In the Laboratory of Qualitative Research Methodology, we set ourselves the following goals:

1.     That the student deepens the paradigms at the origin of social research, with particular reference to the fundamental epistemological and methodological approaches underlying the main techniques that can be employed in qualitative social research, acquiring the conceptual categories and terminology specific to the subject.

2.     That the student deepens the specifics of qualitative techniques, in theoretical, methodological and empirical terms.

3.     That the student acquires the skills essential to design and carry out a survey using qualitative social research techniques, in all its stages: writing a project, defining the research design, sampling, developing data collection tools, collecting information, processing and interpreting results, and writing outputs.

4.     That the student acquire through the implementation of empirical research the ability to work in teams, through small group activities.

The aim of the course is to provide the basic skills and abilities necessary for the design and implementation of research carried out with non-standardized instruments: interviews - individual and collective - focus groups and observation.

The program will cover the following main topics:

1. Qualitative research.
Family similarities/Islands in the archipelago: a map of qualitative research/Strengths and weaknesses
2. The design of qualitative research.
The relevance of the research question/The eloquence of the cases under study/Appropriateness of the method 
3. Participatory observation and ethnographic research
The specifics of the research design/The fieldwork
4. The discursive interview
The specifics of the research design/The interview campaign: the construction of data 1
5. The focus group
The specifics of the research design/Conducting the focus group: the construction of the data
6. Autoethnography
A periodization/Three forms of autoethnography/The specifics of the research design/Collaborative autoethnography
7. Shadowing
The origins/The specifics of the research design/The conduct of the study
8. Visual methods.
A periodization/The specifics of research design
9. Hybrid methods
A periodization/The specifics of research design/Hybrid research practices/Some useful tools in the hybrid field
10. The logic of qualitative analysis

Having attended or currently attending the course Methodology and Techniques of Social Research

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to carry out, in all its stages (research design, construction of the survey instrument, sampling, field survey, analysis and interpretation of the information collected), sociological research with a qualitative approach through various survey techniques. He/she will also be able to communicate the main findings through both a written report and a public presentation.

Students must achieve:

1. Knowledge and understanding.

Students must possess.
- basic technical knowledge for understanding information construction processes.
- Basic technical tools for information analysis and interpretation.  

Students acquire this knowledge through attendance at lectures, participation in classroom discussion of topics covered in lectures, activities-which include simulations led by the lecturer-and through practical group activities.

2. Applied knowledge and understanding skills 

Knowledge acquired during the course will be applied to the analysis of concrete research situations. They should be able to know how to construct - through pspp software - and recognize different categories of variables, know the main characteristic values, know how to read and construct single- and bivariate analyses, and know how to graph data.

Students acquire this knowledge through attendance at lectures, participation in classroom discussion of topics covered in class, activities involving the use of data analysis software guided by the lecturer, and through hands-on group activities.

3. Judgment skills

Students should be able to make informed and autonomous judgments on various concrete situations of reading and constructing information based on the knowledge acquired during the course.

Students acquire these skills through discussion in the classroom with the lecturer and colleagues, during tutorials and lectures, and through individual and group study and practice.

4. Communication skills.

Students are expected to possess expressive skills, communication skills in written and oral Italian, and basic skills in the specialized language of the discipline and information representation skills.

Students acquire these skills by interacting in the classroom through questions to the lecturer, responses to the lecturer's prompts on the topics covered in class, exchanges with fellow students, making short public presentations in returning to colleagues and the lecturer the result of the exercises and simulations carried out in the classroom, writing short texts (research reports) during classroom exercises.

5. Learning skills.

Students are expected to achieve learning skills for further study and research.

Students acquire these skills through classroom discussion, argumentation of answers to the lecturer's questions, discussion with classmates during lectures and classroom exercises, and individual and group study and practice.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

No teaching support activities are provided.

Teaching

Classroom lessons, guided practical group work.

Small group work

Attendance

Production of an empirical research study using a qualitative approach, and research report (This must be agreed upon in advance with the lecturer at least 2 months prior to the examination).

Course books

Mario Cardano e Luigi Gariglio (2022) Metodi qualitativi. Pratiche di ricerca in presenza, a distanza e ibride, Carocci

For international students

Silverman, D. (2020). Qualitative research, FIFTH EDITION, Sage

Assessment

Oral, presentation of material produced during the research, ppt slides (This must be agreed in advance with the lecturer at least 2 months before the examination).

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Preparation of reference materials.

Attendance

Production of an empirical research study using a qualitative approach, and research report (This must be agreed upon in advance with the lecturer at least 2 months prior to the examination).

Course books

Mario Cardano e Luigi Gariglio (2022) Metodi qualitativi. Pratiche di ricerca in presenza, a distanza e ibride, Carocci

Francesco Sacchetti (2014) Processi di categorizzazione in etnografia, Bonanno

Assessment

Oral, presentation of material produced during the research, ppt slides (This must be agreed in advance with the lecturer at least 2 months before the examination).

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.