The newly established Centre for Qualitative Research (CQR) at the University of Bath is hosting its annual workshop series on Wednesday 27 January.
The workshops focus on a range of issues related to qualitative research and will be delivered online by University of Bath researchers and teachers with expertise in session areas.
These workshops usually precede the Qualitative Research Symposium (QRS); this year, due to COVID-19, the workshops will replace the Symposium.
Book Launch
We will also be holding a virtual book launch on 27 January at 3pm - which we would be delighted for you to join - for the Centre’s first (and forthcoming) book titled Temporality in Qualitative Inquiry: Theories, Methods and Practices (Routledge, 2021).
You can register for the book launch online for free.
Workshops
Workshops will be of interest to both researchers and practitioners.
A total of six workshops are offered; participants can select whether to attend one (half a day) or two (full day) of the six.
No prior knowledge of the subjects is required given the workshops are designed to be of an introductory level.
Each session lasts 1.5 hours and has a maximum capacity of 25 attendees.
Morning Sessions (9.30am to 11am)
Select one of the 3 options.
Workshop 1: Digital Methods
Accessing the sensory, affective, inter-relational or seemingly mundane aspects of a research participant’s experience, is often challenging. In this introductory session, we will explore how technologies (such as film, GPS, Galvanic Skin Response, Heart Rate monitors, mobile phone apps) have been used in social science research, to augment established conversation or (auto)ethnographic based approaches to data collection.
We will also look at how technologically acquired data can be used to disseminate research findings in creative and accessible ways, to a variety of audiences.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to identify the study contexts in which technology could enhance the researcher’s understanding and feel confident about technologically augmenting their existing approaches to data collection, where appropriate.
Workshop 2: Grounded Theory
This workshop will be introducing you to grounded methodology, explore the theory behind the method and show you how to use it to develop and evaluate research and public engagement projects – this year there will be a particular emphasis on digital desk-based research. Grounded methodology is designed to challenge traditional research methodologies, and in doing so questions the notion of the need for highly formal research in institutional settings. In this respect, it is also a simple way of planning a research project that needs an evaluative element.
The workshop will also discuss covering data collection techniques used in the course of research such as observations, interviews, course development, participant diaries and online data collection.
Finally, this workshop also discusses the practical realities of researching in institutional contexts and the differences in national and cultural backgrounds.
Workshop 3: Participatory and Involvement Methodologies in Qualitative Research
Dr Cathy Randle-Phillips and Lucy Clarkson.
Participatory research refers to the involvement of those whose experiences the research is investigating in the planning and conducting of the research itself. This session will provide an overview of models of participatory research, exploring both the inherent value of involvement and challenges this can present.
Whilst Cathy will outline examples of ways that involvement has been grown and utilised within her own research, and within research practices on the Clinical Psychology Doctorate at Bath, the methodological aspects discussed will be relevant to all disciplinary backgrounds.
Lucy will share some of her experiences as a co-researcher and consultant with lived experience on numerous projects. There will be time incorporated for small group discussion and reflections.
Afternoon Sessions (12.30pm to 2pm)
Select one of the 3 options.
Workshop 4: Research with Children and Young People Using the Psychosocial Method of Free Association Narrative Interviewing
The Free Association Narrative Interviewing (FANI) method developed by Hollway & Jefferson (2013) is well suited to research with children and young people in its creativity and playfulness as a methodology in examining subjective emotional experience alongside cognitive data.
We will briefly outline the basics of FANI before exploring the method in practice through an interactive workshop.
By the end of the session, we will have images, emotional and cognitive data to integrate, explore and make sense of. At the end of the workshop some examples will be given of this method in practice examining children’s feelings about climate change.
Workshop 5: Methods of Discourse Analysis
This session will introduce participants to the basics of different approaches to discourse analysis, by focusing on three distinct methods: critical discourse analysis (CDA), post-structuralist discourse analysis (PDA), and rhetorical analysis (RA).
We will then use analytical tools drawn from the latter method to study a contemporary political speech.
By the end of the session, participants will have a nuanced understanding of the differences between approaches to discourse analysis and they will be in position to identify which method is more suitable for their research project.
Workshop 6: Writing Differently for Qualitative Research
In this workshop, we will look at a number of ways in which we can draw on creative writing to inform our qualitative research and public engagement strategies.
We start by looking at why we might need to challenge traditional forms of writing within the academy, discussing issues of ethics and representation.
We will then spend time working with our own research writing and transform it into a ‘writing differently’ piece. We may draw on frameworks such autoethnographic reflexivity, fictocriticism, writing as skin and poetry.
By the end of the session, participants will have an appreciation for the scope to experiment in their research writing, along with some of the challenges, and have had an opportunity to try it out.
To participate, attendees are asked to bring with them an excerpt of writing from their data, field notes, or personal reflections on research approx. 1 page (500 words).
Registration
You can register for the workshops online. The deadline for registration is 20 January 2021.
Partial refunds are possible for participants who withdraw their booking before 13 January 2021. No refunds will be provided thereafter.