Facilitators: Chery Cliffe and Graham Freestone and Stephen Mcdonald   

Facilitator: Dr Tochukwu Onwuegbusi  A1 – A2

Drawing on examples of research projects, the session will provide step by step guide for using NVivo including how to import data (e.g., interview transcripts) into NVivo platform and add classifications to your project (i.e., demographic details of participants). The session will also introduce participants to different approaches/processes of coding in NVivo, how to create memos (journals) to tell story about your project, how to explore your data, how to run a text or word frequency query. Participants will complete practical exercises and gain practical experience analysing qualitative data in NVivo. Examples will follow the guidelines for thematic analysis (TA) and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which are part of popular techniques used in analysing qualitative data. 

At the end of the session, participants will gain confidence on how to analyse qualitative data using NVivo 

Facilitator: Dr Neil Raven                 A1 – A2 – C2

For those using qualitative methods in their research, this interactive workshop considers the application of these methods to the research question, alongside the process of data collection and data analysis.

The workshop will consider the characteristics of qualitative data and its value to academic enquiry. A series of case studies will feature, providing participants with an opportunity to explore the most appropriate methods and research design to apply in each case. It will consider methods designed to ensure the generation of high quality data, exploring the various phases associated with data analysis, namely: transcription and data preparation; organisation and interpretation; plus the identification of themes and categories. Consideration will be given to expressing trends and tendencies, as well as recognising the concepts of saturation and triangulation. Participants can then apply their learning to an excerpt from an interview transcript

Facilitator: Dr Neil Raven                 A1 – B1 – B2 – C2

Aimed at final year PhD students, this session deals with the final phase of the process and explores strategies to help ensure successful completion.

By reviewing and evaluating work produced thus far, and locating remaining gaps, you will formulate a plan for completion. Attention will be given to strategies for good time management and the identification of effective working practices. This component of the workshop will draw to a close by exploring how to make the most of your supervisors in the final stage of the PhD, as well as considering sources of additional support. The session will then address the subject of editing your PhD. This will also include preparing for the viva and, in so doing, will draw upon advice offered by examiners. It will conclude by reflecting upon the range of skills and capabilities gained from the PhD process, and preparing for post-PhD life.

Facilitator: Anne Rixom    A1 – B1 – B2 – C2

This seminar covers the concept of originality, in particular how you can identify this in a range of academic topics to enable you to fully develop your research question. The session offers practical tips and approaches to three elements of student “survival” around individual, social and academic priorities. Your interaction with your Supervisors will be explored, and how you can get the best out of the relationship. Discussion will cover the academic stages of your PhD, including critical thinking, reviewing the academic literature, qualitative and quantitative study and a brief overview of the Thesis and Viva. The process and criteria for the Transfer from MPhil to PhD will also be discussed.

Aims of the Session

• To increase your understanding of what to expect during your PhD, and how to develop approaches to meet the challenges ahead
• To prepare you for the academic requirements of a PhD degree, and how you might plan for each stage
• To provide initial guidance on how each element of your PhD links to the structure of your final Thesis

Facilitator: Anne Rixom      A1 – B1 – B2 – C2

This seminar focuses on what to expect during the Viva process and how you can prepare yourself both academically and more generally. Discussion will firstly cover the broad principles underpinning the Viva exam, particularly in relation to criticality and originality, and then build on these principles to offer specific and practical techniques for question preparation using a range of example Viva questions.  The session will also offer guidance on coping strategies during the exam itself, with suggestions on how to deal the Examiners, detailed information on the roles of each individual in the Viva and the academic criteria that the Examiners will use to assess you.

Aims of the Session 

• To increase your understanding of the Viva, providing approaches to prepare both academically and more generally
• To outline the criteria that will be used to judge the defence of your Thesis, using examples of questions and how they might be anticipated  
• To prepare you for the Viva examination itself, and how you might engage with the Examiners 

Facilitator: Dr Neil Raven        A1 – A2 – A3 – B1 – C2

Questionnaires – whether administered electronically or by more traditional means – are a widely used research method, including in the collection of qualitative data. This workshop considers the questionnaire, its context, and the kinds of data the questionnaire can capture. It will then explore the questionnaire structure: its layout and appearance; the ordering and types of question posed; as well as approaches to maximising response rates and ensuring validity in the data collected. In addition, consideration will be given to sampling techniques and guidance of questionnaire deployment.
Drawing on examples of questionnaires used in the field, participants will work on developing their own questionnaires (either from scratch or from designs they already have). Questionnaires should be accessible to the recipients it aims to collect data from, and capable of generating the desired quality of response. As such, this workshop will review features that can maximise the potential of a questionnaire.

