Chapter 16- Appraising trustworthiness and integrity in qualitative research

Debates about rigor and validity

• rigor and validity are associated with the positivist paradigm, while qualitative studies tend to be an interpretive paradigm

• Some believe qualitative researchers should return to the terminology of social sciences

• one extreme people think validity is appropriate quality Criterion in both qualitative and quantitative studies, although the use different methods to achieve it

• another extreme berates the absurdity of validity

generic verse specific standards

• should there be a generic set of quality standards or are specific standards needed for different traditions

Terminology

no common vocabulary for Quality Criterion

 truth value, goodness, integrity, and trustworthiness

trustworthiness

truth value, degree of confidence

Lincoln and guba's quality criteria

• gold standard

•  credibility, dependability, confirmability, transferability, and authenticity

Credibility

truth value of the data and interpretations of them 

• Most important

• Internal validity in quantitative

• must have dependability to attain

• Carrying out study in a way that enhances

• Taking steps to demonstrate to external readers

Dependability

stability (reliability in quantitative) of data over time and over conditions

Confirmability

potential for congruence between two or more independent people about data accuracy, relevance, or meaning

• Data represents information participants provided

• objectivity

Transferability

generalizability, the extent to which qualitative findings have applicability in other settings or groups

Authenticity

• emerges and Report when it conveys the feeling tone of participants lives as they are lived

  • Readers are better able to understand the lives being portrayed

  • No equivalent in quantitative 

strategies to enhance quality Data collection

•  prolonged engagement and persistent observation

Prolonged engagement

the investment of sufficient time collecting data to have been in depth understanding of the culture, language, or views of the people or group under study

persistent observation

• refers to researchers focus on the characteristics or aspects of the situation that are relevant to the phenomena being studied

  • to test for misinformation

  • to ensure saturation of important categories

  • important for building trust with informants→  useful and Rich information

Reflexivity

awareness of the researcher as an individual brings to the inquiry a unique background, set of values, and professional identity that can affect the research process

•  continually attending the researcher's affect on the collection, analysis,  and interpretation of the data

•  reflexive Journal

Triangulation

use of multiple reference to draw conclusion about what constitutes truth

•  overcome bias

•  capture a more complete and contextualized picture

data tri

use of multiple data sources for the purpose of validating conclusion

•  time, space, and person

method triangulation

using multiple methods of data collection

• Self-report, observation

audit trial

the systematic collection of materials that would allow an independent auditor to draw conclusions about the data

• includes raw data, methodological and reflective notes, topic guides, and data reconstruction products

Decision trail

audit trail without data

member checking

Researchers provide participants with feedback about merging interpretations and illicit participants reactions

•  enhances credibility 

• Controversial as it can lead to erroneous conclusions and participants can agree with researchers interpretations at a politeness or belief that they are smarter

• can be done  continuously

investigator triangulation

use of two or more researchers to make data collection, coding, and Analysis decisions 

• Reduce bias and idiosyncratic interpretations

negative case analysis

researchers search for cases that appear to disconfirm earlier hypotheses and then revise their interpretations as necessary

•  refine Theory until it accounts for all cases

peer debriefing

involves external validation, with the researchers peers to review aspects of the inquiry 

Inquiry audits

formal, a procedure that involves a scrutiny of the actual data and relevant supporting documents by an external reviewer 

thick description

refers to a rich thorough and Vivid description of the research context, study participants, and events and experiences observed during the inquiry 

Researcher credibility

• Trustworthiness is enhancive report contains information about researchers credentials and personal connections