ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction to qualitative methods in psychology. Qualitative research is grounded in different epistemological assumptions to quantitative approaches, taking greater consideration of the role of the research in shaping the method and findings of studies. It assumes that researchers are not neutral in the research process but are ‘socially situated’ and bring a broadly interpretivist approach to research, in contrast to the (relatively) positivist approach underpinning quantitative methods. This review chapter places common qualitative approaches in historical and theoretical context. It introduces some of the most popular approaches used by qualitative researchers, including ethnography, autoethnography, phenomenology, discourse analysis, narrative approaches, grounded theory, action research, historical research and case study approaches.
