Validations and Reliability in Qualitative Research - Assignment Example

Validations and Reliability in Qualitative Research What factors might limit this type of research? Qualitative validity and reliability depends on various philosophical perspectives, which limit its research paradigm. Some qualitative researchers discard the framework of validity and reliability, which are commonly accepted in various quantitative based research works in social sciences. The qualitative validity is normally rejected based in the realist assumption that there is an extended external reality to the researcher’s perception and view of these research works. Ultimately, validity and reliability of qualitative research to some extent does not sensibly portray a true or falsified observation with respect to the external reality, which is ultimately the primary concern of validity. Credibility factor limits the validity and reliability of qualitative research. The credibility criteria involve the establishment that results into qualitative research. These establishments are often influential in relation to credibility or believability perspectives of the participants in the research (Baumgarten, 2013). The credibility perspective of qualitative research limits the key roles of this research towards the determination of a better description or understanding of the phenomena of interest from the participant’s eyes. The participants of qualitative research are the legitimate judges of the credibility of the research results. Dependability attribute of qualitative research may also limit this type of research work. The traditional liberal view of reliability of research is based on the assumption on repeatability and reliability nature of research. This attribute limits the essential concern of research work in relation to whether we would obtain the same results if in any case the same observations are made twice. Individual researchers cannot consequently measure the same things twice; this would in turn affect the final data collected (Bryman, 2012). In order to alternatively estimate reliability and validity, the qualitative researchers must construct various hypothetically variable notions with an example being true score theory to get valid facts of the research. What strategies can a researcher use to make the research more credible? Transferability element of qualitative research techniques can be overly used to make the research work more credible. Transferability refers to the extent to which the results of qualitative research works can be considerably generalised or ultimately transferred to other contexts as well as research setting paradigms. From the qualitative credibility point of view; transferability is principally a sole responsibility of the participants doing generalisation of research (Conway, 2014). A qualitative research can enhance transferability through doing a well-done job on the description of the research context and assuming on the centrality of the research work guidelines. Transferability concern of a research work conceptualizes the differences possible for the judgement of the outcome of the research at an early stage. Confirmability attribute of qualitative research as well uplifts the credibility nature of the research. Qualitative research tends to pre-empt that each participant in research always blends in a unique perspectives to the study (Creswell, 2007). Confirmability refers to the degree to which the research results could be used or corroborated by others to come up with a credible research results. Confirmability can be strategically used to accredit research work in relation to documentation of the procedures for checking and rechecking the data throughout the study (Watson et al., 2008). The researchers can actively search and describe the negative research instances that may act as contradictory guidelines prior to the predicted observations. Discuss how your philosophical stance as a researcher affect the way you establish validity and reliability in the following; Research design (Phenomenological, case study, ethnographic, grounded theory and content analysis) Phenomenological As a social researcher, my qualitative research design and guidelines would solely embark on an integrative approach. This approach is overly a better one in relation to coming up with a credible, valid and reliable trustworthy research work. In any kind of research or study, as researchers, we must always bring in certain attributes of beliefs and philosophical assumptions (Duits, 2008). A qualitative researcher must always interrogatively evaluate the importance of beliefs and theories that inform their participatory works and actively write about these philosophical assumptions of their research. Case study Qualitative research design assumptions must be uniquely described and framed into interpretive frameworks so that each and every participant in the future research works can easily understand the overall significance of this research to our on research. Before a research is conclusively conducted, the definition in greater depth of the problem being solved must be put forward in the research design. Lastly, some of the theoretical methods and approaches must also be inclusively drawn in the qualitative research design for a better guideline of the researcher’s efforts (Azzopardi, 2009). Ethnographic The ethnographic approach to qualitative research majors on the field of anthropology. The emphasis of research design ethnographically is on studying an entire customs, values and cultural beliefs of the people. Ideally, the original cultural design on was tied on the