Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
Within an applied, managerial focus, the course provides the student with a set of skills in designing and undertaking qualitative research.
Traditionally, management researchers have mainly produced knowledge about human action and activities in organisations using quantitative approaches. However, during the past four decades management and social science more broadly have increasingly turned to the use of qualitative approaches for conducting research. A large range of qualitative research methods, such as case study, grounded theory, ethnography, phenomenology, ethnomethodology, and discourse analysis are now frequently being used within the management field. These and other qualitative research approaches have enabled management scholars to conduct research that has led to new forms of knowledge about management and organisation. As a result, our understanding of the field of management has developed significantly both theoretically and practically.
This course will introduce you to qualitative research methods in the management field. While theories and techniques of qualitative research will be emphasised, they will be applied through practical, hands-on exercises for conducting research into human action and activities in organisations and society. This training will be relevant to all areas of management, strategy, marketing, information systems, international business, and tourism, and for those in the social sciences more broadly. The course is directed to postgraduate students who wish to develop skills in qualitative research for their PhD, Masters or Honours theses or MBA research report as well as for undergraduate students planning to undertake Honours within the UQ Business School.
We begin this course by discussing what qualitative research is, its historical development, meta-theoretical underpinnings, and areas of application. A central question in this part is why an increased use of qualitative research has occurred in management and what new forms of management research it has generated. Next, we will discuss the qualitative research process and its central phases such as formulating research questions, data collection, analysis and presenting results. Issues such as trustworthiness and validation of qualitative results will be taken up in each phase. You will then apply theories and techniques in conducting a qualitative management study. Finally, we will discuss some influential qualitative research approaches in management.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Before attempting this course, students are advised that it is important to complete the appropriate prerequisite course(s) listed on the front of this course profile. No responsibility will be accepted by the School of Business, the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law or The University of Queensland for poor student performance occurring in courses where the appropriate prerequisite(s) has/have not been completed, for any reason whatsoever.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
RBUS3901 or 7901
Restrictions
BAdvBus(Hons), BBusMan(Hons), BIHTM(Hons), GCBusRMeth, GDipBRM, PhD, MPhil. To enrol: BAdvBus(Hons) students must email bel@uq.edu.au; MCommun (Org. Commun) students must email info@business.uq.edu.au. Quota: Min. 10 enrolments.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Professor Paula Jarzabkowski
Professor Melissa Cardon
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full Name
- Student ID
- Course Code
Aims and outcomes
The course aims to help you develop and deepen your understanding of qualitative research in general, and of conducting qualitative research in management in particular.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Understand the main goals, principles and concepts of qualitative methods and management research.
LO2.
Apply your understanding of qualitative research methods on specific managerial and social sciences problems.
LO3.
Critically evaluate qualitative research and its methods used in management and social sciences more generally.
LO4.
Independently, and as part of a team, conduct and report qualitative research.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation |
Team Presentation
|
15% |
22/08/2024 7:30 am |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Team Report
|
35% |
18/10/2024 5:00 pm |
| Reflection | Reflection | 50% |
4/11/2024 5:00 pm
Reflective diaries will be submitted after each session of the course. A final reflective report, including all diary submissions, will be submitted on the final due date. |
Assessment details
Team Presentation
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
22/08/2024 7:30 am
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed.
Task description
Assessment 1: Group Presentation
Description:
- For this task, you are required to give a group presentation featuring the specific qualitative research approach you are taking to your case organisation, the research question you will address, and the data you will collect. It is designed to ensure you are well prepared for your data collection and analysis in your case organisation.
- Each team will present a short seminar on their approach followed by a discussion.
- Teams will comprise of 3-5 members.
- The presentation will be 15 minutes long, followed by 15 minutes discussion.
- The presentation should be supported by slides and handouts.
Marking criteria
In your presentation you should address and demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of the following issues:
- The main objective of your research study including the research question.
- What data you will collect and why
- A critical reflection on your chosen approach and its main strengths and weaknesses.
In particular, your presentation should
- Provide a justification of your choice of research question, way of designing your study, ways of collecting data, analysing data based on a strong use of the course literature.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of how central qualitative techniques and procedures can be used in management research.
- Be well argued and demonstrating a clear understanding of the course literature concerning the qualitative research process and its central phases.
More specific criteria and assessment guidelines will be handed out in class, including any relevant details about peer assessment.
AI Statement: This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Please submit through the Blackboard and also email to the course coordinator
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Team Report
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 35%
- Due date
18/10/2024 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed.
