Metamethod study of qualitative psychotherapy research on clients’ experiences: Review and recommendations.

Abstract

A metamethod study is a qualitative meta-analysis focused upon the methods and procedures used in a given research domain. These studies are rare in psychological research. They permit both the documentation of the informal standards within a field of research and recommendations for future work in that area. This paper presents a metamethod analysis of a substantial body of qualitative research that focused on clients' experiences in psychotherapy (109 studies). This review examined the ways that methodological integrity has been established across qualitative research methods. It identified the numbers of participants recruited and the form of data collection used (e.g., semistructured interviews, diaries). As well, it examined the types of checks employed to increase methodological integrity, such as participant counts, saturation, reflexivity techniques, participant feedback, or consensus and auditing processes. Central findings indicated that the researchers quite flexibly integrated procedures associated with one method into studies using other methods in order to strengthen their rigor. It appeared normative to adjust procedures to advance methodological integrity. These findings encourage manuscript reviewers to assess the function of procedures within a study rather than to require researchers to adhere to the set of procedures associated with a method. In addition, when epistemological approaches were mentioned they were overwhelmingly constructivist in nature, despite the increasing use of procedures traditionally associated with objectivist perspectives. It is recommended that future researchers do more to explicitly describe the functions of their procedures so that they are coherently situated within the epistemological approaches in use. (PsycINFO Database Record

Considering methodological integrity in counselling and psychotherapy research

“…Here, we briefly summarise the central distinctions within the approaches that are most commonly used in psychotherapy research. A meta‐method review of 109 qualitative psychotherapy studies examined the epistemological stances of researchers (Levitt, Pomervile, Surace, & Grabowski, ). In the 56 studies that included statements about researchers' approaches, they found that statements related to constructivism dominated (43), with fewer describing phenomenological (10), post‐positivist (7) and critical (6) perspectives.…”

Client descriptions of outcomes compared with quantitative data: A mixed‐methods investigation of a quantitative outcome measure

“…The qualitative portion involved analysing transcripts using the constant comparison method described by Strauss and Corbin () and the Grounded Theory Analysis (GTA) as described by Elliott, Slatick and Urman () that places special emphasis on analysing data generated by the Change Interview protocol. As the study evolved, we adapted the GTA method by incorporating the elements of continuous reflection and working to consensus to more effectively and efficiently analyse the data (Levitt, Pomerville, Surace, & Grabowski, ).…”

Applications of a Functionalist Theory of Gender: A Response to Reflections and a Research Agenda

“…The need for disclosure about researcher's expectations within research reporting is gaining recognition in our field, as quantitative and qualitative methodologists acknowledge the influence of researchers' allegiance to theories (e.g., Munder, Brütsch, Leonhart, Gerger, & Barth, 2013), differentiate between planned and unplanned hypotheses (Appelbaum et al, 2018), and consider the effects of researchers' perspectives . Self-reflective reporting has not only been put forward as a standard for qualitative research, now codified in American Psychological Association (APA) style , but it also has been found to be typical of qualitative research reports in a meta-method review of psychotherapy literature (Levitt, Pomerville, Surace, & Grabowski, 2017). It appears that feminist reporting styles are becoming increasingly acceptable.…”