NEW Enriching Implementation Research with Deeper Forms of Qualitative Inquiry

Alison Hamilton

July 30-31

This course will equip implementation scientists to go beyond “what works” and uncover why and how change actually happens. To get to these unpredictable phenomena characteristic of implementation, we need a qualitative toolkit that goes beyond semi-structured interviews designed according to a pre-existing framework. Tools like periodic reflections, observation, and other ethnographically rich methods can expand our ability to illuminate subtle forces driving implementation phenomena. These tools help us see how interventions and strategies evolve in context—bringing clarity to adaptations, shifting conditions, relational dynamics, and outcomes.

By getting creative and flexible with our qualitative methods in implementation research, we can open up opportunities for discovery. Drawing on examples from implementation research in health care, education, communities, and policy, we will:

  • explore different strategies for selecting and aligning qualitative methods with project goals, study design, and resources;
  • consider how to integrate theories/models/frameworks in more flexible and nuanced ways throughout data collection, analysis, and interpretation; and
  • examine different ways of generating results and different types of actionable products for diverse audiences (e.g., policy-makers, implementation practitioners).

Participants will be provided with materials and bibliographies to support the use of qualitative methods in implementation research. The course draws on material from these resources:

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