Psychology / Sociology 4120H-A: Qualitative Research & Analysis 2012 FALL - Oshawa

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1 DEPARTMENTS OF PSYCHOLOGY & SOCIOLOGY TRENT UNIVERSITY Psychology / Sociology 4120H-A: Qualitative Research & Analysis 2012 FALL - Oshawa INSTRUCTOR Rory Coughlan, Ph.D. Health & Life Sciences Building C135 - Phone: ext rorycoughlan@trentu.ca OFFICE HOURS After class Psychology Department Office: Health & Life Sciences C Phone x 7535 COURSE DESCRIPTION Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true : Buddha - Hindu Prince, Gautama Siddharta The focus will be a broad introduction to the field of qualitative research methods and analysis. The use of such methods in psychological research is fairly new although this type of investigative technique continues to be considered a very common and valid methodology in both sociology and anthropology. Some people tend to consider that qualitative and quantitative paradigms are incompatible but many seasoned social researchers routinely assume that the best strategy may involve the use of both methodologies in order to fully understand any phenomenon under investigation. However, there are some major differences in assumptions about the nature of research, the nature of measurement, how meaning is derived, the importance and definition of such terms as validity and understanding ethical constraints, among other divergences. These will be discussed. Qualitative research tends to maintain a commitment to the emancipation of individuals and groups as well as assuming the essential cultural embeddedness of individual participants. Qualitative investigative techniques seek to understand how individuals understanding of phenomena under investigation are contextualized by their entire life-history, their connections to others, ideology, beliefs, work, love, grief etc. Thus, we gather large amounts of data that are filled with meaning rather than collecting answers to questions simplified to quantitative terms. The analysis of such material is often difficult and slow. Unlike quantitative analysis there are no hard and fast rules that we can follow. Thus, those who believe that qualitative research may be an easier option than statistical analysis may well be disappointed. In short, it can be rewarding but it can also be very hard and frustrating work. Learning Goals of This Course This course will cover the main theoretical contributions to qualitative research methods, the aims of such strategies and will guide the student through the analysis of qualitative data. The student will learn the theoretical background to qualitative and emancipatory research strategies as well as arguments current in theoretical and methodological critiques of a quantitative paradigm including the contributions of methodology to patriarchial world systems. In addition, students will learn how to use observational techniques, design open-ended interviews, conduct interviews, be introduced to techniques that help to make sense of their data, to analyze data and write research papers. In addition, I hope that the development of student critical thinking skills that form a large part of this course will augment students perceptions of their personal agency thus promoting success in academic pursuits and in an empowered orientation as a citizen of Canada, thus providing some tools useful in many aspects of modern living.

2 FA2012 PSYC4120, R Coughlan 2 Prerequisites: 60% minimum grade in PSYC 2016H and 2017H (215) or SOCI 3160H or equivalent and 8.0 university credits. Excludes PSYC-SOCI 473H. RequiredTexts: Willig, C. (2001). Introducing qualitative research in psychology. London: Open University Press. Van Den Hoonard, D. (2012). Qualitative research in action: A Canadian primer. London. Oxford University Press. American Psychological Association (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (6 th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Format: Lectures / Workshop: Tuesday in room 125 The lectures/workshops will occur weekly in fact we will often just work through with a break half way through the 3 hour period put aside for this class Soci / Psyc 4120H on LearningSystem blackboard Lecture notes concerning readings will be posted here. It will be expected that students will download these and bring them to lectures to function as a scaffold for their lecture notes. This will facilitate greater involvement in the lectures. Please come to class ready to make notes concerning practical issues in addition. You may sign up for chat rooms to discuss the course, materials and to help each other with exams and assignments. However, it will be expected that all submitted work will be the original individual work of the student. Evaluation Interview 10% (Due Oct 9) Midterm Exam 30% (Oct 30) Group observation/interview project 20% (Nov 13) Presentations of group project 10% (TBA) Individual Analysis & Term paper 30% (Due Dec 4) Withdrawal Deadline Students will have 40% of their grades by the final date for withdrawal without penalty - Nov. 6, It is the responsibility of each student to read and accept the due dates outlined on the course syllabi. All papers are either to be handed to the instructor or brought to the psychology main office by 4:00 pm on the assigned day. Late papers will be penalized 5% per day and no papers will be accepted more than 7 days late Course Policy on Attendance: It is expected that you will attend each lecture/workshop. While there are no marks for attendance, failure to do so means you will be missing material that may not be covered in either texts or scaffold notes supplied on My Learning System (WebCT), and this may place you in a difficult position on the midterm exam and in some of the later assignments. It is the student s responsibility to arrange notes from peers should you not be able to attend

