News
New papers, books, or other updates from the QUAHRC team.
Watch the recording of our Qualitative Special Interest Group session, June 15: Too much data, not enough time with Carina Donegan
Watch Carina’s talk on how to analyse large-scale qualitative data without losing the plot: insights from a randomised controlled trial of micro-dosing LSD for major depressive disorder.
Watch Dr Sharli Paphitis’s keynote at the International Community Engagement Conference 2026
Sharli is Senior Research Fellow with the Research Support Service, based within the QUAHRC Team. In May 2026 she attended the International Community Engagement Conference at Rhodes University, South Africa, to give a keynote reflecting on the role of participatory research and community-based learning in cultivating humanity in higher education students.
Slides now available from Qualitative Special Interest Group session, June 1: Projection of low self concept in person-drawing with Dr Amna Zaqout
Download the slides from this session which highlighted the value of combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in understanding psychological experiences.. Drawing on Dr Zaqout’s research with children, the session used children’s drawings as an example to demonstrate how visual expression can offer insight into children’s inner worlds, particularly in relation to self-concept and emotional experience.
Unequal pressures: how disadvantage shaped young people’s education and wellbeing during the pandemic and why it still matters
School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t just disrupt learning, they revealed and intensified deep inequalities that continue to shape young people’s lives today. While some children had the resources to adapt to remote learning, many from less advantaged households faced widening learning gaps, increased pressure at home, and rising levels of stress and anxiety. These challenges didn’t disappear when schools reopened. In fact, they foreshadowed the widening attainment gaps and escalating mental health concerns we are still grappling with now.
Reimagining qualitative research education: a look inside our summer school
Qualitative research education is more than just being taught how to conduct interviews. At the Introduction to Qualitative Research Summer School at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience we experimented with how research education can be more inclusive, more critical, and more human. This year’s course was one of our biggest yet, and its collaborative photovoice exhibition on the final day served as an impactful reminder of the power and diversity of qualitative research.
“Are you engaged?” How do we measure user engagement on CommonGround?
In the second of their blogs on engagement, Hannah Jones and Grace Lavelle explore further the idea of engagement in online communities in relation to CommonGround, a peer support community for people living with long-term conditions. What is the best way to measure engagement appropriately for this unique project?
CommonGround: avoiding tumbleweeds in the community
Hannah Jones and Grace Lavelle from the CommonGround project reflect on the idea of engagement in online spaces and how it applies to CommonGround’s online peer support community for people with long term conditions. They discuss the questions: what is ‘engagement’ in online communities and what kind of engagement do we hope to observe on CommonGround?
Join our qualitative researcher database for exciting collaboration opportunities
Are you a UK based researcher with expertise in qualitative methods? Interested in collaborating on cutting-edge mental health and neuroscience projects?
We’re seeking qualitative researchers and methodologists to join our growing network of experts seeking collaborations through the NIHR Research Support Service.