Recent occupational therapy literature has pointed to significant similarities in the principles of qualitative research methods and the underlying assumptions and values of our profession. This article presents an overview of qualitative methods, an analysis of the relationship between qualitative and quantitative approaches in social and cultural research, and a brief discussion of the issues of reliability, validity, and researcher objectivity in qualitative research. The application of qualitative methods in a research project on juvenile arthritis is used to illustrate an exploration of the importance of such methods to occupational therapy theory and practice.
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