Kate Gerrish discusses how the researchers who wrote this issue’s themed papers tackled their methodological challenges

A RESEARCHER engaged in qualitative research is presented with a number of methodological challenges. Once the initial research question has been identified, crucial decisions need to be made about an appropriate methodology, such as ethnography or grounded theory. Subsequent decisions are made about which methods of data collection are appropriate to the methodology and relevant to the research question, the participants and the research setting. In-depth or semi-structured interviews and participant observation are the most commonly used in qualitative research, but focus group discussions, documentary analysis and diaries are also popular. Once qualitative data have been collected, data analysis, as Jirwe (2011) recently pointed out, raises yet more challenges.