A wide variety of research methods are appropriate for use in occupational therapy. Most publicity has been given to quantitative methods and it is of interest to note that the approach most frequently reported in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy is the use of questionnaires. Very little has been written about the use of qualitative methods. The purpose of this article is to clarify what is meant by the term ‘qualitative methods' and to elaborate on the benefits of using such an approach to research.
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