3 FA2012 PSYC4120, R Coughlan 3 Midterm Exam The midterm exam will include multiple choice and short answer questions. This exam will cover material from the assigned chapters in the main texts, and material covered in lectures. Marks may be scaled to adjust for test difficulty. There will be an exam preparation document posted on Learning System Blackboard. Please do not underestimate the extensive knowledge required to do well on this exam Individual interviews, group projects & analysis & term papers Full descriptions and expectations for these assignments are on blackboard site for this course. The first assignment (interview) will require you to interview a member of your class (or friend or relative) concerning a topic to be chosen in class and to record and transcribe verbatim. The interview should last between 5-10 minutes. In addition you are to write a summary, including as many of the main ideas as possible in 200 words or less and then try to further summarize (again trying to encompass as many of the main ideas) in two grammatically correct sentences. The second assignment requires you to work in groups of 2-5 people and to decide on a publicly observable social behaviour or group of social behaviours. You are to observe in order to develop an understanding and explanation of behaviour(s) and motivations connected to your topic and to keep individual field notes of your observations. From discussions with your group members you are then to design an open-ended semi-structured interview protocol that may further gather information on the phenomenon or experiences of the chosen phenomenon. You will interview 1-2 people, transcribe the data and do an initial content analysis. While this is a group project each individual member will be required to hand in their own paper & version of materials to be handed in (see blackboard for details) including a copy of the transcript and analysis of the data. In the second half of the course you will present a description of your project and your findings to the rest of the class as a group. You will develop a presentation on your observations and analyses using as many audio-visual aides as you think will help to clearly present the material. This will be a group project and you will get a group mark for this portion. The final assignment will consist of an analysis of several pieces of qualitative data given to you. You will add your own interview on this project and develop themes and meta-themes that both describe and explain the data you have. Again full instructions on these assignments will be on blackboard and discussed in class You will submit the final assignment in both hard copy and electronic forms (on a diskette or CD). Word files will be acceptable. Unless both forms of your paper are received, they will not be accepted. All papers are either to be handed to the instructor or brought to the psychology main office by 4:00 pm on the assigned day A late penalty of 5% per day (for each day) will be applied to all late papers Departmental Policy on Tests, Exams, and Assignments: Departmental Policy on Tests, Exams, and Assignments A. MIDTERMS & FINAL EXAMINATIONS Midterm examinations for half courses within the Psychology Department are scheduled by the instructor of the course. Midterm examinations for full courses and final examination for all courses are scheduled by the Registrar s Office. Students are strongly urged NOT to make any commitments (i.e., vacation, job

