Joseph Kwok, Jacky Cheung, W. T. Chan

Department of Applied Social Studies

Social sciences students have expressed that a thorough understanding in and application of qualitative research methods to local contexts are needed so as to achieve better performances in their academic and professional pursuits. The issue is particularly relevant for courses that require students to complete assignments based on research data. In general, research data that are more conveniently available to students are practice experiences that they gain from their fieldwork practicum, or encounters with a small number of research subjects. The overall aim of this Project is therefore to develop teaching materials on qualitative research methods relevant to local contexts. As a pilot step, the Project has focussed on the compilation of materials suitable for teaching and self-learning.

The Project has undertaken three major tasks. First, seven case illustrations giving procedures and applications of significant techniques in qualitative research have been adapted for presentation purposes in Microsoft Power Point format, and will be made available through the Web. These cases include four English and three Chinese research reports from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other places, which reflect inquiries pertaining to both ethnography and ethnomethodology. All of the cases are considered relevant to the concerns of social work students. Each case presentation is accompanied by a critical review on the significance of the methodologies adopted so as to stimulate learning.

Second, to enable students to better understand how a large volume of qualitative data can be analysed to generate theories or to test hypotheses, records of the Hansard (records of the Legislative Council meetings) in 1995-1996 have been screened and indexed using NUD.IST, which is a computer software package for non numerical unstructured data indexing, searching and theorizing. The index system thus generated covers the following major themes: Hong Kong economy, immigration, medical services, legislation, taxes, urban renewal, wealth disparity, elderly people, people with chronic illness, and broadcasting. The first level of the index system contains nodes on issues, ideologies, institutions, entities and actions.

Third, an illustration in using the indexed data of the Hansard to generate findings on legislators' general inclinations are also presented for students' references. The presentation is accompanied by a critical review on the significance of the methodologies adopted.