QRM Workshop: Through my lens
Three-day workshop on Qualitative Research hosted in the College of Language and Culture Studies (CLCS), Trongsa has been extremely beneficial for my future research preparation. It has given me the opportunity to explore my interests in a unique way especially because there is rarely an emphasis on Qualitative Research. It was a valuable practical experience and it gave us the opportunity to form a strong relationship with the Bhutanese faculty members, which can be helpful if one were to seek advice on Qualitative Research grant applications in the future.
The workshop lasted from 24th October to 26th October 2022 with the project partner colleges participating in it, of which two colleges are affiliated to the Royal University of Bhutan (Royal Thimphu College, Thimphu; Norbuling Rigter College, Paro) and the other two are constituent (Sherubtse College, Tashigang; College of Language and Culture Studies, Trongsa). This workshop was guided by European experts from the Netherlands (Vrije University Amsterdam and Leiden University) and the Institute for Innovation and Development (IRI UL) of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The College of Language and Cultural Studies (CLCS) hosted us for the entire workshop. The three-day long workshop was organized to discuss future collaboration in Qualitative Research. Students need to have research skills in order to succeed in college. However, this is not yet recognized as a significant academic topic in Bhutan’s universities. Only a few courses study research methods but more attention is being paid to learning and conducting Quantitative Research. Therefore, the three-day workshop was intended mainly to review the existing social science and liberal Arts programme curriculum and to include qualitative aspects in the existing study modules.
The session gave attendees actual experience with a variety of qualitative research methods while keeping things clear and doable. I found it helpful as a participant to develop my qualitative research abilities and methods by using both practice scenarios and real-world tales. I also learned more about leading a team of researchers in the field and handling ethical dilemmas when conducting research. These lessons on different aspects of cooperative qualitative research were re-energized by various ice-breaking fun activities as a brain break during tiring day-long lessons. With various games implemented in between, it was pros on its part to create an interactive lesson which made it easy to communicate better during the educative discussion. The workshop provided insights into qualitative research strategy for academics and for ‘professionals and researchers’ development. Building and maintaining relationships with individuals who engage in activities that are similar to your interests is the greatest method to get experience in research. I was able to get a clear understanding of how to do qualitative research and design modules on qualitative issues by getting in touch with people I knew and asking what I could do to learn more about it. The conversations I’ve had with specialists from both European and Bhutanese HEIs have been beneficial to my personal development.
According to appropriate qualitative approaches, I believe that understanding research as a humanistic or idealistic approach will be very beneficial for the field of educational research in the future. Moreover, we can use qualitative research to investigate issues that are difficult to answer with numbers. Answering major problems requires looking at the practical applications of particular social phenomena and understanding crucial issues as they are really applied. So, as a member of the HAPPY team, we think it’s critical to integrate qualitative research into the curriculum and we want to make it feasible for future programs to do the same.