Qualitative Methods and Process Evaluations
| Module title | Qualitative Methods and Process Evaluations |
|---|---|
| Module code | HPDM055 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Julia Frost (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 5 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
This module can be taken online.
This module aims to equip you as a health services researcher with both the fundamental and advanced knowledge, understanding and skills to plan and undertake qualitative analyses in applied health care research. You will also critically evaluate the place of process evaluations within experimental designs to clarify causal mechanisms associated with variation in outcomes.
Module aims - intentions of the module
You will develop competences in the design, analysis and interpretation of qualitative data suitable for a range of health services research study designs. You will develop an understanding of how to apply in depth and systematic knowledge to manage and perform research with technical expertise in qualitative methods. You will be able to design a basic process evaluation to examine how a complex intervention operates.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Use and appraise the contribution of qualitative methods to the study of complex interventions
- 2. Comprehend how process evaluations can be used to investigate mechanisms of change associated with complex healthcare interventions
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate the relationship(s) between methodology and method(s)
- 4. Apply in depth and systematic knowledge to perform specialist research skills with technical expertise.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Use and appraise various qualitative methodologies and process evaluation designs
- 6. Competently analyse and synthesise primary and secondary qualitative data
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:
- Methods of qualitative data collection (interviews, focus groups, ethnography)
- Qualitative data analysis process
- Identifying qualitative studies for review
- Process evaluation
This module can be taken online. There are two 2 days of OPTIONAL face-to-face participatory workshops offered as part of the module at the Exeter St Luke’s campus and, for those who cannot attend, there will be alternative opportunities provided to meet the intended learning outcomes.
The following approaches might be applied if necessary due to Covid19:
- Face-to-face scheduled lectures may be replaced by short pre-recorded videos for each topic (15-20 minutes) and/or brief overview lectures delivered via MS Teams/Zoom, with learning consolidated by self-directed learning resources and ELE activities.
- Small-group discussion in tutorials and seminars may be replaced by synchronous group discussion on Teams/ Zoom; or asynchronous online discussion, for example via Yammer or ELE Discussion board
- Workshops involving face-to-face classroom teaching may be replaced by synchronous sessions on Teams/Zoom; or Asynchronous workshop activities supported with discussion forum
- Skills workshops involving practical skills acquisition demonstrations may be replaced by short pre-recorded videos as pre-learning; or workshop via Teams/Zoom.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 110 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning & teaching activities | 12 | Lectures, seminars, master-classes to enhance learning through introduction to key topics, specialist areas and role models and diversity of contexts and outcomes. |
| Scheduled learning & teaching activities | 28 | Group discussions, practical exercises, simulated case-studies and engagement with real-world scenarios to foster experiential learning with opportunities for peer and tutor feedback |
| Guided independent study | 66 | Web-based learning; resource gathering and in-depth reading during the period of module delivery |
| Guided independent study | 44 | Preparation and writing of assignments. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical exercises | Various and ongoing | 1-6 | Verbal/written |
| Small group work | Various and ongoing | 1-6 | Verbal/written |
| Case-based discussions | Various and ongoing | 1, 2, 5, 6. | Verbal/written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coursework essay | 100 | 2000 words (maximum) | 1-6 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coursework essay (100%) | Coursework essay (2000 words) | 1-6 | August/September Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Same as the original summative assessment, to include response to the written feedback and undertaken during the University’s agreed referral/deferral period.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Green J, Thorogood N (2018) Qualitative methods for health research. 4th edition. Sage: London.
Miles MB, Huberman AM, Saldana J (2019) Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook, 4th Edition. Sage: London.
Pope C, Mays N (2020) Qualitative research in health care. 4th edition Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ELE – https://ele.exeter.ac.uk/
Barbour RS. Checklists for improving rigour in qualitative research: a case of the tail wagging the dog? BMJ. 2001 May 5;322(7294):1115-7. doi: 10.1136/bmj.322.7294.1115. PMID: 11337448; PMCID: PMC1120242.
Barroso J, Gollop CJ, Sandelowski M, Meynell J, Pearce PF and Collins LJ. (2003) The challenges of searching for and retrieving qualitative studies. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 25, 2:153-7
Cooke A, Smith, D and Booth A. (2012) Beyond PICO: The SPIDER Tool for Qualitative Evidence Synthesis . Qualitative Health Research. 22.10:1435-43
Eakin, J.M., & Mykhalovskiy, E. (2003). Reframing the evaluation of qualitative health research: reflections on a review of appraisal guidelines in the health sciences. Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 9 2, 187-94 .
Eakin, J. M. (2016). Educating Critical Qualitative Health Researchers in the Land of the Randomized Controlled Trial. Qualitative Inquiry, 22(2), 107-118. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800415617207
Eakin, J. M., & Gladstone, B. (2020). “Value-adding” Analysis: Doing More With Qualitative Data. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920949333
Evans D. (2002) Database searches for qualitative research. Journal of the Medical Library Association. 90.3:290–293.
Flemming K and Briggs M. (2007) Electronic searching to locate qualitative research: evaluation of three strategies. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 57.1:95-100.
Lewin S, Glenton C, Oxman OD (2009) Use of qualitative methods alongside randomised controlled trials of complex healthcare interventions: methodological study. British Medical Journal 2009; 339:b3496
Malterud K. Qualitative research: standards, challenges, and guidelines. Lancet. 2001 Aug 11;358(9280):483-8. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(01)05627-6. PMID: 11513933.
Malterud K, Siersma VD, Guassora AD. Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies: Guided by Information Power. Qual Health Res. 2016 Nov;26(13):1753-1760. doi: 10.1177/1049732315617444. Epub 2016 Jul 10. PMID: 26613970.
Moore G, Audrey S, Barker M, Bond L, Bonell C, Hardeman W, Moore L, O’Cathain A, Tinati T, Wight D, Baird J. Process evaluation of complex interventions: Medical Research Council guidance . MRC Population Health Science Research Network, London, 2014
O’Cathain A. 2018. A practical guide to using qualitative research with randomized controlled trials. Oxford Press.
Mays N, Pope C. Rigour and qualitative research. BMJ. 1995 Jul 8;311(6997):109-12. doi: 10.1136/bmj.311.6997.109. PMID: 7613363; PMCID: PMC2550154.
Mays N, Pope C. Qualitative research in health care. Assessing quality in qualitative research. BMJ. 2000 Jan 1;320(7226):50-2. doi: 10.1136/bmj.320.7226.50. PMID: 10617534; PMCID: PMC1117321.
Pope C, van Royen P, Baker R. Qualitative methods in research on healthcare quality. Qual Saf Health Care. 2002 Jun;11(2):148-52. doi: 10.1136/qhc.11.2.148. PMID: 12448807; PMCID: PMC1743608.
Pope C, Ziebland S, Mays N (2000) Analysing qualitative data. British Medical Journal. 320. 114- 116
Skivington K, Matthews L, Simpson SA, Craig P, Baird J, Blazeby JM, Boyd KA, Craig N, French DP, McIntosh E, Petticrew M, Rycroft-Malone J, White M, Moore L. A new framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions: update of Medical Research Council guidance. BMJ. 2021 Sep 30;374:n2061. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n2061. PMID: 34593508; PMCID: PMC8482308.
Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J (2007) Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. International Journal for Quality in Health Care . 19, 6. 349–357.
Yardley L. (2021) Using qualitative research for intervention development and evaluation. In Camic P (ed) Qualitative Research in Psychology: Expanded perspectives in methodology and design. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000252-013
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 20/12/2016 |
| Last revision date | 05/11/2024 |
