Showing papers in "Qualitative Research in Psychology in 2011"

Habitus as Topic and Tool: Reflections on Becoming a Prizefighter

Abstract: This article recounts how I took up the ethnographic craft; stumbled upon the Chicago boxing gym that is the central scene and character of my field study of prizefighting in the black American ghetto; and designed the book Body and Soul so as to both deploy methodologically and elaborate empirically Pierre Bourdieu's signal concept of habitus. Habitus is the topic of investigation: the book dissects the forging of the corporeal and mental dispositions that make up the competent pugilist in the crucible of the gym. It is also the tool of investigation: the practical acquisition of those dispositions by the analyst serves as technical vehicle for better penetrating their social production and assembly. The apprenticeship of the sociologist is a methodological mirror of the apprenticeship undergone by the empirical subjects of the study; the former is mined to dig deeper into the latter and unearth its inner logic and subterranean properties; and both in turn test the robustness and fruitfulness of habitus ...

Online Interviewing in Psychology: Reflections on the Process

Abstract: The internet is used across a range of disciplines to conduct qualitative research and qualitative psychologists are increasingly turning to the internet as a medium for conducting interviews. In this article we explore the first author’s experience of conducting synchronous online interviews using instant messaging or ‘chat’ software. We highlight the costs and benefits of conducting online interviews and reflect on the development of a rapport with participants within this medium. In particular, we consider how researchers can attempt to make online interviewing less abrupt and more conversational, how researchers can demonstrate ‘listening’ and how insider/outsider status of the interviewer effects interaction within online interviews.

Pluralisms in Qualitative Research: From Multiple Methods to Integrated Methods

Abstract: Pluralism offers promising ways forward for qualitative research, invoking the use of multiple methods to investigate complex social questions. Drawing on two different research projects, we reflexively demonstrate, discuss, and illustrate our processes of working pluralistically. In various ways, we argue that multiple methods function smoothly if they are closely aligned with the broad assumptions underpinning the research, resulting in their fusion into an integrated research process. The incorporation of multiple methods encourages creativity and innovation, extends the scope and depth of data, demands time, forces reflexivity, deepens and intensifies relationships between researchers and participants, and raises issues for analysis and interpretation. Although a pluralistic approach to research is demanding, substantial benefits can be obtained through working this way.

Grounded Theory-Based Research within Exercise Psychology: A Critical Review

Abstract: This article critically reviews the current body of grounded theory research within exercise psychology. Previous evidence has questioned the quality of grounded theory research within this academic domain. Guidelines for assessing grounded theory research are presented based on the common defining characteristics of the methodology and other published recommendations for assessing qualitative research. The review identified 21 articles that report on grounded theory studies conducted between 1999 and 2008. Findings comprise two sections: summary demographic characteristics and descriptive sample characteristics relating to the proposed assessment criteria. Results demonstrate that within exercise psychology, grounded theory is an increasingly popular methodological approach. However, many studies demonstrate a poor understanding of the grounded theory methodology or fail to present an adequate account of the research process. To further legitimise grounded theory as a form of enquiry within exercise psyc...

Everyday Hyphens: Exploring Youth Identities with Methodological and Analytic Pluralism

Abstract: Taking seriously the call for methodological and analytic pluralism, we advance three key assumptions of theory and method: 1) young people develop “hyphenated selves” in shifting social and political contexts and in everyday circumstances; 2) pluralistic methods and research designs have the potential to capture identity movement across time and space; and 3) a pluralistic approach to analysis, specifically using a dialogical framework, allows hyphenated selves to be heard and interpreted in a way that neither pathologizes contradiction nor privileges coherence but presents a skillfully woven narrative about the self. To take up these questions, we draw upon the visual and textual narratives produced by three adolescents participating in a longitudinal, multimethod study designed to document social and academic engagement among urban youth.

