Undergraduates' Experience of Preparedness for Engaging with Sensitive Research Topics Using Qualitative Research

This research explored the experience of five undergraduates who engaged with qualitative research as part of their final dissertation project. There have been concerns raised over the emotional safety of researchers carrying out qualitative research, which increases when researchers are inexperienced making this a poignant issues for lectures teaching qualitative research methods (Daley, 2012; Haverkamp, 2005). Undergraduates typically have the least research experience; limited research to date has been published into the experience of undergraduates carrying out potentially sensitive research. The following superordinate themes emerged in the lived experiences of the sample: Permissive factors; Protective factors; Coping strategies; and Difference between methodologies.