles (lecture + class discussion) (2 hrs) • Practical: Use NVivo software in the analysis process in writing reviews of published qualitative data (2 hrs) • Self-study (3 hrs) DAY 8 • Principles of formulating a qualitative research proposal (lecture) (1.5 hrs) • Literature review/existing background information in proposal writing (lecture) (1.5 hrs) • Formulating the problem statement, aims, research questions and objectives in qualitative research (lecture) (3 hrs) • Self-study: Proposal preparation: Start designing research proposal: Part 1 (3 hrs) Day 9 • How to select the relevant methodology and sample size to answer specific research questions (lecture) (1.5 hrs) • Choosing the correct data collection instrument (lecture) (1.5 hrs) • Environment, Sampling and Reflexivity in Qualitative Research proposal (lecture) (1.5 hrs) • Declaration of ethical issues in proposal writing (lecture) (1.5 hr) • Self-study: Proposal preparation: Part II-designing research proposal continued (3 hrs) Day 10 • Written class test II (content of day 5-9) and discussion in class (1.5 hrs) • Questions and answer lecture session (1.5 hrs) • Feedback & Evaluation (1 hr)Feedback & Evaluation (1 hr) • Self-study: Proposal Preparation (5 hrs)
Methods: The learning method is a combination of teacher centered (lecture based with discussion) as well as learner centered (groupwork, practicals, self-study and assignment) methods.
Prerequisites: • Successful completion of the core course • English TOEFL test 550 or 213 computer-based or 79/80 internet-based or IELTS band 6.0 • Laptop and basic computer skillsStudent • Software NVivo (30 day trial version for free) • Voice recording device (e.g. mobile phone) • Notepad and pen (practice note taking in qualitative research)
Attendance: Max. number of students: 25 Students have to attend 85% of the face-to-face week.
Selection: Participants are selected on a first come first served basis.
Fees: 1.225,00 € tropEd MScIH students and alumni (For Berlin students who started their studies in 2022 or earlier the old scale of fees applies. Please see here) 1.531,25 € for guest students
Scholarships: None available
tropEd accreditation: First accredited at Online tropEd GA (“Hamburg”), 11 - 12 June 2020 (EC TelCo, July 2020). This accreditation is valid until July 2025.
Remarks: Please note that in 2020 the module will be delivered as synchronous online module Recommended readings: Creswell, J., 2009. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches, 3rd edition. London: Sage. Merriam SB., 2016. Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation, 4th Edition. USA: John Wiley and Sons. Creswell, J., 2013. Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches; 3rd edition. London: Sage. Tong A., Sainsbury P., Craig J. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int J Qual Health Care. 2007;19(6):349-357 Napolitano, DA., Jones COA. Who needs ‘pukka anthropologists’? A study of the perceptions of the use of anthropology in tropical public health research
Email Address:	mscih-coordinator@charite.de
Date Of Record Creation:	2020-07-28 03:35:39 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2020-07-28 09:02:10 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2020 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2024-09-24 09:48:39 (W3C-DTF)