Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should be able to design a naturalistic research proposal in an area relevant to their professional and academic interests; demonstrate skills in one or more naturalistic research techniques (eg participant observation, informant interviewing, life history, documentary analysis and conversational analysis); understand the problems and possibilities of naturalistic research.
Synopsis This subject comprises a series of seminars from a symbolic interactionist perspective. It is concerned with the naturalistic methodology and fieldwork techniques. The program caters for a wide variety of interests from teachers, nurses and nurse educators, those in other helping professions, educational and other administrators. Topics will include the theoretical paradigms influencing research and the importance of theoretical perspectives in designing a research proposal; the implications of adopting applied research or pure research aims in research design; critical ethnography and `politics' of research; choosing research fields and negotiating entry; styles of naturalistic fieldwork and data-gathering techniques, including interviewing, documentary analysis, participant observation, life history and conversational analysis and use of tape recorders; case study approaches; methods of sorting and recording data; writing up reports; preserving confidentiality and other ethical issues; limitations and strengths of the naturalistic research approach.
Assessment Two written exercises (3000 words): 50% each