notion of ethnicity and cultural geographical locations (Thompson, 2012). This notion nonetheless has been broadened in relation to qualitatively based research designs into virtual groups or organisations. This means a culture can be studied as per business culture or a defined group. Grounded theory Grounded theory (GT) of research design is a systematic methodology in the social sciences that involves the construction of a theory through the analytical scrutiny of data (Roberts & Priest, 2010). Grounded theory represents a research methodology, which ultimately operates in a reverse way in relation to social sciences’ positivist traditions. GT overly begins with a question or an overall collection technique of a qualitative data (Goodwin, 2006). Through this research design method, a researcher reviews the data collected, repeat ideas, repeat concepts and elements of this research work and becomes apparent with extracted data’s tagged with codes. Content analysis The content analysis research design aims at reducing the paradigm war in research works. In the recent past criticisms have emerged distinguishing pure sciences and social sciences paradigms (Markula & Silk, 2011). Content analysis differentiates qualitative and quantitative research. Content analysis as a research designing method consequently demonstrates how qualitative research works is positioned in comparison with quantitative research methods. Content analysis ensures that the superficial and oversimplified assumptions of the data collected between qualitative and quantitative research techniques are distinctively brought out clearly by the researchers (Kirk & Miller, 2006). Lastly, well-designed qualitative research content wise often portrays and accepted problems, academic and disciplinary resistances due to the purity of the presented qualitative research. Data Collection The most commonly preferred sources of data collection in qualitative research methods are; interviews, observations and review of secondary documents. The methodology of data collection in qualitative research is planned and pilot-tested concurrently before the final study is carried out. The data collection procedures qualitatively are grouped into four categories; documents, observations, interviews and audio-visual gadgets (Kirk & Miller, 2000). Well-structured qualitative research documentation must ultimately ensure a provision mechanism for concise tabular formulation for the methodologies used, the options within each type of data collection, the advantage of each and lastly the limitation of each method. A researcher must have guidelines and frameworks in relation to the most appropriate data collection mode (Mackey & Gass, 2012). These frameworks or sub-purposes simultaneously determine the guidelines and nature of data collection. For example, a particular phase of the qualitative research might alternatively pertain to the manner in which experts and non-experts data collection participants illegitimately perceive various aspects of the data. A qualitative data collection should be carried out on a lowers pace (Klanke, 2008). Through the slow collection of data, prejudices are avoided. Collecting good data always takes time, and interviews and short participant observations are likely to help individual data collectors to gain more understanding of the data being collected. Data Analysis The analysis of qualitative research constitutes aiming to cover and/or understand the big picture of the data collected. The analysis involves the use of data collected to describe the phenomenon and predict the future occurrences of such phenomenon (Lazaraton, 2012). Qualitative research data analysis involves labelling and the researchers as well as the learners (Kwong & Suzuki, 2007) can easily unearth coding all of the collected data in an orderly manner so that the similarities and differences of the phenomenon studied. Responses for even duly unstructured qualitative data collected can be entered into the computer SPSS system in order to be counted, coded and analysed. A qualitative researcher is ethically guided. He or she, therefore, have no room for pre-coding. Alternatively, researchers can only identify, label or code data need in relation to the bespoke encounters experienced during the whole research system. In summary, unquestionably, data analysis is the most mysterious, contemptuous and complex phase of all the qualitative data collection phases. A language structure for the data analysis should be importantly put into consideration before the final data collection outcome is reached. The language-based analysis framework of data in qualitative research is solely reliant on the secondary documented sources of qualitative research. For readers of qualitative studies, the language of analysis may be confusing hence leading to the collection of a distorted data. It is overly difficult to understand the driving factors of the researchers especially in relation to what these scholars did on their research. The language attribute of data analysis henceforth helps in the understanding of research findings and the evolution of the data in the research, which were either constructed or collected. References Baumgarten, M. (2013). Paradigm wars - validity and reliability in qualitative research. S.l.: Grin Verlag. Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods. Oxford [etc.: Oxford University Press In Conway, C. M. (2014). 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Watson, R., Benner, P., & Ketefian, S. (2008). Nursing research: Designs and methods. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier. Read More