Introduction to Qualitative Research Methodology

This manual is based on a course entitled ‘Qualitative Research Methods for Non-Social Scientists’ which was developed by the authors, and run in Entebbe, Uganda, in March 2010. The course was part of the capacity building efforts of the Evidence for Action Research Programme Consortium, funded by the Department for International Development,UK. The participants came from Zambia, Malawi and Uganda, most with clinical backgrounds in HIV. Their high levels of motivation and enthusiasm for the course and their desire to build on what they had learnt led to the idea of this manual. Aimed primarily at non-social scientists, the manual is also accessible to a wider audience.

It introduces qualitative methods in an interesting and hands-on way to provide you with an understanding of key concepts and methods in qualitative research as applied to the field of health.

All three authors are trained anthropologists who have been working in health and development for many years. They have conducted research, taught, and built capacity
for qualitative and applied anthropological research in different types of health settings in a variety of countries.

The manual can be used as a stand-alone, self-learning tool by individuals new to the use of social science methods in health research; it can also be used by social scientists
tasked with conducting short-term training in qualitative research methods for applied health research.