Undertaking qualitative research requires flexibility in academics, because researching peoples’ lifeworlds is an inherently messy process because the lived realities of those being researched can be convoluted and changing. Academics make structured research designs with the implicit knowledge that the research will not happen in a linear way. This knowledge takes time and experience to achieve. In this article I propose flexible methodologies to describe researchers’ adaptability in terms of their methods, techniques, positionalities, roles, and changes in the research plan. For my PhD research looking at a range of urban places and spaces in Dublin, by being fluid in my research from the beginning, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the lifeworlds of my participants, and I demonstrate this with three vignettes from my own research. Rather than adjusting my research plan as problems occurred, I instead began with a flexible approach. I argue that beginning with flexibility can aid graduate students in understanding changes and developments in research as a positive, necessary shift in the research plan and is helpful to beginner researchers but also their supervisors. Flexible methodologies are a pragmatic approach for PhD students and early career researchers to achieve their research aims.

进行定性研究需要学术界的灵活性，因为研究人们的生活世界本质上是一个混乱的过程，因为被研究者的生活现实可能是复杂和变化的。学者们在研究不会以线性方式发生的隐含知识的情况下进行结构化的研究设计。这种知识需要时间和经验才能实现。在本文中，我提出了灵活的方法论来描述研究人员在方法、技术、定位、角色和研究计划变化方面的适应性。我的博士研究着眼于都柏林的一系列城市场所和空间，通过从一开始就在我的研究中流动，我能够更深入地了解我的参与者的生活世界，我用我的三个小插曲证明了这一点自己的研究。我没有在出现问题时调整我的研究计划，而是从一种灵活的方法开始。我认为，从灵活性开始可以帮助研究生理解研究的变化和发展，这是研究计划中一个积极的、必要的转变，对初学者和他们的导师都有帮助。灵活的方法论是博士生和早期职业研究人员实现其研究目标的务实方法。