Facilitator: Dr Neil Raven                 A1 – A2 – A3 – B2

The session will examine the key phases involved in the interview process, covering preparation work – including interviewee selection and pre-interview communication – before exploring the process of conducting the interview itself. Attention will be given to the role of the interviewer and practices for generating good quality data. The post-interview phase, including transcription, data interpretation and analysis, will also be addressed, along with the subjects of data storage, data protection and research ethics. The workshop will conclude by exploring how other methods can be used to complement the insights provided by interviews and the role of a pilot study in testing research methods and design.

Facilitator: Anne Rixom                A1 – B1 – B2 – C2

This seminar covers the concept of originality, in particular how you can identify this in a range of academic topics to enable you to fully develop your research question. The session offers practical tips and approaches to three elements of student “survival” around individual, social and academic priorities. Your interaction with your Supervisors will be explored, and how you can get the best out of the relationship. Discussion will cover the academic stages of your PhD, including critical thinking, reviewing the academic literature, qualitative and quantitative study and a brief overview of the Thesis and Viva. The process and criteria for the Transfer from MPhil to PhD will also be discussed.

Aims of the Session

• To increase your understanding of what to expect during your PhD, and how to develop approaches to meet the challenges ahead
• To prepare you for the academic requirements of a PhD degree, and how you might plan for each stage
• To provide initial guidance on how each element of your PhD links to the structure of your final Thesis

Facilitator: Dr Neil Raven                 A1 – B1 – B2 – C2

‘Conventional’ approaches to qualitative research have certain limitations. They tend to capture data at a particular moment in time. Whilst still new to a number of subject areas, qualitative longitudinal research offers an approach that has the potential to overcome this drawback. Having provided an introduction and explanation of what QLR encompasses, attention will turn to its potential advantages and strengths, as well as its limitations and the challenges associated with its application. Some examples of QRL’s use in ‘the field’ will be given, with participants working in small groups to explore how it might be applied to a current area of concern to researchers. Concluding with participants considering how QLR could be deployed in their research.

Facilitator: Dr Neil Raven  A2 – A3

The research process – whether it is for a master’s dissertation or a PhD – can be very challenging. Consequently, approaches that are able to support this process are much valued. Reflective practice is one such approach. It can encourage the development of analytical skills and critical thinking, help generate new insights and understanding, and afford a mechanism for capturing the decision-making process. Reflective writing can also represent a data source in itself.  

 Having introduced the concept of reflective practice and what it offers to the researcher, this session considers the various methods that can be used to facilitate such practice, including journal keeping and reflective discussion. It then considers the components of a reflective cycle – from description to interpretation and critical analysis, and on to the identification of points of learning and the drawing up of a set of actions or responses. Examples of how this process can be applied to the work of the researcher are also explored, with participants encouraged to draw upon their own study experiences. The concept of reflexivity, concerned with locating the researcher in the research process, will also be explored. The session will conclude with some recommendations on effective reflective practice and by encouraging participants to reflect upon the approach that best suits them.  

Facilitator: Dr Neil Raven  A2 – A3

This is a two part training session. The morning session will focus on questionnaires and interviews, with the afternoon session exploring focus groups, observation and photography. Consideration will be given to the origins and characteristics of each of these research instruments, as well as their comparative strengths and limitations when it comes to being ‘deployed in the real world’. Interactive in nature, this workshop will also provide participants with opportunities to assess the suitability of each of these methods to their own research, and, for those who have already employed these methods, to share their experiences of applying them in the field.

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Appreciate the role of questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observation and photography as qualitative research instruments

• Recognise the relative strengths and weaknesses of each

• Have considered which would be best applied to their research, or how they could be deployed in combination

• Have gained insights from those who have applied these instruments in the real world.

Participants may attend one or both of the sessions.

Facilitator: Dr Neil Raven                 A1 – A2 – A3 – B2

The session will examine the key phases involved in the interview process, covering preparation work – including interviewee selection and pre-interview communication – before exploring the process of conducting the interview itself. Attention will be given to the role of the interviewer and practices for generating good quality data. The post-interview phase, including transcription, data interpretation and analysis, will also be addressed, along with the subjects of data storage, data protection and research ethics. The workshop will conclude by exploring how other methods can be used to complement the insights provided by interviews and the role of a pilot study in testing research methods and design.