Exploring and Expanding on Pluralism in Qualitative Research in Psychology

Abstract: Psychology has only recently seen the acceptance of qualitative research within the mainstream of its research (Willig & Stainton-Rogers 2008) and has recognised the ending of the "paradigm wars" (Oakley 1999) with the acceptance of mixed method qualitative-quantitative research. Recognition of the silos of mono-theoretical and mono- methodological approaches that can arise from early research training and application has led to warnings against "methodolatry" (Curt 1994), where the method risks becoming more important than the topic under inquiry, creeping into qualitative research (Willig & Stainton-Rogers 2008). In the last few years the emergence of pluralism in quali- tative research in psychology has led to its increased use in empirical and theoretical applications... DOI: 10.1080/14780887.2011.572728

Interaction in the Semi-Structured Interview: A Comparative Analysis of the Use of and Response to Indirect Complaints

Abstract: The validity of interview data for social science research is under sophisticated critique. In this article, verbal interaction in semi-structured interviews (SSIs) is compared to that in naturalistic conversation in terms of participant use of and response to indirect complaints (ICs). SSIs are analyzed with Boxer's (1993a&c) IC coding scheme and compared to her findings on conversational data. Interviewees are demonstrated to communicate like friends as opposed to strangers, intimates, or other possibly unique pattern. The SSIs are also shown to be asymmetric in that interviewers focus on topic control although, at times, respond to ICs in more normative ways through offering different kinds of commentary. The pattern of interviewer commentary mirrors that of the conversational data except in relation to the dearth of commiseration in the SSIs. In conclusion, the value of this analysis is that it suggests, tentatively, that interviewee contribution within SSIs might, in some situations, be extrapolated ...

The Power of Things

Abstract: Qualitative research extensively utilises interviews to gain insight into the intricacy and texture of lived experience. However, there is growing recognition of the limitations of interviewing as a data-gathering method. Popular alternatives include a move to visual methods, such as photo-production, to enhance the interviewing process. In this article, we argue for the power of materiality in this process. We propose that material objects, such as photographs, items of clothing, and personal journals, have power to simultaneously provide proof of the past, produce increased narrative depth, force change in narratives, and change the interview process and the relationships caught up within it. We illustrate these issues by drawing on data from a research project about weight loss. We conclude by considering the implications and value of using material things in research.

Collective Findings, Individual Interpretations: An Illustration of a Pluralistic Approach to Qualitative Data Analysis

Abstract: The establishment of qualitative approaches in the mainstream of psychology research facilitates innovation in their use, both singly and in combination. In this article, we describe a pluralistic qualitative analysis of the transcript of a semi-structured interview on the topic of second-time motherhood using Grounded Theory, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Narrative Analysis, and Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Each approach encapsulates different epistemological assumptions and is employed by a different analyst. We present key collective findings and the different interpretations of these findings by each analyst. We discuss how a pluralistic qualitative approach to data analysis can aid the quest to “know more” about a phenomenon by providing a more holistic, multilayered understanding of data that works across epistemologies.

Relational Analysis: An Add-On Technique for Aiding Data Integration in Qualitative Research

Abstract: The innovation of “add-on” techniques to supplement existing qualitative methods can be seen as part of a move towards a pluralist, eclectic qualitative psychology. This article presents such a technique, termed Relational Analysis, which can be used to help explore the full spectrum of possible relationships between analytical themes within qualitative data. To this end it employs 10 “key relational forms” (KRFs), all of which can act as meaningful links among themes/codes/categories/parts within a qualitative analysis. These are illustrated using examples from a recent study on retirement, and injunctions are provided for how to use them in exploratory analysis, in theory-construction, and in diagrams. Relational Analysis helps to promote a more integrated and connected qualitative analysis. It is an example of a “modular” innovation, that is, a tool for a particular task, to be used in conjunction with other methods, not instead of them. Modular innovation is suggested as a general principle for enhanc...

A Disquisition on Pluralism in Qualitative Methods: The Troublesome Case of a Critical Narrative Analysis

Abstract: This article uses a research example as a case study of qualitative pluralism in practice to analyse issues involved. The case was a critical narrative analysis of interview data about clinical psychologists' Personal and Professional Development (PPD). The rationale for a pluralist methodology to address critical research questions is described. To examine participants' PPD in terms of the relationship between individual subjectivities, group identities and societal power relations, elements of IPA, Grounded Theory, DA, and critical deconstruction were combined within a narrative methodology. The pluralist project of multiperspectivity was endangered by the use of critical theory to impose interdependency between methods/levels of analysis. Philosophical errors disrupting the logic of justifiable conclusions were possible. More rigorous, critical reflexivity and thoughtfulness about “epistemological anarchism” (Feyerabend 1975) are needed. Added value (richness, integration, and capacity to consider more...

