Introduction to the special section: Qualitative studies of reasoning and participation

Abstract

There are indications that the recognition and use of qualitative methods in psychology are growing. Yet, qualitative methodologies are still not integrated into many traditionally quantitative publication spaces that are, in principle, open to them. This special section in the Journal of Educational Psychology, a traditionally quantitative publication outlet, features qualitative studies of reasoning and participation. The articles here demonstrate affordances of qualitative methods for understanding a broad range of topics relevant to educational psychology. We hope that this special section sparks a methodological conversation among readers, prospective authors, potential reviewers, and editors around how qualitative research studies can fit into the mission, contribution, and publication practices of traditionally quantitative publication spaces in psychology, such as this one.