This paper discusses the type of qualitative design used in a selected article. It first provides a brief overview of the study described in the article and then analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of its methodology. The article selected for the research was as follows: Yeh, C., & Inman, A. (2007). Qualitative data analysis and interpretation in counseling psychology: Strategies for best practices. The Counseling Psychologist, 35 (3), 369-403.
Yeh & Inman (2007) provide an overview of a variety of strategies and methods of engagement in interpretations and analysis of qualitative data within the field of counseling psychology. The authors’ purpose was to explore the central themes emerging in qualitative analysis as well as interpretation cutting across a range of paradigms of understanding, including self, collaboration, culture, evidence deconstruction, circularity, and trustworthiness. Further, the authors describe eight distinct research methods in qualitative research and summarize their specific details. Finally, the article identifies the best practices in qualitative research based on discussion of the differences and similarities in techniques.
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"Conducting A Qualitative Research".
Yeh & Inman (2007) have chosen the Grounded Theory methodology for their qualitative research. They have applied the method of literature review. In the next paragraph it will be researched how the use of Grounded Theory and literature review has helped the authors achieve the earlier defined research aim.
First of all, the Grounded Theory use has been justified by the choice of the research subject and type of this scholar inquiry. In particular, the study sought to systematically collect information about various strategies of qualitative research as applied in counseling psychology and analyze this data in order to complete the theoretical analysis. The authors needed a method that would help them focus on emergent categories and concepts that could be drawn from the analysis and inductive understanding of the collected data.
Grounded Theory was the method that was applicable to the objectives of the research described above. First of all, it is the best method for carrying out emergent qualitative research. It is used in the situations when the studied reality is indeterminate, inductive, and open-ended. It allows discovering new properties in the researched phenomena and explains various things as well as enables the researcher to construct theory. Moreover, Grounded Theory allows the researcher investigate the actualities found within the real world and includes searching out various concepts behind these actualities through looking for concepts as well as categories. Besides, the applicability this methodology is enhanced by its simplicity when the researcher just needs to analyze the data that he or she has, and then write what he or she sees.
Although in this article Grounded Theory has been used to draw findings based on the exploration of the scholarly literature on the issue in question (rather than on empirical methods such as an interview or a survey), it has turned out useful in that it enabled the authors to identify the emergent concepts. Through the use of the literature review method, the researchers were able to provide a valid and insightful synthesis of the quality research sources that best related to the issues in question. As a result, Yeh & Inman (2007) have generated the insight that is truly unique. In particular, they have identified the strategies for the counselors that can be applied when qualitative research and its interpretation are needed to be carried out. In this way, the use of Grounded Theory and the literature review method has turned out a productive methodology for conceptualizing the strategies of research and interpretation for psychology counselor specialists.
However, it would be unfair to claim that the selected methodology did not have any weaknesses. Specifically, the use of Grounded Theory does not allow for empirical testing of the validity and relevance of the theorized concepts, so that the concepts can be carefully checked and refined. In addition, the literature review method has its weakness. This is the danger of unintentional bias, when the authors select studies and analyze/prioritize them.
Overall, Yeh & Inman (2007) have selected the appropriate research design and methodology to achieve the aim of the study. Despite minor limitations, the methods chosen allowed them to identify the emerging concepts and theorize about the strategies for qualitative research conduct and interpretation by psychology counselors.