Methodological Pluralism in Theory and in Practice: The Case for Q in the Community

Abstract: In this article, we discuss the issue of methodological pluralism in qualitative research and in particular the case of Q methodology. Q methodology occupies an interesting position in arguments around methodological pluralism in that its location within qualitative (as well as quantitative) traditions has often been represented as a contestable issue. To contextualise our exploration of qualitative methodological pluralism, we will begin by presenting the theoretical questions we see as relevant to the mixing of Q method with other qualitative methods, including Q's own contested positioning within this grouping. This strand of our argument highlights continuities between some conceptualisations of the pattern analytics of Q methodology and discursive and thematic analysis. To ground this point, we present an empirical study that used both Q methodology and thematic analysis to address an issue in the community. More specifically, we will describe how Q methodology and thematic analysis were used to approach the evaluation of a programme to reduce recidivism amongst offenders and thus offer practical solutions in an applied setting. We will conclude by reflecting on the possibilities of pluralism when methodological boundaries are understood as mobile, and when stability of boundary construction is conceptualised as relationally produced rather than pre-existing.

Towards a Pluralist Methodological Approach: Combining Performativity Theory, Discursive Psychology and Theories of Affect

Abstract: Butler's performativity theory has had an impact on many disciplines, but its use in conjunction with discourse analysis has not been developed. This article introduces a pluralist methodological framework that combines performativity theory with discursive psychology, itself a variant of discourse analysis. By exploring critiques of discursive psychology, such as the perspective of cultural psychoanalysis, the article delineates complementarities between Butler's performative approach and discursive psychology. However, it also argues that theories of affect, and particularly Ahmed's performative approach, provide further insights and should be used in conjunction with Butler's performativity theory and discursive psychology. By critically engaging with performativity theory, discursive psychology, cultural psychoanalysis, and Ahmed's approach to affect, the article puts into dialogue various bodies of literature to construct a pluralist methodological framework.

An Awakening Experience: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Effects of a Meaning-Centered Intervention Shared Among Palliative Care Nurses

Abstract: The purposes of this qualitative study were to (a) explore palliative care nurses' spiritual and existential experience of a meaning-centered intervention (MCI) based on Frankls' approach and to (b) describe the qualitative effects of the MCI from the nurses' point of view. Ten palliative care nurses were interviewed before and after participating in a group intervention. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith 2004). Two essential themes emerged from the analysis. First, the MCI expanded nurses' spiritual and existential awareness in four ways: (1) by increasing their awareness of life's finiteness, (2) by opening them up to new meanings and purposes of suffering, (3) by having them become more aware of sources of meaning and purpose in life, and (4) by having them access a state of mindfulness. The second essential theme was the group's containing function for nurses. The group process allowed nurses to (1) develop a shared language to talk about their spiritual and exis...

The Early Stages of the Transition to Adulthood: Similarities and Differences between Mother-Daughter and Mother-Son Dyads

Abstract: The action-project method was used to explore similarities and differences in the goals and activities of mothers and sons, and mothers and daughters, working together to facilitate a successful future transition to adulthood. Participants were 10 mother‐daughter dyads and 8 mother-son dyads, with a range of ethnicities and income levels. Data included video-recordings of conversations, transcripts of interviews, and self-report logs of activities. A team-based, constructivist analysis, grounded in the principles of action theory, yielded a complex pattern of results revealing the importance of attending to gender in the transition process. The dyads generally pursued similar types of transition projects (e.g., becoming more independent) and encountered similar kinds of barriers (e.g., lack of time). However, mother-daughter dyads were more active in pursuing their projects, engaged in more mutually open conversations, and experienced less conflict than their mother-son counterparts. The findings are disc...

