A Content Analysis of Qualitative Research in Select ACA Journals (2005–2010)

Abstract

This content analysis presented an overview of themes of qualitative articles published in counseling journals (i.e., Journal of Counseling & Development, Counselor Education & Supervision, and Professional School Counseling) between 2005 and 2010. This study specifically presented various traditions and strategies for engaging in qualitative data analyses and interpretations in the counseling field. The most frequently employed research traditions were phenomenology and grounded theory.Commonly used strategies to ensure trustworthiness were investor triangulation and/or a peer debriefing process, the use of external auditors, and researcher journals. Regarding the credibility of data, member checking, and audit trail were frequently utilized techniques.

A Content Analysis of Research on Disability: American Counseling Association Journals Between 2003 and 2013

“…In terms of authorship and affiliation, collaboration among authors from different institutions was common for disability articles. Approximately 75.9% of the articles were written by two or more authors, which is consistent with the findings in other content analyses (e.g., Woo & Heo, ). The majority of the lead authors (i.e., 96.6%) resided in the United States, and among the 75 authors, 60 were affiliated with universities/colleges.…”

“…The majority of the lead authors (i.e., 96.6%) resided in the United States, and among the 75 authors, 60 were affiliated with universities/colleges. The finding of the majority of the authors affiliated with universities is similar to that in many counseling journals with different topics (Erford et al, ; Woo & Heo, ). This result is interesting considering that the majority of articles under examination focused on disability topics (e.g., clients’ career and employment issues, specific counseling interventions for IWDs, assessment and diagnosis of disabilities) that could have benefited from research collaboration with clinic/field‐based counseling practitioners.…”

“…Before analysis, we reviewed a large amount of literature on content analyses of various topics, including disability (e.g., Arredondo et al, ; Blancher, Buboltz, & Soper, ; Foley‐Nicpon & Lee, ; Loveland, Buboltz, Schwartz, & Gibson, ; Smith et al, ; Woo & Heo, ), to create content areas for data coding and analysis. Then, the first author conducted the review of articles and created the initial content areas based on the literature (e.g., Arredondo et al, ; Blancher et al, ; Loveland et al, ; Smith et al, ; Woo & Heo, ) that presented procedures and necessary categories to be included. The content areas of classification identified were (a) authorship and authors’ affiliation, (b) research methods and applications, (c) populations discussed, and (d) topics addressed.…”

A 15‐Year Content Analysis of Three Qualitative Research Traditions

“…The proportion of qualitative research articles relative to quantitative articles published in counseling and counseling-related journals has substantially increased over the past 20 years (e.g., Arredondo, Rosen, Rice, Perez, & Tovar-Gamero, 2005;Woo & Heo, 2013). This trend underscores the importance of understanding the characteristics and underlying processes of published qualitative research.…”

“…Recent scholarship highlights practice standards in qualitative research, such as the alignment of methodology and reporting (i.e., coherence; Hays & Wood, 2011;Kline, 2008;Singh & Shelton, 2011), operationalization of credible practice (Flynn & Korcuska, 2018a, 2018b, methodological rigor (Hays, Wood, Dahl, & Kirk-Jenkins, 2016), and publishing guidelines (e.g., Choudhuri, Glauser, & Peregoy, 2004;Kline, 2008). In addition, content analyses (e.g., Arredondo et al, 2005;Berrios & Lucca, 2006;Singh & Shelton, 2011;Woo & Heo, 2013) provide an overview of author and sample demographics, as well as selected research approaches characteristic of qualitative studies. To date, the literature lacks (a) analysis of the style in which specific qualitative traditions are employed in counseling research and (b) how similar traditions are distinct and how they overlap in terms of methods and procedures.…”