Abstract:

This presentation is based on the assessment of a pedagogical intervention designed to improve the teaching and learning of qualitative research methods. One of the educational problems that prompted the intervention was linked to student uncertainties around qualitative research; students were worried about the complexity of the topic and insecure when it came to practical application of the content.

The intervention consisted of designing and implementing a set of eight digital resources (each with three levels of difficulty) providing both knowledge and practical skill for qualitative analysis. The digital resources were subsequently implemented across two departments (Media and communication, and Art and culture) in all study programs. For the BA and pre-master students, these digital resources were mandatory course material, blended with tutorial work. For MA students, these digital resources were offered as a self-study option during the thesis writing process.

The impact of this intervention on student learning was assessed with the help of 8 focus groups held between February and June 2023 (N=28 students out of which 9 were BAs and 19 were MAs). This presentation discusses the findings of this evaluation pertaining to the question: How do the digital resources alleviate or cause students’ learning anxieties? This question was derived from the existing empirical and theoretical literature on teaching qualitative research. This literature suggests that the teaching and learning of qualitative research often struggles with the research paradigm’s ambiguity, derived from its complex theoretical underpinnings and diverse instantiations in practice (Hein, 2004; Humphreys, 2006; Raddon et al., 2009). Furthermore, the literature indicates that student anxieties are often produced by the sequencing of methodological knowledge in study programs, with students first learning the positivist paradigm, then being exposed to the constructivist one (Cox, 2012; Drisko, 2016).

Data from the focus groups was subsequently coded with the help of Atlas.ti according to both explicit and implicit expression of anxieties. The resulting codes were clustered into three categories: anxieties around knowledge acquisition, skill development and structural requirements. Overall, the modules were perceived as a helpful resource, particularly during the process of thesis-writing.

References:
[1] Cox, R.D. (2012). Teaching qualitative research to practitioner–researchers, Theory into Practice, 51(2): 129-136, DOI: 10.1080/00405841.2012.662868
[2] Drisko, J. W. (2016). Teaching qualitative research: Key content, course structures, and recommendations. Qualitative Social Work, 15(3), 307-321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325015617522
[3] Hein, S. F. (2004). "I Don’t Like Ambiguity": An Exploration of Students’ Experiences During a Qualitative Methods Course. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v50i1.55039
[4] Humphreys, M. (2006). Teaching qualitative research methods: I’m beginning to see the light. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 1(3): 173-188.
[5] Raddon, M., Raby, R. & Sharpe, E, (2009). The challenges of teaching qualitative coding: Can a learning object help? International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 21(3): 336-347.

Keywords:

Student perspective, learning anxieties, digital learning objects.