Transformations in Māori Women's Identity: Some Things Change, Some Stay the Same

Abstract: While Māori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) retain a strong collective identity, cultural heterogeneity renders traditional conceptualisations of Māori identity increasingly problematic. To demonstrate the diverse ways Māori define and express their own identities, this article reports research that uses life-story interviews to explore personal perceptions of identity among 35 Māori women ages 18–75. Content analysis revealed traditional cultural factors (particularly whānau/family commitment) were important for identity among all participants, although the expression of these factors differed along with age and background. Older women raised in rural communities expressed family commitment through participating in social and economic activities within their own tribal networks. Younger, urbanised Māori expressed their identities by choosing careers which advanced Māori interests, supporting Māori political aspirations, and forming close relationships with other urban Māori. Life-story excerpts ar...

A Poetic Epiphany: Explorations of Aesthetic Forms of Representation

Abstract: Alternative forms of representation, such as poetry, are becoming more widely used by qualitative researchers in disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, and psychology. Aesthetic forms of representation highlight the co-constructed nature of the research project, and in this article we will discuss how they can facilitate creative explorations of lived experience in qualitative research. We begin with an example of a poetic representation of a participant's story as a starting point for our discussion. Next, we describe the process by which the poem was created. Finally, we will discuss other studies that have used similar representational forms and provide a rationale for why these forms may be an appealing choice for other qualitative researchers.

Thematic Collation: An Illustrative Analysis of the Experience of Regret

Abstract: Following the theoretical and methodological trail blazed by the “Duquesne School” (see Garza 2007; Polkinghorne 1989; von Eckartsberg 1998b), this article presents a procedure for phenomenological data analysis. After describing its approach, this article lays out the procedure for thematic collation analysis using the work of Giorgi (1970, 1975, 1985a, 1985b; Giorgi & Giorgi 2003) and this author's thematic moment analysis (Garza 2004) as a point of reference. Idiographic results of a single datum describing an experience of regret are presented along with the steps through which this idiographic thematic narrative was developed. Procedures for arriving at comparative analysis of more than one piece of data are presented and distinguished from claims of generality sought by works drawing on larger data pools. Finally, this work discusses the usefulness of this procedure for lengthy and complex data and situates this procedure within the phenomenological tradition of psychological research.

Shared Ambiguity but Different Experiences and Demands among Dental Students — A Gender Perspective

Abstract: This study explores how dental students experience their clinical semesters from a gender perspective. Twelve students (seven women and five men) and three teachers (two women and one man) at the U ...

Felt Stigma in Injection Drug Users and Sex Workers: Focus Group Research with HIV-Risk Populations in Puerto Rico.

Abstract: Though many studies have conclusively linked felt stigma and HIV, few have focused on the experiences of rejection felt by members of such socially marginalized groups as intravenous drug users (IDU) and sex workers (SW). Using focus groups, our study explored these experiences in 34 individuals (17 male UDUs and 17 female SWs) at risk of becoming infected with HIV, the objective being to discover why they engaged in maladaptive behaviors as a way of coping with felt stigma. We used deductive and inductive analysis to codify the resulting data. Concepts associated with the word stigma, emotional reactions to felt stigma, and the impact of felt stigma on self-schema helped elucidate how the internalization of felt stigma can lead to negative affective states and self-destructive behaviors (e.g., drug use and syringe exchange). Results underline the importance of developing intervention models that reduce stigma as a means of HIV prevention in vulnerable populations.

Collective Reflexivity: Researchers in Play

Abstract: The Albany Memory Work Collective emerged from discussions amongst the members of the Albany Discourse and Narrative Group, a group of postgraduate scholars and staff who meet regularly to discuss research issues. The authors of this paper were a sub-group of this larger group. Our intent was to explore memory work as a methodology, to use the method as a means of exploring the varieties and complexities of our relationships with participants in our research, and perchance to write a paper for publication from the exercise. Although a memory work project on this topic was initiated, and our written memories were a starting place, our attentions moved more directly onto discussions of the nature of the researcher-participant relationship and what this implied for our practices and understandings as researchers. In attempting to adequately represent this process and the ideas and insights that arose from it, we took up the concept of the play as a form of (re)presentation. This would allow us to do things y...