User Skills for Qualitative Analysis: Perspective, Interpretation and the Delivery of Impact

Abstract

This article argues that qualitative research in psychology has tended to reify methods and police their application. Such reification is problematic in the sense that it promotes the idea that “proper” application of a method might, in and of itself, deliver the most interesting and/or reliable research findings. It may also lead new and developing qualitative researchers to become unnecessarily inhibited and falsely reliant on method-driven prescriptions. The truth, however, is that methods are simply tools, and, like all tools, their effectiveness is maximized only in the hands of a skilled, dexterous, and creative user. The main aim of this paper is to encourage such skillful use. Issues covered include the reading and coding of qualitative data, the selection of data extracts for analysis, the process of analysis and interpretation, as well as the discussion and generalizability of qualitative research findings. Emphasis is placed throughout on the analytic perspective and creative engagement of the researcher.