The focus of this course is on the highly diverse approaches to inquiry encompassed in what is commonly referred to as qualitative research. We will cover the philosophical/theoretical bases of and techniques associated with those qualitative research methods most commonly used in the practice disciplines, including qualitative description, grounded theory, ethnography, and narrative methods. Exemplar studies will be used to illustrate the execution of the methods featured. We will also consider the varied assumptive bases of key components of research designs such as sampling, generalization, and validity, as well as of the major domains of data collection and sources, including interviews, participant observation, documents, and artifacts/materials.
