1. Dr. Kate Hefferon (University of East London) European Positive Psychology Conference Amsterdam, The Netherlands July 2014 Why Qualitative Research?

2. Overview  Answer 'why qualitative research’?  Review Epistemological positioning of qualitative inquiry  Highlight the most widely used qualitative methodologies  Reflect upon the importance of quality within qualitative research  Situate the subsequent papers

3. Why qualitative?  Understand the intricacies of optimal human functioning  Acknowledges (and celebrates) human messiness and complexity  Gain an in-depth understanding of an individual and their experiences  Can be used to help clarify surprising results or explore uncharted territories  Understand contextual (historical, cultural and societal) influences on the data  Qualitative research gives a “human side” to a “human discipline” (Willig, 2008; Langdridge, 2004b, 2004e)

4. Examples of Epistemology, methodology and methods

5. Keeping quality in Qualitative research  Quality checks to ensure rigor and systematic processes  Qualitative research in general  Methodology specific  Transparency of the method  Evidence grounded in data  Reflexivity of researcher  Impact and importance (Yardley, 2000; Elliott et al., 1999; Yardley 2008)

6. Focusing on the person in positive psychology  Move away from the “scientific method” as the only way to knowledge  Research across the epistemological spectrum in order to represent the voices of all participants  IPPA: “Where is the person in Positive Psychology” (Hefferon, Waters, Ashfield & Synard, 2013)  Journal of Positive Psychology Special Edition on Qualitative research

7. Thank you K.hefferon@uel.ac.uk www.katehefferon.com @katehefferon

8. References and further reading Creswell, J. (2008). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (3 rd ed). London: SAGE Publications. Elliott, R., Fischer, C.T., & Rennie, D.L. (1999). Evolving guidelines for publication of qualitative research studies in psychology and related fields. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 215-229. Langdridge, D. (2004). Introduction to research methods and data analysis in psychology. London: Pearson Education. Smith, J.A., Flowers, P. and Larkin, M. (2009). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method, Research. London: Sage. Smith, J.A., & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J.A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. (2 nd ed., pp.53-80). London: Sage Willig, C. (2008). Introducing qualitative research in psychology: Adventures in theory and method. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press. Yardley, L. (2000). Dilemmas in qualitative research. Psychology and Health, 15, 215-228.