"Give the Students the Tools They Need": Experiences of Learning Qualitative Research Methods in Social Work Doctoral Programs

Background and Purpose: Consistent with promoting anti-racist, anti-oppressive social work research, scholars have highlighted the bias in the epistemological focus of social work toward post-positivism and quantitative methodologies. Preliminary research has found that only one-third of doctoral programs offer qualitative methods courses, usually as electives. Anecdotal evidence suggests that qualitative method offerings are improving but not on par with quantitative offerings. Such imbalances can lead to prioritizing quantitative research, while discouraging use of qualitative research and other ways of knowing to explore important social work and social justice issues. The purpose of this study is to 1) explore how current and recent graduates of social work doctoral programs perceive their training experiences in qualitative research methods; and 2) elicit recommendations for preparing doctoral students to conduct qualitative research.

Methods: Principles of grounded theory and transformative methodologies were used to explore the perspectives and experiences of obtaining qualitative research skills as part of a project-based learning study in a Doctoral-Level Qualitative Methods course. Between 2023 and 2025, doctoral-level students conducted 7 semi-structured interviews with participants who recently graduated from or were current students in, U.S.-based social work doctoral programs and conducted a qualitative or multimethod dissertation. Participants were recruited via professional networks and by searching social work program webpages for doctoral candidates conducting qualitative, mixed or multimethod dissertations. Interviews were recorded and transcribed via Zoom. Transcripts were analyzed using Qualitative Rapid Data Analysis (RDA) techniques to explore themes related to participant perspectives on the value of qualitative research in doctoral programs, experiences acquiring qualitative skills, and recommendations for qualitative methods education.

Results: Participants described challenges of obtaining qualitative methods training that centered around incongruent messaging. Participants expressed that programs explicitly supported diverse ways of knowing. However, programs concurrently relayed implicit messaging via foundational and advanced course offerings with a post-positivist and quantitative research focus. Students expressed frustration having to expend additional energy and time finding and participating in advanced qualitative training, support, and resources outside of required and available course offerings to obtain skills to successfully conduct a qualitative dissertation. All students highlighted the importance of having at least one qualitative mentor to facilitate their learning. Whether inside or outside their schools of social work, students expressed that they received both emotional and technical support from mentors who had expertise in qualitative research. All students offered recommendations for improving, promoting, and increasing qualitative research methods learning via structural changes to the curriculum.

Conclusion and Implications: Findings suggest that social work doctoral students and recent graduates experienced an emphasis on learning quantitative methodology presenting challenges to obtaining the qualitative research skills needed to conduct a qualitative dissertation. Social work doctoral students could benefit from more equitable and balanced research methods curriculum to reduce the burden of finding external resources to gain advanced qualitative training. Learning qualitative methods can provide social work doctoral students with essential tools to promote diverse ways of knowledge production and amplify the voices of marginalized populations. Implications of student recommendations for curriculum changes will be highlighted.