appraising trustworthiness in qualitative research

debates about rigor and validity

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

validity

an appropriate quality criterion in both qualitative and quantitative studies, although qualitative researchers use different methods to achieve it

generic vs specific standards

Some frameworks and criteria aspire to being generic… that is, applicable across qualitative traditions. Other frameworks are specific to a tradition or even to a specific analytic approach within a tradition

terminology proliferation and confusion

• No common vocabulary exists.

  • Goodness

  • Truth value

  • Integrity

  • Trustworthiness

  • Validity and rigor

lincoln and gubas quality criteria

Suggested four criteria for enhancing the trustworthiness of a qualitative inquiry: credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability. Key goal is trustworthiness. Concerns the “truth value” of qualitative data, analysis, and interpretation

lincoln and guba 5 criteria

• Credibility

• Dependability

• Confirmability

• Transferability

• Authenticity

credibility

refers to confidence in the truth value of the data and interpretations of them. Qualitative researchers must strive to establish confidence in the truth of the findings.

lincoln and guba state credibility involves two aspects:

• 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 over conditions. Credibility cannot be attained in the absence of dependability

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?

confirmability

Refers to objectivity- the potential for congruence between two or more independent people about the data’s accuracy, relevance, or meaning. Establishing that the data represent the information participants provided and that the interpretations of those data are not imagined by the inquirer

how is confirmability achieved

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

transferability

Analogous to generalizability. The extent to which qualitative findings have applicability in other settings or groups

authenticity

Conveys the feeling tone of participants’ lives as they are lived. Sense of the mood, experience, language, and context of those lives. No analog in quantitative research

a text has authenticity when

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

quality enhancement strategies during data collection

Researchers can take several steps to enhance quality of inquiries. Consumers can assess quality-enhancement efforts by looking for these and assessing their success in strengthening integrity, validity, and/or trustworthiness.

prolonged engagement

investing sufficient time to have in-depth understanding

persistent observation

intensive focus on salience of data being gathered

reflexivity strategies

attending to researcher’s effect on data

other strategies of data collection

Comprehensive and vivid recording of information. Maintenance of an audit trail, a 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

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 triangulation

method triangulation

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

strategies relating to coding and analysis

Search for disconfirming evidence as the analysis proceeds, through purposive/theoretical sampling of cases that can challenge interpretations

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 of qualitative data relies on

adequate incubation- The process of living the data