Key concepts for quality as foundational in qualitative research: milkshakes, mirrors and maps in 3D

• Published in: South African Journal of Psychology Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 328 - 337
• Main Author: Saville Young, Lisa
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-09-2016
• Subjects: richness; qualitative research; reflexivity; rigour; Coherence; quality
• ISSN: 0081-2463; 2078-208X
• DOI: 10.1177/0081246316630146

With increasing calls for evidence-based practice within the discipline of psychology in South Africa alongside the now established value of qualitative methodologies, qualitative research that is both relevant and methodologically sound is of vital importance. Internationally, the recognition of the need for criteria with which to evaluate qualitative research has generated a number of useful and important guidelines. Integrating these already existing guidelines, this article outlines four key concepts useful in pursuing quality in qualitative research: coherence, reflexivity, rigour and richness. To thicken these concepts, I use analogies and draw on examples from my own research. The article is aimed at teachers, consumers, reviewers and producers of qualitative research within psychology in South Africa with the purpose of fostering a particular attitude towards quality markers as foundational rather than additional to qualitative research.