Methodological Rigor in Journal of Counseling & Development Qualitative Research Articles: A 15‐Year Review

Abstract

The authors conducted a content analysis on the type, frequency, and intensity of use of various indicators of rigor for 68 qualitative research articles published between 1999 and 2014 in the Journal of Counseling & Development. The authors identified the most frequently listed and implemented strategies for the research articles. The authors found a significant engagement in rigor strategies across time, variations in intensity in strategy use, and a significant positive relationship between intensity of strategy use across time.

A 15‐Year Content Analysis of Three Qualitative Research Traditions

“…The purpose of this study was to conduct a 15-year qualitative content analysis (QCA) of articles appearing in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) and the Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD) that identified utilizing one of the ETF cluster traditions. The two peer-reviewed American Counseling Association journals were selected because of their (a) frequency in publishing qualitative research; (b) broad circulation and scope (Berrios & Lucca, 2006;Singh & Shelton, 2011); (c) evidence of published guidelines for disseminating qualitative research (Choudhuri et al, 2004 [JCD]; Kline, 2008 [CES]); and (d) use as an outlet to publish previous QCAs (e.g., Hays et al, 2016;Singh & Shelton, 2011;Woo & Heo, 2013). The following research questions directed this inquiry:…”

“…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.…”

“…This cluster is composed of four traditions: phenomenology, heuristic inquiry, grounded theory (GT), and consensual qualitative research (CQR). The ETF cluster is one of the more prevalent groupings of research traditions (Arredondo et al, 2005;Crockett, Byrd, Erford, & Hays, 2010;Hays et al, 2016) and is most frequently represented in counseling research (Hays et al, 2016;Woo & Heo, 2013). Given the lack of articles employing heuristic inquiry in the current sample, our analysis focuses on phenomenology, GT, and CQR.…”

Illuminating the On‐Campus Experience of LGBTQ Students Through Photovoice

“…To ensure trustworthiness for this study, we undertook several efforts that were consistent with established qualitative research strategies (Creswell, 2012) and based on recommendations pertaining to photovoice (Hergenrather et al, 2009) and qualitative counseling research (Hays, Wood, Dahl, & Kirk‐Jenkins, 2016). These included using established photovoice methods, implementing session protocols to ensure consistency between the six sessions, triangulating photographs with participant narratives, engaging in ongoing data analysis, conducting weekly peer debriefing sessions, and engaging participants in the analysis process.…”

School Counselor Consultation Preparation: A National Study

“…To assess intercoder reliability, the research team piloted a revised coding frame on four syllabi from the sample (i.e., approximately 7% of the data, which is in alignment with previous counselor education content analyses; Barrio Minton et al, 2014;Hays, Wood, Dahl, & Kirk-Jenkins, 2016). The fourth author calculated Krippendorff's alpha for intercoder reliability at .835, surpassing the minimally acceptable .800 (Krippendorff, 2013).…”