When being reflexive, researchers should not try to simply ignore or avoid their own biases (as this would likely be impossible) instead, reflexivity requires researchers to reflect upon and clearly articulate their position and subjectivities (world view, perspectives, biases), so that readers can better understand the filters through which questions were asked, data were gathered and analyzed, and findings were reported. Qualitative work requires reflection on the part of researchers, both before and during the research process, as a way of providing context and understanding for readers. 6 Some researchers use qualitative methodologies but adopt a different standpoint, and an example of this appears in the work of Thurston and others, 7 discussed later in this paper. It gives researchers the opportunity to put themselves in another person’s shoes and to understand the subjective experiences of participants. Phenomenology shares some features with grounded theory (such as an exploration of participants’ behaviour) and uses similar techniques to collect data, but it focuses on understanding how human beings experience their world. Grounded theory and its later modified versions (e.g., Strauss and Corbin 5) use face-to-face interviews and interactions such as focus groups to explore a particular research phenomenon and may help in clarifying a less-well-understood problem, situation, or context. 4 Briefly, ethnography involves researchers using direct observation to study participants in their “real life” environment, sometimes over extended periods. In the previous paper, 1 we outlined 3 commonly used methodologies: ethnography 2, grounded theory 3, and phenomenology. Within the context of pharmacy practice research, qualitative approaches have been used to examine a diverse array of topics, including the perceptions of key stakeholders regarding prescribing by pharmacists and the postgraduation employment experiences of young pharmacists (see “Further Reading” section at the end of this article). Whereas quantitative research methods can be used to determine how many people undertake particular behaviours, qualitative methods can help researchers to understand how and why such behaviours take place. Qualitative research can help researchers to access the thoughts and feelings of research participants, which can enable development of an understanding of the meaning that people ascribe to their experiences. In this article, we review some principles of the collection, analysis, and management of qualitative data to help pharmacists interested in doing research in their practice to continue their learning in this area.
![what data analysis methods for interviews what data analysis methods for interviews](https://www.intellspot.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Qualitative-Data-Analysis-Methods-featured-image.png)
![what data analysis methods for interviews what data analysis methods for interviews](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nikki-Boots/publication/267153016/figure/fig6/AS:614159695769619@1523438490506/7-Interview-Data-Analysis.png)
In an earlier paper, 1 we presented an introduction to using qualitative research methods in pharmacy practice.