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Qualitative Research:
Current and Best Practices
Robert T. Carter
Teachers College, Columbia University
Susan L. Morrow
University of British Columbia
Key journals in the field of counseling psychology have published
special issues and stand-alone articles on qualitative methods and practices
in the field. Among these efforts are the 1994 special section on qualitative
design in The Counseling Psychologist (TCP), a special issue in the Journal
of College Student Development (Blimling, 2002), and a recent issue of the
Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP, 2005) that included discussions of
various qualitative approaches. In addition to the attention to qualitative
research, there has also been attention given to quantitative issues in both
TCP (Carter, 2006a, 2006b) and JCP (Gelso, 1987) over the past few decades.
These quantitative issues have served as valuable resources in graduate students and researchers understanding and application of the selected designs.
One purpose of these explorations was to increase the accurate usage of
these designs in counseling psychology scholarship.
Over the years, the complexity of the research methods and designs used
in the field have increased. On one hand, increase in complexity and detail
of both quantitative and qualitative research methods provides researchers
an opportunity to examine the relations among and between variables, as
well as to explore the meanings made by human beings, in ways that better
capture the data. On the other hand, mental health professionals who were
trained before these methods became popular and widely used do not have
the training to adequately evaluate the strengths and limitations of some of
these newer or unfamiliar qualitative research studies; thus, their ability to
apply the findings to their clinical work may be restricted.
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REFERENCES
Blimling, G. S. (Ed.). (2002). Emerging issues in conducting qualitative research [Special
issue]. Journal of College Student Development, 43(4), 431-596.
Carter, R. T. (2003). The Counseling Psychologist in the new millennium: Building a bridge
from the past to the future. The Counseling Psychologist, 31, 5-15.
Carter, R. T. (Ed.). (2006a). Special issue: Quantitative issues and analyses in counseling psychology: Part 1 [Special issue]. The Counseling Psychologist, 34(5), 595-731.
Carter, R. T. (Ed.). (2006b). Quantitative issues and analyses in counseling psychology: Part
2 [Special issue]. The Counseling Psychologist, 34(6), 732-912.
Creswell, J. W., William, H. E., Clark, V. L. P., & Morales, A. (2007). Qualitative research
designs: Selection and implementation. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(2), 236-264.
Fine, M. (in press). Reaction and critique [TCP special issue, Part 4]. The Counseling
Psychologist, 35(3).
Gelso, C. G. (Ed.). (1987). Quantitative foundations of counseling psychology research
[Special issue]. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34(4), 365-489.
Haverkamp, B. E., & Young, R. A. (2007). Paradigms, purpose, and the role of the literature:
Formulating a rationale for qualitative investigations. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(2),
265-294.
Morrow, S. L. (2007). Qualitative research in counseling psychology: Conceptual foundations.
The Counseling Psychologist, 35(2), 209-235.
Suzuki, L. A., Muninder, A. K., Arora, A. K., & Mattis, J. S. (2007). The pond you fish in
determines the fish you catch: Exploring strategies for qualitative data collection. The
Counseling Psychologist, 35(2), 295-327.
Ponterotto, J. G., & Grieger, I. (in press). Effectively communicating qualitative research [TCP
special issue, Part 4]. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(3).
Poulin, K. L (in press Teaching qualitative research: Lessons from practice [TCP special issue,
Part 4]). The Counseling Psychologist, 35(2).
Yeh, C. J., & Inman, A. (in press). Qualitative data analysis and interpretation in counseling
psychology: Strategies for best practices [TCP special issue, Part 4]. The Counseling
Psychologist, 35(3).