Abstract:
Qualitative research methodologies have currently been widely used in psychological
research. In Thailand, some counseling psychology programs have recently started to offer qualitative research training and more counseling students are using qualitative methodologies in their theses. However, to date there appears to be no research addressing the qualitative research experience of Thai-based counseling graduates. This research was thus set out to fill such gap in the literature, with the aim to identify potential ways to further support students to be successful in the conduct of qualitative research. The study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five masters level counseling graduates who completed a qualitative thesis. This paper presents one salient aspect of the qualitative research experience, namely Facilitators and barriers in the qualitative research process, consisting of the four following
sub-themes: 1) The late exposure to qualitative research learning, 2) Qualitative analysis as challenging, 3) The influential role of qualitative research advisors, and 4) The relevance of counseling and qualitative research skills. These results are considered in the context of previous literature. Practical implications and suggestions for future research directions are discussed