Linda M. McMullen University of Saskatchewan

1. Teaching Qualitative Inquiry in Undergraduate Psychology Programs:Enhancing Students’ Methodological Literacy Linda M. McMullen University of Saskatchewan

2. Context: U Saskatchewan Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum • research-intensive • history of teaching qualitative research in the department • location of this course in the curriculum • introductory course • second-year courses in statistics and research design/methods • third-year research courses for majors • first-term courses • second-term courses • fourth-year Honours thesis

3. Objectives • to provide students with an understanding of how to situate qualitative methodologies vis-à-vis quantitative methodologies in psychology • to introduce students to the wide range of topics and research questions that can be pursued via qualitative inquiry in psychology • to familiarize students with the range of qualitative methodologies and methods of generating and analysing data • to provide a basic, hands-on experience with analysing discourse • to begin to prepare students to conduct qualitative research in the future

4. Outline of Course • situating qualitative inquiry in psychology • overview of ontology, epistemology, methodology, method • covering the components of a research proposal • rationale for a qualitative study; the importance of the research question • how to think (differently) about the role of the literature • methods of data generation • methodologies • data analysis • ethics • criteria for assessing quality

5. Arguments against the Model of the Stand-Alone Course • Reinforces the methodology/methods-driven focus of our discipline • Separates the learning of methodologies and methods from substantive content • Reinforces the quantitative – qualitative binary which is seen as a false dichotomy

6. Arguments for the Model of the Stand-Alone Course • Increases the visibility, status, and depth of coverage of qualitative inquiry in our discipline • Reinforces the methodological diversity that characterizes our discipline • Provides the time necessary for a sustained immersion in a new language of research • Enables proficiency in one language of research to be further enhanced through repetition and comparison when learning comparable concepts in the new language, e.g., epistemology; sampling; generalization

7. Comparisons • Epistemology  objectivism, constructionism, critical realism • Hypotheses vs. research questions • Sample (random; stratified; vs. purposive or exemplary; theoretical) • Generalization (sample to population; vs. abductive; case-to-case; communicative) • Quality control (criteria linked to epistemological stance)

8. Outline of a Restructured Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum • Introductory course – inclusion of qualitative research via textbooks or selected readings, coupled with a curriculum-based research experience in both quantitative and qualitative approaches • Mandatory, stand-alone, second-year courses in both quantitative and qualitative approaches • Focus on how qualitative inquiry has shaped substantive areas of our discipline • Optional, senior-level courses that focus on in-depth coverage of a particular qualitative methodology • Capacity to complete an Honours thesis project based in qualitative inquiry

9. Aspirational Outcomes • learning the languages of research: setting a foundation for bilingualism (quantitative and qualitative research) (Collini, 1993) • awareness of unstated assumptions in both quantitative and qualitative research • research must be intellectual, not technical, in nature; develop “a metaunderstanding of the character of research work” (Alvesson & Skӧldberg, 2000)