  Researchers are increasingly recognizing the importance of human aspects in
software development. Since qualitative methods are used to explore human
behavior in-depth, we believe that studies using such methods will become more
common. Existing qualitative software engineering guidelines do not cover the
full breadth of qualitative methods and the knowledge on how to use them like
in social sciences.
  The purpose of this study was to extend the software engineering community's
current body of knowledge regarding available qualitative methods and their
quality assurance frameworks, and to provide recommendations and guidelines for
their use. With the support of an epistemological argument and a survey of the
literature, we suggest that future research would benefit from (1) utilizing a
broader set of research methods, (2) more strongly emphasizing reflexivity, and
(3) employing qualitative guidelines and quality criteria.
  We present an overview of three qualitative methods commonly used in social
sciences but rarely seen in software engineering research, namely
interpretative phenomenological analysis, narrative analysis, and discourse
analysis. Furthermore, we discuss the meaning of reflexivity in relation to the
software engineering context and suggest means of fostering it.
  Our paper will help software engineering researchers better select and then
guide the application of a broader set of qualitative research methods.
