The following is a summary of a study that can be used for practice when preparing for the new Paper 3. You have one hour and need to answer all five questions. The stimulus material below is based on a research article. People living in poverty find it difficult to access health care resources (e.g. medical treatment, Doctor’s appointments, vaccinations, …
Lesson Idea: Understanding thematic analysis
The aim of the activities in this lesson is to help students understand the process and purpose of conducting a thematic analysis in qualitative research. It is not necessary to study how qualitative data is analyzed in the new IB Psychology curriculum, but it could be useful to help deepen your understanding of qualitative methods (and it could be used in …
Lesson Idea: Understanding Reflexivity
Reflexivity is a difficult concept for students to grasp. Using the study below can be a good way to help students understand how and why reflexivity is used in qualitative studies. Note: this task has been developed for the “old” syllabus. Task #1: Making Predictions Explain the aim of the study summarized below. Student’s think-pair-share about what research method they …
What is “reflexivity?”
Updated July 2020 What is reflexivity? Reflexivity is the process of continual reflection upon the research process by a researcher; at the heart of reflexivity is the idea of self-awareness. Students need to be able to “explain the use of reflexivity in qualitative research,” which means defining the term and explaining how and why it’s used in qualitative studies and using …
Kahoot: Qualitative Methodology (Old Syllabus)
This Kahoot quiz covers a selection of key terms from the qualitative research methods in the old syllabus. This can help prepare for Paper 3. The quiz focuses on general concepts, such as generalizability, transferability, participant expectations, as well as methodology (interviews, case studies and observations). Play the quiz HERE! We’re currently working on a Paper 3: Qualitative Methods Revision …
What is a “narrative interview?”
This material is the for the “old syllabus.” Students in the new IB Psychology syllabus (first exams May, 2019), do not need to know about narrative interviews (but they do need to know about unstructured interviews). What is a narrative interview? A “narrative” is a spoken or written summary of connected events. So a narrative interview asks questions that require …
Lesson Idea: Analyzing Focus Group Interviews
Using real examples of qualitative studies is an effective way of teaching qualitative research methods and concepts. It also helps with developing students’ ability to apply their knowledge to stimulus material (i.e. they learn how to use details from the text to support their answers). Note: this task has been developed for the “old” syllabus, but could be adapted for …
What is an “emic concept?”
This post is for the “old” syllabus (May and Nov 2018 exams) and is not needed for the new one. The LO for the old syllabus is: “Using one or more examples, explain “emic” and “etic” concepts.” An emic concept refers to an approach to research that involves studying behaviour in a single culture. This is different to an etic …
Qualitative Study Examples
There are plenty of freely available qualitative studies on google scholar. One way to find studies is to ask your students to think of a topical subject in the media that has caught their attention lately. Google search “qualitative psychology (your topic)” and see what you can find. Another approach is to find studies that could help them understand other …
Lesson Ideas: Qualitative Methods
Full credit for the ideas in this post go to Alan Law who shared these with me recently. Problem-based Approach Find and source a real example of a qualitative study and provide students with a very brief summary of the central research question of the study. Then ask students in small groups to decide what method they would use to …