Task description
Assessment 2: Group Report
Description:
The purpose of this assessment task is to write up, together with your 3-5 team members, the findings from your case study. The following characteristics of the case findings write up are expected: Case context, Essential research question, how your findings answer the question, conclusions about the findings. Your presentation from Assessment 1 should be included as an appendix, with a brief note on how well your research design allowed you to arrive at the findings or any changes you had to make. Further details about this task will be discussed in class and posted to our course Blackboard site.
Marking criteria
This assessment item gives you opportunity to write up qualitative findings, using qualitative data as a source of evidence for the claims you make about your case organisation. You can choose to write either a practitioner report for your organisation or to write your report up as the findings section for a qualitative academic paper. The main assessment criteria are:
- Briefly introduce your research context, setting out the Essential features necessary for a reader to understand the findings.
- Show the themes you have developed from your analysis and how these were developed from the data
- Demonstrate a clear use of all sources of evidence and triangulation of data to make claims about the case
- A summary with recommendations or conclusions. This might outlines either the theoretical or practical contributions your research makes to management studies.
- The report should be a minimum of 2,500 and a maximum of 4,000 words, excluding appendices and references.
More specific criteria and assessment guidelines will be handed out in class, including any relevant details about peer assessment.
AI Statement: This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit through Turnitin in the Blackboard Assessments link.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Reflection
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
4/11/2024 5:00 pm
Reflective diaries will be submitted after each session of the course. A final reflective report, including all diary submissions, will be submitted on the final due date.
Task description
Assessment 3: Individual Reflection
Description:
Research diaries are a essential feature of the qualitative research process. The purpose of this assessment is to build a diary of reflections, which enable you relate the qualitative research approaches taken up in the course to your own research project, as follows:
- First, you should submit a reflective diary for each session of the course, in which you note your growing understanding and puzzles as you conduct qualitative research. These diaries should reflect on the choices made to select the qualitative research approach chosen as a team (basis of Assessment 1 and Assessment 2). Personal reflections after team discussions provide an additional basis for your diary entries.
- Second, you should develop a report, built from these diaries and your experience of assessments 1 and 2, that discusses how your experience in this course and reflection on qualitative research approaches can be applied to your own research.
The report should be a minimum of 2,000 and a maximum of 3,000 words, excluding appendices and references. All diary submissions should be included in the appendix.
Marking criteria
You are required to submit a reflective diary after each session and after team discussions. It provides an additional basis for your reflection.
You will be assessed on your ability to:
- Build a corpus of reflections over the diary entries throughout the course
- Provide a reflection on the chosen research approach(es) which formed the basis of your team assignment; and
- Present a report that is well argued, and which demonstrates a clear understanding of the discussed research approaches and their application to your own research.
This assessment gives you opportunity to explore the possibility of using qualitative research approaches in your own research.
More specific criteria and assessment guidelines will be handed out in class.
AI Statement: This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit through Turnitin in the Blackboard Assessment link.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Seminar |
Session 1: Introducing qualitative research, data sources and field norms Session overview: |
Week 2 |
Not Timetabled |
Independent Work Reading catch up and form groups for assessment |
Week 3 |
Seminar |
Session 2: Designing qualitative research: case study and longitudinal research, selecting cases Session overview: - Qualitative research: sampling, cases studies, assumptions about and conduct of process and practice research Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 4 |
Not Timetabled |
Independent Work Prepare for first assessment |
Week 5 |
Seminar |
Session 3: Presenting and defending a research design. Doing field research Session overview: - Presentation assessment, Gaining access and conducting interviews, group fieldwork clinics Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Multiple weeks From Week 6 To Week 7 |
Not Timetabled |
Independent Work Conduct fieldwork for second assessment |
Week 8 |
Seminar |
Session 4: Doing data analysis: Theory and practice Explanation of different talk, text and video methods of analysis; induction, abduction and deduction, reaching analytic saturation |
Week 9 |
Not Timetabled |
Independent Work Analyse data for second assessment |
Mid Sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
In-Semester Break |
Week 10 |
Not Timetabled |
Independent Work Analyse data for second assessment |
Week 11 |
Seminar |
Session 5: Writing up qualitative research Session overview: Presenting findings convincingly (techniques of 'writing-up' qualitative research), theorising from and publishing qualitative research Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 12 |
Not Timetabled |
Independent Work Complete final assessment |
Week 13 |
Seminar |
Session 6: Establishing quality, considering different audiences, reflecting on your work Trustworthiness and validation, translating research for a practitioner and policy audience, final clinic on your own research Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.