Qualitative Research Methods
| Credits |
|---|
| 5 |
| Holders |
| Benjamin Huybrechts, IESEG School of Management |
| Language |
| English |
| Locations |
| Liège |
| Field |
| Methods / Core learning |
Course Description
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course aims to introduce doctoral students to the core features, potential and challenges of qualitative research in management and organization studies. Moving from research design to publication, the course will combine conceptual seminars, hands-on workshops and mutual feedback, so that participants can improve their qualitative research skills and strengthen the research design of their own doctoral project. The course will place emphasis on methodological rigor and reflexivity, and will provide insights into the challenges of writing and publishing qualitative research papers.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the week, participants will be able to:
- position a project within qualitative traditions (interpretivism, critical realism, constructivism) and justify design choices;
- select and combine data collection methods: interviews, focus groups, document analysis and observation;
- conduct systematic, transparent coding and move from data to theoretical contribution;
- address quality, ethics and GDPR requirements in qualitative studies;
- understand the challenges of writing and publishing qualitative research.
SCHEDULE
| Day | Theme | Content and activities |
| Day 1 | Introduction to the course and to qualitative research design | · Morning: introduction of the course and presentation of the participants’ doctoral projects
· Afternoon: recalling the basics of research design: Epistemology and ontology; inductive, abductive and deductive logics; research questions; diversity of qualitative research designs. |
| Day 2 | Interviews and focus groups | · Morning: selection of participants, interview guides and methods, focus-group design and moderation, transcription
· Afternoon: mutual feed-back workshop and mock focus group (joys and perils of pursuing a PhD based on qualitative research). |
| Day 3 | Observation and document analysis | · Morning: participant and non-participant observation, fieldnotes, access and positionality; archives, organizational and digital documents; triangulation
· Afternoon: observation role play and document analysis exercise. |
| Day 4 | Data analysis and coding | · Morning: analyzing coding structures; coding templates, softwares and AI; from coding structure to theoretical model
· Afternoon: mutual feed-back on coding tables, coding structures and models. |
| Day 5 | Writing and publishing | · Morning: positioning of journals with regard to qualitative research; structuring a qualitative research paper; presenting evidence and supporting theoretical contributions; reflexivity and transparency; reviewer responses.
· Afternoon: workshop on submitting, revising and resubmitting qualitative research papers. |
ASSESSMENT
- Participation: active participation (20%)
- Final deliverable: memo explaining and justifying the intended methodological choices of the doctoral project, including research design, data collection, data analysis and fit with research question and theoretical framework, due one month after the course (80%).
CORE READINGS
- Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2013). Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15–31.
- Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532–550.
- Langley, A. (1999). Strategies for theorizing from process data. Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 691–710.
- Pratt, M. G. (2009). For the lack of a boilerplate: Tips on writing up (and reviewing) qualitative research. Academy of Management Journal, 52(5), 856–862.
PREPARATION
Before the course, participants will submit a one-page description of their project (research question, setting, and intended research design).
Schedule
Année académique 2026-2027
UPDATE (October 20,2026): The course will take place from March 15 to 19, 2027, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at HEC Liège. Classroom information will be provided starting in January 2027. The course will be delivered in person.
Register here