In education, research plays an important role in identifying problems, understanding how those problems and issues play out in schools, and exploring the possibilities for change. In this course, students will understand the process of qualitative research and explore different approaches to qualitative inquiry in education: narrative inquiry, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and case study. Students will also examine the ways in which qualitative research can be designed to interact with communities of practice through action-oriented, community-engaged, and participatory models of inquiry that lead to educational change. Students will design a qualitative research proposal that explores a question in education--from the conceptualization of a problem to the development of research questions and on to the processes of data collection. They will incorporate their learning of key methods such as interviewing, participant observation, document analysis as well as their examination of key dilemmas such as researcher positionality.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 12

Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor required. Intended for EDUC majors or minors in their junior or senior year.

Instructor: D'Andrea Martinez

Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition

Typical Periods Offered: Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring

Notes: