Collective Findings, Individual Interpretations: An illustration of a pluralistic approach to qualitative data analysis

Nollaig Frost, Amanda Holt, Pnina Shinebourne, Cigdem Esin, Sevasti Melissa Nolas, Leila Mehdizadeh, Belinda Brooks-Gordon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

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.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)93-113
Number of pages20
JournalQualitative Methods in Psychology Bulletin
Volume8
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2011

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