Qualitative Research – the ‘What’, the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ 

Contributors: Nina Alexander, Ffion Hadfield-Jones, Advika Iyer, Naomi Jones, Begw Owen, Jeremy Segrott, Leema Shams, Aliyah Shore-Nye, Ludan Tajeldin 

From the tutor – Jeremy Segrott 

Year 2 students in the School of Medicine at Cardiff University have been undertaking an ‘experience week’ as part of the Student Selected component (SSC) of their course. It offers the opportunity to work with university staff and other tutors to gain experience of work in a variety of clinical, research and community environments. 

One of the SSCsi which the Centre for Trials Research offered was an introduction to Qualitative Research in medical and health research, coordinated by Dr Jeremy Segrott from the Centre’s Division of Population Health and Social Care and the Qualitative Research Group. 

The SSC project aimed to: 

1. Introduce students to what we mean by qualitative research, including its methods 
2. Give an overview of how qualitative research is designed and conducted, with a particular emphasis on one to-one interviews 
3. Provide students with the opportunity to develop their skills in designing and conducting qualitative research
4. Illustrate key aspects of qualitative research through sharing examples of projects from the Qualitative Research Group. 

Day 1 of the experience week – Tuesday – provided an overview of Qualitative Research – its purpose, methods and how it can be used in health research.  We then focused on the design of semi-structured interviews and how to write effective interview questions.  Day 2 gave students an opportunity to design their own qualitative interview guide.  They then had a go at using this guide by conducting interviews with CTR staff and collaborators – on their experience of conducting qualitative research.  On Thursday we turned our attention to thematic analysis, including a ‘hands on’ session using the data analysis software NVIVO.  The final session on Friday provided an opportunity to reflect on what people had learnt during the week, and how they would apply some of this learning in their course. 

Student reflections

Here are some of the main things which we learnt during the week. 

Qualitative research was quite new to people, and the week was an opportunity to learn more about its value and practice: 

• “It was an insightful experience that gave me a deeper understanding of how qualitative studies are conducted, from start to finish.” 

• “[…] I was able to discover just how important the role of qualitative research was. Prior to this SSC, I had only really ever looked in depth at quantitative research during my education. However, over the course of the last few days, I was really able to see the value that qualitative research held in answering questions that quantitative research could not. I was also able to realise the detail and complexity of individuals’ experience that qualitative methods could bring to the world of research which was very eye-opening.” 

• “Over the course of our SSC we learnt about how qualitative research is conducted, the challenges and benefits and how it fits with quantitative research to provide insight and meaning.” 

‘Hands on’ experience of designing and conducting interviews – This was on the of the highlights of the week! 

• “One of the most valuable aspects of the week was designing and conducting my own interview. This was both challenging and eye-opening; it made me realise how much thought needs to go into crafting meaningful questions and how crucial it is to build rapport with participants. “
   
• “[…] I particularly enjoyed learning how to design and conduct semi-structured interviews. It was fascinating to explore how effective questioning can uncover meaningful insights in health research. Practicing interviews with CTR staff gave me a valuable opportunity to understand the challenges but also the positives involved in qualitative data collection.” 

• “We also had the chance to take part in interviews with other members of staff to get hands-on experience, which I thought was the best part of the whole week as we discussed research with the experts.” 

As a group, we also reflected on how we could apply some of the things which we had learnt during the week to our work as future doctors: 

• “I could observe how similar yet distinct the history taking methods we are taught medical school and semi-structured interviews in qualitative research are. Qualitative research provides an explanation for the numbers we obtain as a result of quantitative research. Qualitative research can also act as a starting point to changes by taking into account opinions, perspectives, what works and what does not. It adds a touch of humanity to data we obtain.” 

• “[…] the experience week has deepened my appreciation for the depth involved in qualitative research. It’s made me reflect on the importance of curiosity, critical thinking, and ethical sensitivity when engaging with people’s stories — and I’m excited to carry these lessons forward into my medical degree.” 

• “[The week] has shown us how exploring human experiences and behaviours through open qualitative methods such as interviews and focus groups can provide information unparalleled by quantitative methods, whereby we are able to learn from and apply our understanding to making real, beneficial changes to care services for patients.”

Final thoughts from the tutor … 

Thanks to the students for their hard work and enthusiasm throughout the week!  A big ‘thank you’ also to the CTR staff and collaborators who took part in the interviews. We plan to run the SSC project again in the next academic year, which provides a great opportunity for us to share our research and methods with medical students in the School of Medicine.