Qualitative Research Design

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 7
• Convenor and tutor: Dr Laura Richards-Gray
• Assessment: a 3500-4000-word research proposal (90%) and two online quizzes (10%)

In this module we introduce you to the general principles of research design and provide you with the necessary skills to plan and conduct your own research project, including your dissertation.

Although primarily focused on qualitative research design, this module will also be very useful for those wishing to undertake non-qualitative research projects.

Indicative syllabus

• Research approaches
• Formulating research questions
• Writing a literature review
• Proposing a methodology
• Ethical and practical considerations
• Collecting and managing data
• Analysing data
• Writing effective research outputs
• Overview of the research design process
• Student presentations

By the end of this module, you will:

• be aware of the key principles, skills and stages involved in the research design process
• be able to critically reflect on different research designs, and be able to assess their suitability in relation to a research puzzle or question
• be aware of common methodological, theoretical and organisational problems in research design and how to resolve such problems
• be able to plan and propose your own research project 
• be able to synthesise a variety of materials across primary and secondary texts to explain and support your own arguments concerning key issues in research design
• have developed skills of critical thinking, enquiry, synthesis, analysis and evaluation that can be employed on other modules studied at this level.