There is a method to the madness, and a madness to the method: A beginner's guide to qualitative research

Abstract

Qualitative research is increasingly engaged in anatomical sciences education research. However, many in the discipline are not formally trained in qualitative methodology and-like other research methods-qualitative methods are continually developed and enhanced. Indeed, qualitative approaches appear to be entering a new era of acceptability and rigor. As such, those researching, reviewing, and practicing in the anatomical sciences require a strong basis of understanding qualitative methodologies to be able to accurately execute, appraise, and apply qualitative work. This article aims to review core tenets of qualitative research, through the lens of anatomical sciences education by first focusing on: principles underpinning qualitative methods and aspects of philosophy and rigor. The article then transitions to how these principles can be used to understand phenomena through the introduction of common qualitative methodologies, with a special focus on framework analysis as an approachable and widely used method. The authors of this work have, combined, decades of qualitative research experience in the anatomy and health sciences, as well as knowledge of positivist research frameworks. The author's varied paradigmatic experiences provide an opportunity to present qualitative research in a way that is approachable to those who may come from a novice, and often positivist, perspective. The depth of experience also allows for exploration of qualitative research current and future "gray areas." Ultimately, this discursive article covers content that will be supportive to those across the spectrum of experience with qualitative research, and which is applicable to multiple papers in this special issue.

Keywords: anatomical sciences/medical education; anatomy education; educational methodology.