4 FA2012 PSYC4120, R Coughlan 4 related, or other travel plans) during either the term as a whole or the final examination period. Students are required to be available for all examinations during the periods for which they are scheduled (as published in course syllabi). B. DEFERRAL OF MIDTERM / FINAL EXAMINATIONS and/or TERM WORK Extensions of deadlines for completion of assignments or writing of midterms/final examinations may be granted to students on the basis of illness, accident, or other extreme and legitimate circumstances beyond their control. Consideration for deferrals will not normally be granted on the basis of vacation/travel plans or job-related obligations. C. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION Students should expect that supporting documentation will be required and must be submitted before a deferral is approved. For illness or accident, supporting documentation will take the form of: (1) the Trent University Medical Certificate from Health Services: ( or (2) a certificate or letter from the attending physician clearly indicating the start and end dates of the illness and the student s inability to write an examination, complete assignments, and/or attend classes, as relevant to the particular request. For other circumstances, students should consult the individual Psychology faculty member about acceptable forms of documentation. Special Note: Written assignments will not be accepted by staff in the Trent in Oshawa office. They must be submitted directly to the course instructor. Marked assignments will not be left in the Trent in Oshawa Office for pick up; they will be returned to students in class or by mail if a stamped, self addressed envelope is provided. D. Access to Instruction Statement: It is Trent University's intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has a disability and/or health consideration and feels that he/she may need accommodations to succeed in this course, the student should contact the Disability Services Office in Peterborough (BH Suite 132, ) or in Oshawa (Room 111, (905) ), for Peterborough and Oshawa disabilityservices@trentu.ca, as soon as possible. Notes 1. Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic offence and carries penalties varying from a 0 grade on an assignment to expulsion from the University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out in Trent University s Academic Integrity Policy. You have a responsibility to educate yourself - unfamiliarity with the policy is not an excuse. You are strongly encouraged to visit Trent s Academic Integrity website to learn more - For the purpose of interpreting and applying the University policy on academic dishonesty, the Department of Psychology has adopted the following: When a student submits a piece of written work in fulfillment of an assignment, he/she implicitly acknowledges the following: a) that she/he is the sole author of the work; b) that the wording and organization of the work, apart from acknowledged quotations, is her/his own; and c) that she/he has not and will not submit this work, either as a whole or in part, to satisfy another course requirement. These basic assumptions will be reasonably interpreted. They do not preclude collaboration between students upon a single project, by prior arrangement with the instructor, for shared academic credit (either for written or oral presentation). For an elaboration of the Department s policy on, and for specific examples of, plagiarism, students should consult the sections on academic honesty (pp. 6-8), and appropriate citing and referencing (pp , 169) in Mitchell et al. (2010). Students who have doubts about what might be considered academic dishonesty are urged to consult the instructor of the course. Ignorance of the University or Department policy does not excuse academic dishonesty. Submissions that fail to meet one or more of these

5 FA2012 PSYC4120, R Coughlan 5 considerations will be subject to procedures laid down in the policy on academic dishonesty as stated in the University calendar. 2. It is the policy of the Department NOT to accept faxed assignments. 3. The same assignment cannot be submitted in more than one course without the prior written permission of all instructors concerned. The written approval must be attached to the work when it is submitted. 4. Students are required to use American Psychological Association style (5th edition) for all written assignments. 5. Please see the Trent University academic calendar for University Diary dates, Academic Information and Regulations, and University and departmental degree requirements. 6. Last date to withdraw from Fall term half courses without academic penalty is November 6, 2012.

6 FA2012 PSYC4120, R Coughlan 6 COURSE SCHEDULE Please come to class 1) having read the assigned chapter(s) 2) and having downloaded and printed your lecture note template from the course WebCT site (if applicable ) Note: In reading this schedule regarding which chapters to read the Willig text will be marked (W) whereas the Van Den Hoonard text will be marked (H) Class date Lecture Topic Text chapter Sept 11 General intro. to qualitative & theory 1& 2 (W) & 1 (H) 18 General theoretical orientation (cont) 2 (W) & 2 & (H) 25 Grounded Research 3 (W) (Interview assignment given) Oct 2 Interpretive Phenomenology 4 (W) 9 Interviews, Observation & Case Studies 5 (W) & 4 & 5(H) (interview assignment due) 16 Discursive Psychology & Foucaudian Discourse Analysis (Group Observation / interview given) 6 & 7 (W) & 6 (H) Reading Break No classes or seminars Oct 30 Midterm Exam Nov 6 Micro-analysis & coding 9 (N) & 7(H) 13 Themes & meta-themes 12 (N) & 8(H) (Group observation / interview due) 20 Themes & meta-themes 9 (H) (& Group presentations) 27 Evaluative criteria & quality in research 9 (W) (& Group presentations) Dec 4 Writing it all up Appen 2 & 3(W) (& Group presentations) Analytical term paper is due Notes: All papers are either to be handed to the instructor or brought to the psychology main office by 4:00 pm on the assigned day. Late papers will be penalized 5% per day and no papers will be accepted more than 7 days late