A Reflection on Qualitative Methods Activism: Advancing Knowledge and Expanding Scientific Practice

This editorial considers the impact of and continued necessity for qualitative researchers to take action to disseminate knowledge about their methodologies within our field, especially in institutional and educational contexts in which it is misunderstood. I briefly describe some successes in methods activism, from both qualitative and quantitative researchers, leading to the greater inclusion and use of qualitative methods in the discipline. Then, I point to three areas of methods activism that remain pressing: the development of qualitative pedagogical approaches and advocacy for their incorporation as a core aspect of psychological methods education, the recognition of the value of critical qualitative methods within research programs with social justice aims, and the advancement of qualitative approaches as methodologies that broaden the understanding of both the practices of scientific investigation and the topics studied therein. The articles in this issue provide exemplars of each of these areas of activism and point to supports needed to drive qualitative inquiry and education so as to strengthen the enactment of psychological science.