Appraising trustworthiness and integrity in qualitative research

Validity

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

Generic standards

applicable across qualitative traditions

Specific standards

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

Terminology proliferation and confusion

no common vocab exists-- goodness, truth value, integrity, trustworthiness, validity and rigor

Suggested four criteria for enhancing the trustworthiness of a qualitative inquiry

credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability

Lincoln and guba's quality criteria

key goal is trustworthiness; concerns the “truth value” of qualitative data, analysis, and interpretation

Five criteria for lincoln and guba's quality 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

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 cannot be attained in the absence of

dependability

Confirmability

refers to objectivity (has to do with research team), 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

For confirmability to be achieved

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; whether or not that these themes are global enough that they'll be seen in different groups/settings

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; has to do with how well the researcher is writing the results

Text and authenticity

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

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; makes sure researcher adequately understands

Member checking

providing feedback to participants about emerging interpretations and obtaining their reactions (controversial: some consider it essential while others don't); bringing some of the info back to participants in the research-- can be controversial if info isn't flattering to participants

Strategies during 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

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 findings

relies on adequate incubation-- the process of living the data; similar interpretive issues as in quantitative research-- credibility, meaning, importance, transferability, and implications