Qualitative Methods

For many years, quantitative methods for research have been used to test theories and hypotheses. Qualitative methods are still growing and in contrast to the quantitative methods, they provide a better understanding of meaning and experiences of participants. The emphasis is on the quality of experience, instead of causal relationships (Pietkiewicz & Smith, 2012). It is very important to follow a set of guidelines to provide the readers with adequate details of the research being performed and give an overview and understanding of the participants’ background lives. Elliott, Fischer, & Rennie (1999) constructed a set of guidelines to review qualitative research. As said by them, qualitative approaches can be time consuming and are still growing

The relationship between the actual study and the researchers’ preconceptions is well explained and proven in support of their argument. Although the sample size chosen was appropriate enough on the basis of age, gender and culture, it would have provided a better result to generalize if participants from some other cultures like Asia or Middle East would have been included. The selection of participants on the basis of the criteria of minimum of one year of suffering was good, showing validity of results.

The guideline of grounding in examples is explained very well by the authors as they provided the process of interviewing and put in an appropriate amount of information relating to the responses received. The article also provides in-depth details of the responses by providing examples and explanations and the data was very well interpreted and represented. For example, the authors interpret negative emotional impact by the responses on their self-image and identity and suggest that this was one of the most important problems faced by them and emerged as a crucial theme for the study. The data was considered reliable and valid by including the author with the history of acne. Also, mentioned in the acknowledgements, the article suggested that two reviewers critically reviewed the paper, showing that the paper followed the guideline of providing credibility checks. However,

The most important themes were mentioned and discussed well. The discussion provided a deeper understanding of the themes and were interlinked and narrated very well by the authors. For example, the author described how the participants face social withdrawal and this in turn affected the relationship with family and friends, merging two main themes of social interaction and relationships. The study managed to get participants from around the world and explains very well the extent to which it can be generalised. But, a little more detail about the participants’ backgrounds would have added on as a reliable factor. Despite that, they specify why there may be a difference and how it would have been difficult for them to access such information without the use of email; conforming to specification of task. On the whole, the article managed to explain the purpose of the study and showed the results that were achieved and clarified. The topic of study is one that is relatable to people of all ages and keeps the reader engaged. The data is very well presented and clear to