Learning Against the Grain: Reflections on the Challenges and Revelations of Studying Qualitative Research Methods in an Undergraduate Psychology Course

Abstract

Undergraduate programs in psychology in Canada rarely, if ever, teach qualitative methods as an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum. When programs do offer qualitative methods courses, they are often single stand-alone courses without adequate institutional support. Given the scientific traditions of training within psychology, it is important to consider the epistemological and infrastructural challenges faced by undergraduate students in psychology when they are first introduced to qualitative methods. Three psychology students reflect, with their professor, on their experiences of learning qualitative methods in their senior years as undergraduates. The students reflect on the many challenges, both intellectual and practical, of learning against the grain within a discipline that is firmly rooted in positivism. The authors reflect on these challenges and insights gained from exercises, which position them as both the knower and known when conducting life history studies in which they participate as both interviewer and interviewee. The authors conclude with practical suggestions for incorporating qualitative research methods into the undergraduate curriculum and advocate for increased methodological pluralism within psychology programs.