Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods

Taught over 5 consecutive full days. The course will run online. It will comprise a series of live and pre-recorded lectures/materials, complemented by informal small and large group practical activities and discussions.

By the end of the course participants should be able to:

1. appreciate the importance of qualitative research methods in the study of health, illness, and health services and systems;
2. understand how to identify when a research topic requires qualitative research methods, and be able to select the most appropriate methods to answer the particular research question;
3. practise the skills required to conduct in-depth interviews, facilitate focus groups, and undertake observation and/or ethnographic research;
4. begin to analyse qualitative data; and
5. know how to employ qualitative research methods alongside other methods in health research.

The course is open to anyone who would like to understand the use of these methods or begin to learn how to use them.

Attendees do not need to have any previous background in or knowledge of qualitative research methods, although some experience of or ideas for a health-related research project using qualitative approaches would make the course more relevant.

This course is intended to give an overview and hands-on introduction to qualitative research methods, as used in the social sciences and health-related research. Methods introduced include individual interviews, focus groups and participant observation, as well as research design, ethical issues, data analysis, mixing qualitative and quantitative methods and writing up findings for publication.

Day 1 introduces qualitative research and interviewing techniques.

Day 2 covers study design (including qualitative sampling) and focus groups.

Day 3 focuses on ethnographic and observational methods.

Day 4 covers data analysis (including coding, thematic analysis and computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software).

Day 5 covers mixing and integrating methods and writing up research findings for publication. Students will also have the opportunity to plan a qualitative project of their choice through a structured workshop.

The course organisers are:

• Dr Katie Whale, Senior Research Fellow (Course lead)
• Dr Daisy Elliott, Senior Research Fellow (Deputy course lead)

To make sure the course is suitable for you and you will benefit from attending, please ensure you meet the following prerequisites before booking:

Before booking this course, please make sure you read the information provided above about the target audience and prerequisites. It is important that you have access to the relevant IT resources needed for the course and meet the knowledge prerequisites to ensure you can get the most from the course.

Bookings are taken via our online booking system, for which you must register an account. To check if you are eligible for free or discounted courses please see our fees and voucher packs page. All bookings are subject to our terms & conditions, which can be read in full here.

For help and support with booking a course refer to our booking information page, FAQs or feel free to contact us directly. For available payment options please see: How to pay your short course fees.

Participants are granted access to our virtual learning platform (Blackboard Ultra) 1 to 2 weeks in advance of the course. This allows time for any pre-course work to be completed and to familiarise with the platform.

To gain the most from the course, we recommend that you attend in full and participate in all interactive components. We endeavour to record all live lecture sessions and upload these to the online learning environment within 24 hours. This allows course participants to review these sessions at leisure and revisit them multiple times. Please note that we do not record breakout sessions.

All course participants retain access to the online learning materials and recordings for 5 months after the course. 

University of Bristol staff and postgraduate students who do not wish to attend the full course may instead register for access to the 'Materials & Recordings' version of this course: Further information and bookings.

100% of attendees recommend this course*.
*Attendee feedback from 2026.

Here is a sample of feedback from the last run of the course:

"A good balance of live lectures, participatory workshops and pre-recorded lectures- the pre-recorded lectures allowed more flexibility and the participatory workshops were more effective to consolidate learning." - Course feedback, May 2026

"Hugely improved my understanding of good quality qualitative research and it was great to have so many practical and interactive sessions." - Course feedback, May 2026

"I found it really helpful to gain an understanding of when and where qualitative methods are best applied and the acknowledgement of the level of planning and nuance that goes in to effectively applying qualitative methods." - Course feedback, May 2026

"I found it very useful to learn how to design interview guides and techniques used whilst facilitating focus groups. I appreciated learning about the different methodologies around analysing data and the types of thematic analysis." - Course feedback, May 2026

"Really good introduction to the different types of qualitative methods, and when each might be applicable." - Course feedback, May 2026

"Really helpful course. Intense given the amount covered but efficient and helpful to cover in that space of time." - Course feedback, May 2026

"The course material was really engaging and the breadth Vs depth was really well balanced for an introduction into multiple methods, enough to be engaging and learn enough context to remember some of the methodological attributes, without so much info that you would feel lost. Very well run." - Course feedback, May 2026

"The course was structured really well. The group sessions and activities worked well, and there was a good level of support whilst we were discussing and getting to grips with the tasks." - Course feedback, May 2026

"There was a great amount of interactive sessions, allowing us to put the theory into practices, which was really useful." - Course feedback, May 2026

"There was an appropriate mixture of lectures and workshops. Encouraging the workshops to be as interactive as possible and having moderators/ facilitators in each group was very helpful. I really enjoyed the lecture on alternative forms of qualitative data as it included examples from outside of healthcare settings and showed how widely applicable and flexible qualitative research can be." - Course feedback, May 2026

"Very well organised and run. Good communication. Tutors were very helpful and supportive. Good split between live lectures, recordings and group work." - Course feedback, May 2026