International Research Summer School

The purpose of the Research Summer School is to provide an ‘advanced introduction’ to social research methods relevant to palliative and end of life care. The course is ‘advanced’ in the sense that you will be taught by expert researchers who will facilitate students’ learning of the research process and selected methodologies to a high level. It is also an ‘introduction’ in that it assumes no prior knowledge of research methods in the social sciences. It is aimed at those wishing to learn about the field of palliative and end of life care research and those at an early stage of developing their own research.

The Summer School runs over a period of one week, which focuses on a classroom based in-depth introduction to social research methods in palliative and end of life care using a variety of teaching approaches.

The International Research Summer School will be of interest to:

• Hospice and palliative care practitioners of all disciplines who are interested in the use of social science methods in their research
• Those seeking knowledge and support to help refine end of life care research plans that are at an early stage of development
• Those considering postgraduate research in end of life care
• Social scientists in early career who wish to become involved in end of life care research

We hope that the Summer School will be of particular interest to colleagues in resource poor countries. The Irish Hospice Foundation, along with other supportive institutions, has been generous with it’s bursary support in the past.

Course Details

The Summer School runs for one week in June of each year.

The International Research Summer School provides:

• A guide to important research methods such as: social surveys, interviewing, focus groups, documentary analysis, narrative correspondence, evidence synthesis and systematic review, oral history, geographic information systems, participant observation
• An understanding of the place of these methods within the philosophy of the social sciences
• Concrete examples of the application of the methods to end of life care research
• A consideration of the ethical implications of the methods in the context of end of life care studies
• Detailed guidance on data management, analysis, retrieval and archiving
• Opportunities for course members to obtain one to one advice on their research proposals and on research work in progress
• Opportunities for private study, drawing on the extensive archival and library resources of the International Observatory on End of Life Care

The programme of study is broken down thus:

International Research Summer School Programme
The week consists of a full programme of lectures and workshops, focusing on five main topics: Getting Started In End of Life Research Conceptualising and Designing Your Study Face To Face Methods Reviews, Surveys and Measures Analysis, Reporting, Dissemination