Foundations of Qualitative Research Methods

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Explain the philosophical foundations of qualitative inquiry, including its history, epistemological commitments, and the relationships among paradigms, methodologies, and methods.

• Design a coherent qualitative research study by articulating a meaningful research problem, developing research questions, selecting appropriate qualitative approaches, and justifying methodological decisions.

• Collect and interpret qualitative evidence using foundational approaches such as interviews, observations, document analysis, memoing, coding, and thematic interpretation while attending to context, meaning, and quality.

• Critically evaluate qualitative research by examining issues of validity, trustworthiness, ethics, representation, and the alignment between research questions, methods, analysis, and conclusions.

• Engage in reflective inquiry as a qualitative researcher, recognizing how positionality, values, relationships, and judgment shape the production and interpretation of knowledge.

• Communicate qualitative research clearly and responsibly through scholarly writing, dialogue, and the development of a qualitative research proposal.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Reflective Journal – Ongoing reflective engagement with readings, fieldwork, and dialogue	30%
Qualitative Research Proposal – Culminating demonstration of qualitative research design	40%
End-of-Semester Reflection Letter – Reflection on learning, participation, growth, and inquiry	15%
Participation/Professionalism: Preparation, presence in class, and contributions to collaborative inquiry	15%

These weights communicate the relative contribution of each course component as evidence of learning. Final grades are assigned holistically based on the overall quality, depth, consistency, and growth demonstrated across all course components. Failure to complete or meaningfully engage with one or more course components may result in a lower final grade.

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance/participation is a graded component included in the student's final grade for this course. Preparation, presence in class, and contributions to collaborative inquiry.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

Qualitative research design: An interactive approach — Joseph A. Maxwell, 3rd Edition, Sage, 2013, ISBN 9781412981194