Academic and Research Skills
Medical Education
Samrat Das, MD (he/him/his)
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Duke University School of Medicine
DURHAM, North Carolina, United States
Christy Peterson, MD (she/her/hers)
Director of Pediatric Undergraduate Medical Education, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Mercer University School of Medicine
Macon, Georgia, United States
Caroline Paul, MD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
Pediatrics
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York City, New York, United States
Helen Wang, MD (she/her/hers)
Assistant Clinical Professor
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, California, United States
Jean Petershack, MD (she/her/hers)
Professor
UTHealth San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Workshop
Description: Qualitative research addresses the “how” and “why” and enables deeper understanding of experiences, phenomena and context. It is especially well suited for medical educators as it helps to answer questions about how learners and teachers make sense of the educational events in which they participate. Qualitative research can help us understand complex learning environments and subtle learning relationships; learning outcomes that are best described rather than counted or measured. In this workshop, we walk with participants through the essentials of qualitative research. We will discuss when to use qualitative methods, explore theoretical frameworks, and help attendees to develop qualitative research questions. Together we will examine examples of qualitative research projects. We will consider the research questions, research theory used, and methods for data collection. And finally, through a series of activities, the authors demonstrate how rigor is ensured in conducting qualitative research.