Assessing the quality of qualitative research is a contested issue. While traditional criteria for research quality are often inappropriate as suggested by Yardley (2000) and the ethos and plurality of many qualitative methodologies are incompatible with fixed, universal procedures and standards, Yardley (2000), nonetheless, argues that some way of evaluating the quality of research employing qualitative methodologies is absolutely necessary. Yardley (2000) has outlined four characteristics of good qualitative research, which have been considered th oughout this esea h. These a e “e siti it to o te t , Co it e t a d igou , T a spa e a d ohe e e a d I pa t a d i po ta e . These guideli es set out Yardley (2000) are not in the form of rigid rules or prescription; instead they are themselves open to flexible interpretation. I have considered the four characteristics as I believe them to be sufficiently flexible to be adapted to this specific study. I will briefly summarise and discuss these characteristics in relation to the present project.
The first criterion ide tified Ya dle is se siti it to o te t . This e tails that research has an awareness of the relevant literature and previous related empirical work. This criterion requires that research is sufficiently grounded in related theory and in the philosophy of the approach. It also asks that a study be appropriately aware of its socio- cultural setting, with attention given to the norms, ideologies, historical, linguistic and socio- economic influences on beliefs and expectations. Lastly, it requires sensitivity to the social context of the relationship between researcher and participant, and consideration not only of the information given by the participant but the way in which, both generally and specifically, this information has been shaped by the researcher.
I have aimed to address these issues in several ways. Firstly, the Introduction section has set out this stud s o e tio s to the existing research literature. The review of the literature on the phenomenon ensured an initial sensitivity to context. This enabled me to be competent in the current conceptual ideas in the area, and to also engage with the current dialogues in the field. My work in an NHS Trust where mindfulness meditation is taught to therapists to use in their work with clients also facilitated an introduction to the context of
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this study. Through personal reflection I endeavoured to remain aware of the social context of the relationship between myself and the participants. In addition, ethical issues have been considered to ensure that this study is sensitive to the experiences of the individual participants and protects them from harm. The Methodology section has highlighted the theoretical principles underlying the implementation of this research. In addition as encouraged by Yardley (2000), in the discussion chapter further scholastic tools such as philosophical theory, have been drawn from in order to address findings in a wider context that make the analysis more profound and far reaching.
The se o d ite io ide tified Ya dle is o it e t a d igou . This e ui es that the research demonstrates prolonged engagement with the topic, and competence in the research approach. This also asks for completeness in both data collection and data interpretation.
E ide e of o it e t a d igou is p o ided th oughout this thesis, pa ti ula l i he e, the Methodology chapter. This has primarily been evidenced through the in-depth engagement with the topic both in interviews and particularly during analysis. In addition to wide reading on mindfulness in the research literature, I also attended workshops for therapists on applying mindfulness in therapy. To improve my understanding and skills in interpretative phenomenological work, I attended research seminars and groups where I practised the work of analysis, and read philosophical theory and IPA studies. I ensured that my data collection was complete; the number of participants was appropriate both to the aims of the study and the scope of this work, and the interviews provided the rich, textured accounts necessary for analysis. In the process of analysis I strived to pay attention to the voices of all participants and to ground my comments in data. However, I also developed my interpretation of the phenomenon to a satisfactorily deep level, aware of the drawback of the too-basic analysis raised by Smith et al. (2009).
Finally, to increase the rigour with which the analysis was completed, supervision took the form of triangulation. I met with my supervisor on numerous occasions throughout the analysis stage and explained my process of getting to the themes. My supervisor questioned these processes and provided feedback on the labelling of the themes. Whilst my supervisor had an awareness of the topic, she had not engaged fully with the transcripts. I believe that
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this gave her an alternative and outsider perspective, which I found invaluable to the analysis and research process overall.
The third criterion which Yardley (2000) identifies is t a spa e a d ohe e e. This is addressed in several ways throughout this study. I have aimed for a strong fit between the research question and the epistemological perspective and method used in this study. The transparency of the analysis process is illustrated particularly in the methodology and analysis chapter and in the presentation of the exemplar. In presenting the analysis and the data, I have detailed all aspects of the collection process in the methodology section, and provided access to data both through tables and samples in Appendices and through frequent excerpts within the Findings, so that the reader can discern relevant patterns. Lastly, I have stated, reflexively, the thoughts, feeling and predictions I held coming into this research with the intention of being transparent and explicit about what I have bought to the research. I e og ise that despite est i te tio s, a e aluatio of this esea h s persuasiveness can rest only in the hands of its reader.
The fou th a d fi al ite io p oposed Ya dle is i pa t a d i po ta e . A aspect of this is that research offers a new way of understanding a topic. As will be addressed in the Discussion chapter, I believe that my research questions have elicited information which creates new information about the ways in which Counselling Psychologists can use mindfulness in their clinical practice in an ethical and informed way.