Qualitative Psychological Research Assessment

1. Design and carry out an empirical project addressing a psychological research question with qualitative research methods.
2. Write up the results of a qualitative research study according to relevant conventions and standards.

The steps involved in completing the reassessment lab work are outlined below. The steps described below will overlap to some extent, rather than being done sequentially and in numerical order.

Step 1: Selecting interviews from the ‘friendship’ data set

You will need to analyse three transcripts.The key things are to choose interview transcripts that you feel contain data that is relevant to the research questions (see below) and to choose only three of them.

Step 2: Reflecting on the research questions

In order to do your lab, you will need to do data analysis that addresses two research questions The research questions that your analysis must address are as follows:

1. How do participants define and make sense of friendship?
2. What do participants’ accounts reveal about their perspectives on how friendships are maintained?

A note about literature searching: Clearly, in order to do your lab, you will need to look up some literature on friendship. Although we will want to see that you are able to draw on existing literature well to form a rationale, and to consider how your findings fit with those of other psychologists, the main emphasis of this lab is on your learning about research methods rather than about friendship. So try to bear that in mind.

Step 3: Analysing the data

You will analyse your three transcripts using Thematic Analysis, as described by Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke in 2006. The data analysis will include the following stages:

1. Data familiarisation
2. Initial coding
3. Identification of themes and sub-themes
4. Reviewing themes
5. Theme definition and labelling
6. Report writing

It is important to remember that, as is often the way in qualitative research, you may go back and forth through these stages and they may not always be totally separate from each other.

Where to get help and resources

Chapter seven of this book: Howitt, D. (2010) Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Psychology London: Pearson

Step 4: Writing your report

Your lab report must be no longer than 3,000 words. The word count does not include the lab title, page numbers, your reference list at the end of the lab or any appendices. It does, however, include any references that are included in the main text of the lab (e.g., “as argued by Jones (2008)”). The word counts on all lab reports will be checked using the electronic copy that you submit. It is very important that you do not exceed the limit, as we will be able to identify those labs that go over the word limit very easily.

The School policy on coursework word limits is that when a maximum number of words is stated, you must not go over this number and we will enforce this policy strictly. If you exceed the word limit then your marker will simply draw a line at the point where the limit has been reached and will not mark beyond this point. This means that whatever you have written after this point will not contribute in any way to your mark. This could lead, for example, to your entire conclusion section not being marked – which would impact upon the mark you receive quite substantially.

There are no specific rules about how you format your lab (in terms of font, page margins etc.), although it is important that you format it so that it is easy for the marker to read.

You will need to include a ‘reflexive account’ with your lab report. This should be a single paragraph of around 300 words where you reflect upon the process of conducting the lab from a personal point of view, and where you consider any sources of subjectivity that may have influenced the research process.

Where to get help and resources

• Chapters thirteen and fourteen of this book: Howitt, D. (2010) Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Psychology London: Pearson

Step 5: Submitting your report

The submission must be a single file, so you will need to copy and/or scan things in so that you can create one file. Also, please note that you can only submit once, so check it all thoroughly before you submit and make sure it is the correct version and that everything is there. You must include:

1. The report itself including reference list.
2. A sample (one or two pages) of coded data showing initial detailed coding and thematic coding.

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