Pnina Shinebourne

Pluralism in qualitative research: the impact of different researchers and qualitative approaches on the analysis of qualitative data

Qualitative approaches to research in psychology and the social sciences are increasingly used. The variety of approaches incorporates different epistemologies, theoretical traditions and practices with associated analysis techniques spanning a range of theoretical and empirical frameworks. Despite the increase in mixed method approaches it is unusual for qualitative methods to be used in combination with each other. The Pluralism in Qualitative Research project (PQR) was developed in order to investigate the benefits and creative tensions of integrating diverse qualitative approaches. Among other objectives it seeks to interrogate the contributions and impact of researchers and methods on data analysis. The article presents our pluralistic analysis of a single semi-structured interview transcript. Analyses were carried out by different researchers using grounded theory, Foucauldian discourse analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis and narrative analysis. We discuss the variation and agreement in the analysis of the data. The implications of the findings on the conduct, writing and presentation of qualitative research are discussed.

Alcohol and the self: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of addiction and its impact on the sense of self and identity

This article presents an in-depth study illuminating how experiences of addiction and accompanying feelings, thoughts and expressions appear to the participant in the context of her life. It focuses on the participants engagement with alcohol as an experience of flux and instability and how it impacts on her sense of self. The study reports data from semi-structured interviews with a female participant, analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The results are considered in relation to relevant literature, including research on addiction and recovery, works on self and identity and theory and use of metaphor. It is suggested that IPA provides an opportunity to build up a rich picture of subjective-felt experience, and thus to contribute to existing psychological research a subjective perspective not often addressed in psychological accounts of addictive behaviour.

Using Q Method in Qualitative Research

In this paper the author outlines the features of Q method and assesses its suitability as a qualitative research method. She discusses the process of using the method and its particular approach to researching the range and diversity of subjective understandings, beliefs, and experiences. Q method is particularly suitable for identifying commonality and diversity and has a powerful capacity for thematic identification and analysis. In the authors view, Q method makes a contribution to expanding the repertoire of qualitative research methods.

Images of addiction and recovery: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of addiction and recovery as expressed in visual images

This article focuses on visual representations of subjective experiences of the process of recovery from addiction and the meanings that participants attribute to their visual work. The data are drawn from a study of six female participants. In this article, we discuss the results with reference to one participant, to allow for detailed consideration of the visual and the verbal material. This participant was selected because of the richness of her material, which provided an opportunity to carry out a detailed case study. Potential participants were informed in advance that they would be asked to draw during the interview. They were also asked to bring to the interview some artwork made during their engagement in creative activities at an earlier stage in their recovery. The data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The analysis comprised both the drawings and the transcripts, moving between the image and the corresponding text. The results provide a vivid visual journey through the landscape of early recovery. It is suggested that using drawings in conjunction with interviews can make a valuable contribution to furthering our understanding of experience and its meaning in ways not possible with verbal accounts or visual material alone.

Collective Findings, Individual Interpretations: An Illustration of a Pluralistic Approach to Qualitative Data Analysis

The establishment of qualitative approaches in the mainstream of psychology research facilitates innovation in their use, both singly and in combination. In this article, we describe a pluralistic qualitative analysis of the transcript of a semi-structured interview on the topic of second-time motherhood using Grounded Theory, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Narrative Analysis, and Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Each approach encapsulates different epistemological assumptions and is employed by a different analyst. We present key collective findings and the different interpretations of these findings by each analyst. We discuss how a pluralistic qualitative approach to data analysis can aid the quest to “know more” about a phenomenon by providing a more holistic, multilayered understanding of data that works across epistemologies.

Therapists’ understandings and experiences of working with clients with problems of addiction: A pilot study using Q methodology

This pilot study aims to increase our understanding of therapists’ subjective attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of working with clients with problems of addiction. The study yielded useful clarifications, arising from the finding that opinions about the nature of addiction support different approaches to therapy. In addition, it seems that diverse or conflicting attitudes and beliefs are likely to impact on the ability of therapists to work together effectively. Another objective was to test the feasibility of using Q methodology in this study and more broadly in qualitative research in psychotherapy. Participants were 13 therapists from a variety of backgrounds and working in a range of agencies. Using Q methodology, four distinctive factors were identified, indicating divergent understandings of addiction. Each factor is shown to be a multifaceted construct which does not correspond to any single theory or therapeutic orientation. It is suggested that the results have significant implications for therapists’ training and supervision. In addition, this study demonstrates the capacity of Q methodology to identify commonalities and diversity in viewpoints which do not conform to a priori conceptualisations. As a pilot study, this paper invites further discussion and research.

‘I was Going Around with this Mist in Front of My Eyes’: Poetic Representation of the Experience of Addiction and Recovery

This paper evolved from previous research on women’s experience of addiction and recovery. The original study was based on detailed semi-structured interviews analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). In this study a poetic representation of material from participants’ accounts was created to explore how a focus on the poetic possibilities may enhance the previous studies and contribute to understanding the participants’ experience and its meaning. The data for this paper are drawn from a study of six female participants. The poetic representation is derived from the account of one participant. It is suggested that while the poetic representation functions primarily as a research text, it can also be considered as a poetic text. The poetic presentation adds another perspective to the two previous interpretative phenomenological studies of the same material. It portrays the individual’s unique story, using the participant’s own words, in a holistic manner. Considered in conjunction with the two previous studies, they can be seen as complementing each other, attending both to the experiential dimension as well as to the interpretative possibilities in the material.