UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES

Department of Education

Program MPhil Education/ELM

Course Title Qualitative Research Methods
Course Code ED610
Semester Fall 2019
Credit Hours 3
Class day and Time Saturday, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Duration 15 weeks
Course Instructor Dr. Yaar Muhammad (Assistant Professor)
Contact Details Phone: Off: (042) 35212801, Ext. 3542,
, Cell: 03335802634
Email: Yaar.Muhammad@umt.edu.pk

Course Description:
This course is designed to provide an understanding of qualitative research methods so that
students can design and undertake complex postgraduate qualitative research projects in
educational settings. The course will introduce students to various traditions within the
qualitative research design. Moreover, students will be practically introduced to the various
components of a qualitative research proposal in the field of education.
Intended learning outcomes:
After successfully completing this course, the participants will be able to:

1. Analyse the different paradigms of social enquiry according to the different

ontological and epistemological assumptions they make,

2. Formulate the steps to be followed in conducting qualitative research,

3. Critique published research in terms of its ability to collect, analyse and interpret data
consistent with a particular theoretical perspective or paradigm,

4. Develop sensitivity towards ethical dimension of the qualitative research,

5. Create qualitative research proposals in the area of their interests.

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 UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY
School of Social Sciences & Humanities
Department of Education

Course Outline

Week Topics
1 Introduction to the course
Introduction to the qualitative research process
Philosophical, Paradigm, and Interpretive Frameworks
2 Five Qualitative Approaches to Inquiry
 Grounded theory
3  Phenomenology
 Ethnography
4  Narrative research
5  Qualitative case studies
6 Ethics and integrity in research
7 Mid Term Examination
8 Designing and conducting a qualitative research study
How to write an article
Introduction to various components of an article
9 Framing research problems
Developing purpose, aims, question research questions according to study design
and methodology
10 Literature searching
Review of literature
Writing of literature review
11 APA referencing using Endnote X8
12 APA referencing using Endnote X8 (independent Practice)
13 Introduction to data collection Methods:
Interviewing,
focus group.
observation and
document analysis
14 Doing fieldwork (5 interviews)
Writing Methodology
15 Introduction to Data Analysis Methods:
 Qualitative content analysis
 Interpretative phenomenological analysis
 Thematic analysis
 Concept mapping
Using Nvivo for Qualitative Data Analysis
Final Term Examination

Recommended Books:
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American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American
psychological association (6th ed.). Washington: American Psychological Association.
Bell, J., & Waters, S. (2014). Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers
in education, health and social science (6th ed.). Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education.
Bogdan, R., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to
theory and methods. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five
approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.
Edmonds, W. A., & Kennedy, T. D. (2016). An Applied Guide to Research Designs:
Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods. New York: Sage Publications.
Grbich, C. (2012). Qualitative data analysis: An introduction. London: Sage.

Kvale, S. (1996). InterViews. An introduction to qualitative research writing. Thousand

Oaks: Sage Publications.
Lune, H., & Berg, B. L. (2017). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. Essex:
Pearson. Education Limited.

O'Leary, Z. (2013). The essential guide to doing your research project (2nd ed.). London:
Sage.

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Course requirements:
2 Mid-Term Examination 25 Marks
3 Research Article 15 Marks
4 Endnote Library 5 Marks
5 End-Term Examination 50 Marks
6 Presentation 5 Marks

Evaluation of participants’ performance:

Relative grading as per policy of the UMT.
University regulations:
Policies related to excused absences, cheating/ plagiarism, withdrawal and other related
issues can be found in Participants Handbooks located at:
http://www.umt.edu.pk/offices/registrar/Participants/Handbook.html. As student and faculty
at the University of Management and technology, we are all responsible for adhering to these
policies.
Attendance, Participation and Late Assignments:
All participants are expected to be regular and punctual. In case a participant is absent in six
classes, she/ he will get an ‘F’. Overall, 80 percent attendance is compulsory.
Participation is an important part of this course. You must be an active learner because you
will need to adapt what you are learning to your own teaching:
 Preparing for class by completing reading and writing assignments
 Remaining alert, attentive, and respectful during discussions and activities (e.g.
reading irrelevant materials, text-messaging, or sleeping are not appropriate)
 Respecting others other’s opinions
 Avoiding offensive language
 Displaying a positive attitude

Guidance-Counseling Services:
Participants are free to discuss the progress of their course during scheduled counseling
hours. These hours will be communicated after commencement of introductory session.
However, participants are allowed to use other channels of communications like email, and
telephone both land and cellular.

Written submissions:
To receive a grade, each submitted assignment must be typed in a twelve-point font size. At
the top front page of each assignment, please identify the name of the course, assignment,
date of submission and your name or the names of the each of the group members.

Grammar and spelling:

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Grammar and spelling are as important as the mechanics of writing in all assignments. It is
critical that spell check is used in all word-processed documents and that your work is edited
for correctness. Grammar and spelling will be part of the evaluation of your assignments.

Withdrawal:
Participation in this course indicates your acceptance of its teaching focus, requirements, and
policies. However, if you believe that the nature of this course does not meet your interests,
needs or expectations, if you are not prepared for the amount of work involved or if you
anticipate that the class meetings, assignments deadlines or abiding by the course policies
will constitute an unacceptable hardship for you. In such case you should drop the class by
the drop-add deadline.