Culturally Competent Qualitative Research With People of African Descent

Qualitative research studies are underrepresented in psychology journals, and those that are published vary in quality. As such, researchers have called for an improvement in the quantity and quality of qualitative research. This article represents an attempt to guide researchers wishing to conduct culturally competent qualitative research with people of African descent. To do so, the authors review potential areas of confluence between qualitative research and African cultural values (e.g., holism, emphasis on relationships). The authors also review and highlight best practices throughout the qualitative research process (e.g., topic selection, research team development, data analysis) that may facilitate a sense of safety for people of African descent as well as holistically and usefully represent their experiences.