ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the different methods and methodologies used within qualitative research. Qualitative researchers engage in naturalistic approaches and interpretive practices to make sense of how individuals develop meanings about their experiences—in this case, the experience of concussions in sport. Qualitative methodologies often contain different variants, such as interpretative phenomenological analysis or existential phenomenology as forms of phenomenology. Qualitative research provides opportunities to investigate the subjective experiences of athletes coping with concussion. A qualitative approach creates opportunities for both the adolescents and parents to co-construct the implications and meanings of sport-related concussions in their daily lives. The qualitative method provided the opportunity to discover how the therapists approached goal-setting practices rather than imposing a priori established options on the therapists. In addition to exploring athletes’ experiences of concussions, the chapter also reviews three papers which examining the experiences and opinions of caregivers who provide support for individuals with concussions.
