Assessing Qualitative Data - Trustworthiness Criteria

Vocabulary flashcards covering the five criteria for establishing trustworthiness in qualitative research according to Lincoln and Guba, along with associated methods and concepts.

Credibility

A criterion for establishing trustworthiness that refers to confidence in the truthfulness of data and their interpretations.

Prolonged Engagement

A credibility technique where the researcher is immersed in the group and spends time collecting in-depth data to understand their feelings, ideas, and opinions over a longer period of time.

Persistent Observations

A credibility technique where the researcher focuses on all aspects of the situation that are relevant to the phenomenon being studied up to the point of saturation.

Triangulation

The use of multiple references to draw conclusions about what constitutes the truth of a study, aiming to prevent intrinsic bias from a single method, single observer, or single theory.

Peer Debriefing

A credibility technique where researchers meet and confer with peers to objectively review and explore various aspects of the phenomenon.

Member Checks

A strategy involving asking study participants' reactions to preliminary findings and interpretations of the inquiry.

Search for Disconfirming Evidence

The systematic search for data or sampling of individuals with conflicting viewpoints that could challenge an emerging concept or descriptive theory.

Comprehensive and Vivid Recording of Information

A credibility technique involving field notes with rich descriptions of what transpired in the field, participants' demeanor and behavior, and the interview context.

Dependability

A criterion for trustworthiness, analogous to reliability, concerned with the stability of qualitative data over a long period of time.

Inquiry Audit

A process to ensure dependability involving the scrutiny of data and supporting documents by an external reviewer.

Split-Half Technique (Qualitative)

An approach used to condition dependability where researchers are divided into two teams to conduct inquiries separately and then compare their data and conclusions.

Confirmability

A criterion for trustworthiness referring to the objectivity and neutrality of data, ensuring findings reflect participants' opinions, feelings, and attitudes rather than researcher bias.

Transferability

A criterion for trustworthiness, analogous to generalizability or external validity, referring to the extent to which qualitative research findings can be transferred or applied to other settings.

Thick Description

A rich, thorough, and vivid description of the research context, the study participants, and the experiences and processes observed during the inquiry.

Authenticity

A criterion for trustworthiness referring to the extent to which the researcher describes truthfully and accurately the varied existence of different realities and participants' lived experiences.

Saturation

The collection of qualitative data to the point where a sense of closure is attained because new data yield redundant information.