International Institute for Qualitative Methodology

The International Institute for Qualitative Methodology (IIQM) was established at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, in 1998 for the purpose of facilitating the development and use of qualitative methods globally. The objectives were as follows:

• Provide leadership to address issues in qualitative inquiry and facilitate the development of qualitative methods
• Promote excellence in qualitative research through education and research
• Provide a forum for collaboration among international experts in the field of qualitative inquiry

To achieve the IIQM's global mission, the founding director, Janice Morse, initiated an administrative structure consisting of international sites in each major continent, and these sites in turn were linked to universities and research centers within their geographic regions or linguistic groups (called cooperating sites). Initially, international sites were established on six continents as follows: North America, University of Alberta; Australia, University of Newcastle; South America, Universidad de São Paulo; Europe and Great Britain/Europe, Universiteit Utrecht; Africa, Rand African University; and Asia, Ewha Womans University. In 2000, two other sites were added: Ibero-America, University of Guadalajara; and the Middle East, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Further expansion in 2006 resulted in the addition of two new sites and some reorganization. Sites for the United Kingdom and Scandinavia were established at the University of Bournemouth and the University of Aarhus, Denmark, respectively. The Australian site moved to the University of South Australia, and the European site was relocated to the University of Berlin, Germany. As of November 2006, these 10 international sites were linked to 115 cooperating sites under the guidance of an international advisory board.

The cooperating sites are responsible for establishing and maintaining their own programs directed toward making qualitative inquiry visible and accessible. Each site is also expected to maintain a website. Support or assistance may be requested from the international site or from the institute at the University [Page 453]of Alberta. Hence, the IIQM is a huge network of institutions linked with the common goal of developing qualitative inquiry.