¶ … Validating Qualitative Data
Dissimilar to quantitative research, establishing or ensuring validity and reliability in qualitative research can be a difficult task. This is mainly because of the inherent differences between the two types of research. Even so, validity and reliability are as important in qualitative research as they are in quantitative research. Accordingly, qualitative researchers must ensure they provide valid and quality accounts of the research phenomenon at hand (Creswell, 2013). So how can qualitative researchers achieve this? This paper discusses standards of validity and reliability in qualitative research, particularly phenomenological research. The aim of the paper is two-fold. In the first part, the paper identifies and discusses the strategies or techniques used to assess validity and reliability in phenomenological research. In the second part, a selected published phenomenological research is evaluated to determine how conventional standards of validity and reliability have been applied.
Part 1: Evaluative Criteria and Validation Strategies
Before proceeding further, it is important to understand what validity and reliability mean. The notion of validity essentially refers to the extent to which the findings of a research are a true reflection of the real world (Bryman, 2008). In other words, how accurate or well-supported are the findings? Reliability, on the other hand, denotes the extent to which a research is consistent (Bryman, 2008). In other words, would the study produce similar findings if it were replicated, or do the findings and interpretations resonate with the data? Validation and reliability are crucial in qualitative research, though some scholars view them as unimportant. In essence, there are differences in how the concepts of validity and reliability are viewed in qualitative and quantitative research. Rather than validity, qualitative researchers may often use terms such as credibility, authenticity, confirmability, dependability, and transferability (Creswell, 2013). For reliability, qualitative researchers may prefer to use terms such as stability. The use of alternative terms is often informed by the need to avoid dragging positivist or naturalist concepts into qualitative research. All the same, the motive is generally the same -- to enhance and guarantee the accuracy and consistency of research.
Generally, the quality of qualitative research can be evaluated using techniques such as triangulation (confirming with other sources), peer review (external assessment of the research design), member checking (asking participants for feedback regarding the credibility of findings), external audits (inviting an external examiner to assess the research design and findings for accuracy) (Creswell, 2013). Other techniques that may be used include negative case analysis, prolonged engagement, persistent observation, stating researcher bias from the very beginning, and providing rich descriptions. Creswell (2013)...
The relevance of evaluating the quality of qualitative research design cannot be overstated. To begin with, in seeking to evaluate the quality of qualitative research design, there is need to determine whether the research context has been defined or described in clear and certain terms. This is more so the case given that without a clear definition of the context, it may not be possible to subject the findings to
measurements that can be ascertained objectively. They employ statistical and mathematical data analysis; gathered through such techniques as polls, questionnaires, surveys or through manipulation of already existing data via computational techniques. Quantitative research specializes on collecting numerical data and applying it across groups in general terms, or explaining a specific phenomenon (University of South California, 2016). Qualitative Research It can be inferred from the use of the term qualitative that this
Article: Van Oostveen, C. J., Mathijssen, E., & Vermeulen, H. (2015). Nurse Staffing Issues are Just the tip of the Iceberg: A Qualitative Study About Nurses’ Perceptions of Nurse Staffing. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 52(8), 1300-1309. http://daneshyari.com/article/preview/1076172.pdf According to Polit & Beck (2017), the primary parameters of evaluating a qualitative research article include the research methods, the research design and its tradition, the setting and sampling methods, data collection and
Qualitative Case Study AssignmentIntroductionThe qualitative case study serves as a research methodology that enables the exploration of a specific phenomenon within a particular context, utilizing various data sources. This approach examines the phenomenon from multiple perspectives, unveiling its diverse facets (Baxter & Jack, 2008). By investigating real-time occurrences within their natural contexts, case studies acknowledge the influence of the surrounding circumstances (Kaarbo & Beasley, 1999).A case study is a commonly
children deprived of normal, healthy environmental stimuli in low-income, inner city environments' could be undertaken using quantitative and/or qualitative research methods, if both are used the process will be referred to as a mixed method research. A quantitative and a qualitative approach are outlined in this paper. Quantitative research is undertaken where a large number of results are gathered for research that will usually be in numerical form, and will
Spotlighting Samplings 4 Qualitative Research Research Choices 6 the Phenomenology Method The Ethnography Method DEPTH Four Qualitative Approach Comparison Strengths and Critiques of Case Studies "A research design indicates the full research process from conceptualization of the research problem, generation of data, analysis and interpretation of findings, and dissemination of results" (Magilvy & Thomas, 2009, What and Why… Section, ¶ 4). The Question of Interest What type of research design should the researcher use? To answer the study's critical research
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