Doing Qualitative Research in Psychology

Cath Sullivan (CPsychol, SFHEA) is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Lancashire, UK. She has taught qualitative research methods and supported other lecturers in teaching qualitative methods for over twenty years. Cath is a former Chair of the HEA’s Special Interest Group on the Teaching of Qualitative Methods at Undergraduate Level and was on the committee of the Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society for 10 years. Her published work includes qualitative research papers and pieces about qualitative methodology. She is joint editor of Doing Your Qualitative Psychology Project (Sage, 2023).Michael A Forrester is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Kent, Canterbury. He is the author of The Development of Young Children′s Social Cognitive Skills (1992).

This textbook will be a fantastic resource for psychology students, providing the essential theoretical underpinnings of qualitative approaches alongside practical examples, tips and techniques.  Subjecting the same transcript to multiple analyses provides a unique opportunity to witness qualitative research in action – to appreciate the value and unique nature of different qualitative methods.

• Chapter 1: This book and how to use it - Cath Sullivan & Michael ForresterPart I: Formulating Research QuestionsChapter 2: Theory and method in qualitative psychology - Cath SullivanChapter 3: Research ethics in qualitative research - Nigel King Chapter 4: Quality in qualitative research - Nollaig Frost & Deborah Bailey-Rodriguez Chapter 5: Conducting literature reviews - Rachel ShawPart II: Collecting Qualitative DataChapter 6: Approaches to data collection in qualitative research - Stephen Gibson & Sarah RileyChapter 7: The interview in qualitative research - Nigel King & Siobhan Hugh-JonesPart III: Practical Examples of Qualitative AnalysisChapter 8: Creating a data set to illustrate different approaches to analysis - Stephen GibsonChapter 9: Thematic analysis - Leanne Freeman & Cath SullivanChapter 10: Interpretative phenomenological analysis - Rachel ShawChapter 11: Narrative analysis - Deborah Bailey-Rodriguez , Nollaig Frost & Frauke ElichoaffChapter 12: Discourse analysis - Sally Wiggins & Sarah Riley Chapter 13: Conversation analysis - Michael ForresterChapter 14: Grounded theory - Alasdair Gordon-FinlaysonPart IV: Outcomes and ResultsChapter 15: Writing your qualitative research report - Colm Crowley