8. trustworthiness and integrity of qual

debates about rigor and variability

argument that qual researchers should return to the terminology of the social sciences

validity in quan and qual

validity is appropriate quality criterion in both qual and quan studies, although qual researchers use different methods to achieve it

generic vs specific standards question

Should there be a generic set of quality standards, or are specific standards needed for different qualitative traditions?

generic frameworks

applicable across qualitative traditions

specific frameworks

specific to a tradition or even to a specific analytic approach within a tradition.

terminology

no common vocabulary exists

lincoln and guba quality criteria

suggested 4 criteria for enhancing the trustworthiness of a qual inquiry:

credibility,

dependability,

confirmability,

transferability

key goal of lincoln and guba's quality criteria

trustworthiness

lincoln and gaba conscerns the ________ of _______

truth value,

qual data, analysis, and interpretation

5 criteria of lincoln and gaba

Credibility

Dependability

Confirmability

Transferability

Authenticity

credibility

confidence in the truth value and interpretations of data

2 aspects of credibility lincoln and guba

carrying out the study in a way that enhances the believability of the findings,

taking steps to demonstrate credibility to external readers

dependability

stability of data over time and conditions

the dependability question

would the study findings be repeated if the inquiry were replicated with the same (or similar) participants in the same (or similar) context?

credibility and dependability

credibility cannot be attained in the absence of dependability

confirmability

same as objectivity in quan.

establishing that the data represent the information participants provided and that the interpretations of those data are not imagined by the inquirer

2 or more people are congruent on the data's relevance, meaning, accurnacy

for confirmability to be achieved...

the findings must reflect the participants' voice and the conditions of the inquiry, and not the researcher's biases

transferability

aka generalizability.

extent that qual findings have applicability in other settings or groups

authenticity

conveys the feeling tone of participants lives as they are lives.

senses th mood, experience, language, and context of those lives.

no analog in quant

a text has authenticity if...

it invites readers into a vicarious experience of the lives being described and enables readers to develop a heightened sensitivity to the issues being depicted

how can consumers assess quality enhancement efforts

by looking and assessing their success in strengthening integrity, validity, and /or trustworthiness

prolonged engagement (quality enhancement strategy)

investing sufficient time to have in-depth understanding

persistent observation (quality enhancement strategy)

intensive focus on salience of data being gathered

reflexivity strategies (quality enhancement strategy)

attending to researcher's effect on data

comprehensive and vivid recollection of info (quality enhancement strategy)

maintaining an audit trail, systematic collection of documentation and materials, and a decision trail that specifies decision rules

member checking

providing feedback to participants about emerging interpretations and obtaining their reactions.

controversial— some consider it essential while others do not

triangulation (denzin)

the use of multiple referents to draw conclusions about what constitutes truth

data triangulation

the use of multiple data sources for the purpose of validating conclusions.

time triangulation, space traingulation

method triangulation

the use of multiple methods of data collection to study the same phenomenon

data method and triangulation is done by

denzin

searching for disconfirming evidence

in qual studies, when you look for evidence that can disconfirm your findings through purposive and theoretical sampling

negative case analysis

a specific search for cases that appear to discredit earlier hypotheses

peer review and debriefing

sessions with peers designed to get critical feedback

inquiry audit

a formal scrutiny of the data and relevant supporting documents and decisions by an external reviewer

thick and contextualized description

vivid portrayal of study participants, their context, and the phenomenon under study

researcher credibility

enhancing confidence by sharing relevant aspects of the researcher's experience, credentials, and motivation

Interpretation in qualitative inquiry

making meaning of the data

Interpretation in qualitative inquiry relies on

adequate incubation, the process of living in the data

issues in qual findings

qual and quant have similar interpretive issues: credibility, meaning, importance, transferability, and implications