General practitioners learning qualitative research: A case study of postgraduate education.
BACKGROUND
Qualitative research is increasingly being recognised as a vital aspect of primary healthcare research. Teaching and learning how to conduct qualitative research is especially important for general practitioners and other clinicians in the professional educational setting. This article examines a case study of postgraduate professional education in qualitative research for clinicians, for the purpose of enabling a robust discussion around teaching and learning in medicine and the health sciences.


METHODS
A series of three workshops was delivered for primary healthcare academics. The workshops were evaluated using a quantitative survey and qualitative free-text responses to enable descriptive analyses.


RESULTS
Participants found qualitative philosophy and theory the most difficult areas to engage with, and learning qualitative coding and analysis was considered the easiest to learn.


CONCLUSIONS
Key elements for successful teaching were identified, including the use of adult learning principles, the value of an experienced facilitator and an awareness of the impact of clinical subcultures on learning.
BA(Hons), PhD, is Associate Professor and Postgraduate Research Coordinator, School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Queensland and The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland.
Julie
J
Hepworth
Margaret
M
Kay
D000328:Adult; D004493:Education; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055815:Young Adult