Muwatin Institute for Democracy and Human Rights at Birzeit University concluded a training program on quantitative and qualitative research methods in the field of human rights for a group of researchers from the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR). The training was held in the period between 14 February to 14 March, with a total of 20 training hours distributed over five training days.
The training aimed to enhance the research knowledge of the researchers of the ICHR regarding legal research methods in international human rights law, research methods and types, in addition to the research ethics regulating research and the ethical responsibility that researchers have towards their society and the public interest.
During the first and second sessions, Dr. Ala Al-Azzeh and Dr. Lena Meari, both faculty members at Birzeit University, presented a framework about the scientific research methods, how to design and choose the appropriate method for the issues addressed in a specific research. These two sessions also focused on qualitative research methods and the identification of data collection and information, and choosing research participants. The sessions addressed conducting in-depth interviews, specifying interview questions and guidelines, data analysis, and the writing up of conclusions and recommendations.
The third session was held by Dr. Hasan Ladadweh, a faculty member at Birzeit University, and it addressed the scientific logic of quantitative research methods, giving a brief comparison between the qualitative and quantitative methods. Dr. Ladadweh focused in his presentation on the data collection on quantitative methods and the linking between the qualitative and quantitative data in the analysis. He also presented ways to analyze the data collected electronically.
In the fourth session, Dr. Mudar Kassis, the director of the Dignity Initiative and a faculty member at Birzeit University, presented a critical vision about the understanding of human rights, its foundation and development, addressing how the human rights system deals with human rights issues. The session continued with a presentation by Ms. Haya Atatra, a researcher at Muwatin Institute, about the research ethics and the ethical standards of scientific research and how to protect human rights from violations. Focusing on the responsibility of the researcher in enhancing the public interest and in protecting the dignity of research participants to ensure their safety and avoid harming them.
The Institute held a fifth, complementary and concluding session for the training, where the team completed the discussion on the qualitative approach to scientific research with Dr. Al-Azzeh and Dr. Meari. Additionally, Ms. Atatra also raised issues related to research protocols and ethical responsibility. The mechanism of work of the ICHR was discussed as well, various questions were asked, and the training was concluded by distributing certificates of participation to the participants and discussing ways of cooperation in the future.