validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research

In contrast to quantitative research, qualitative research as a whole has been constantly critiqued, if not disparaged, by the lack of consensus for assessing its quality and robustness. Glaser BG, Strauss AL, Strutzel E. The discovery of grounded theory; strategies for qualitative research. Truth and Method (Weinsheimer J, Marshall DG. 2019; : 106227. It is important for qualitative studies to emulate the scientific method in striving for empirical groundedness, generalizability, and minimization of bias (Hammersly, 1992). 2018; 9(2): 178. This is important if the results of a study are to be meaningful and relevant to the Though it is difficult to maintain validity in qualitative research but there are some alternate ways in which the quality of the qualitative research can be enhanced. Kvale S, Brinkmann S. Interviews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing. Fundamental concepts of validity, reliability, and generalizability as applicable to qualitative research are then addressed with an update on the current views and controversies. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license, CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0) Public Domain Dedication. Nurs Res 1968;17:364. 2015; 5(1), © Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care | Published by Wolters Kluwer -. Generalizability and transferability of the research are two interrelated characteristics of research. Patton MQ. Accordingly, qualitative research has a more difficult task when trying to establish the reliability and validity of its data. internal validity and external validity. Rigor is simply defined as the quality or state of being very exact, careful, or with strict precision8 or the quality of being thorough and accurate.9 The term qualitative rigor itself is an oxymoron, considering that qualitative research is a journey of explanation and discovery tha… Acad Pediatr 2011;11:S11-21. Trans). Overview of qualitative research. 2018; BMC International Health and Human Rights. J Adv Nurs 2007;60:79-86. Hess R, Santucci A, McTigue K, Fischer G, Kapoor W. Patient difficulty using tablet computers to screen in primary care. Adm Policy Ment Health 2013. p. 1-12. Gadamer HG. Krakower, J. Coyne IT. However, validity and reliability are terms and concepts that are often avoided by qualitative researchers because they cannot be addressed in the same way as in quantitative research … 2016; 5(90): 6664, Hispanic Health Care International. This article illustrates with five published studies how qualitative research can impact and reshape the discipline of primary care, spiraling out from clinic-based health screening to community-based disease monitoring, evaluation of out-of-hours triage services to provincial psychiatric care pathways model and finally, national legislation of core measures for children′s healthcare insurance. Vol. J Eval Clin Pract 2008;14:912-3. Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research Abstract The use of reliability and validity are common in quantitative research and now it is reconsidered in the qualitative research paradigm. 2018; 142(1): 34e, Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2017; 17(1). Carcary M. The research audit trail - Enhancing trustworthiness in qualitative inquiry. 2017; International Journal of Mental Health Promotion. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. Waterman AS. The Qualitative Report, 8(4), pp.597–607. Newbury Park, London: Sage Publications; 1985. p. 416. Validity relates to the appropriateness of any research value, tools and techniques, and processes, including data collection and validation (Mohamad et al., 2015). 2019; 4(1): 10, International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. Sage Publications; 2011. p. 97-128. 2020; Journal of Educational Computing Research. 2018; : 1, Journal of Transcultural Nursing. Could they be used in other similar contexts with equivalent results? 2020; : 1, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. 2018; BMC Health Services Research. The rejection of reliability and validity in qualitative inquiry in the 1980s has resulted in an interesting shift for “ensuring rigor” from the investigator's actions during the course of the research, to the reader or consumer of qualitative inquiry. Newbury Park, London: Sage Publications; 1989. p. 296. 2019; BMC International Health and Human Rights. Sanders C, Rogers A, Bowen R, Bower P, Hirani S, Cartwright M. Dixon-Woods M, Shaw RL, Agarwal S, Smith JA. Qual Health Res 1993;3:254-60. Fundamental concepts of validity, reliability, and generalizability as applicable to qualitative research are then addressed with an update on the current views and controversies. 2019; 33(6): 381, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. google_color_text = "000000"; 2018; Voces y Silencios. PLEASE NOTE: We are currently in the process of updating this chapter and we appreciate your patience whilst this is being completed. Checklists for improving rigour in qualitative research: A case of the tail wagging the dog? They indicate how well a method, technique or test measures something. Qualitative Validity. 2020; 29(5): 285, Journal of China Tourism Research. 2019; 20(4): 529. In addition, some of the strategies adopted by qualitative researchers to enhance the credibility of their research are outlined. 2018; 18(1), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Fourth Generationm Evaluation . Nahid Golafshani, 2003. 2018; : 00. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. 2020; : 1, Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction. Lawrence Leung In general practice, qualitative research contributes as significantly as quantitative research, in particular regarding psycho-social aspects of patient-care, health services provision, policy setting, and health administrations. This text describes objectivity in qualitative research by focusing on the issues of validity and reliability in terms of their limitations and applicability in the social and natural sciences. Every research design needs to be concerned with reliability and validity to measure the quality of the research.. What is Reliability? 2019; Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal. J Adv Nurs 1997;26:623-30. Int J Qual Res, 1, pp.1–19. Mangione-Smith R, Schiff J, Dougherty D. Identifying children′s health care quality measures for Medicaid and CHIP: An evidence-informed, publicly transparent expert process. J Health Psychol 2006;11:799-808. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care Learn more about DOAJ’s privacy policy. Qual Saf Health Care 2004;13:223-5. Lincoln YS, Lynham SA, Guba EG. Like reliability and validity as used in quantitative 2019; 16(21): 4300, Children and Youth Services Review. 2018; 88: 426, International Journal of Educational Management. Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research Helen Noble,1 Joanna Smith2 Evaluating the quality of research is essential if findings are to be utilised in practice and incorporated into care delivery. 2020; 58(7): 1342, Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. Van Manen M. Researching Lived Experience: Human Science for An Action Sensitive Pedagogy. 2020; 27(10): 2807, Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. Kitto SC, Chesters J, Grbich C. Quality in qualitative research. google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; SUNY Press: Suny Press; 1990. New York. The concept of reliability, generalizability, and validity in qualitative research is often criticized by the proponents of quantitative research. 2017; : 1, Journal of the International AIDS Society. 2020; 21(2): 820, Journal of Aging and Environment. Reliability and validity depend on the skills of the researcher. 2020; 28(4), Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. The British Journal of Criminology. In quantitative research, reliability refers to exact replicability of the processes and the results. The concept of reliability, generalizability, and validity in qualitative research is often criticized by the proponents of quantitative research. 2020; 20(1), American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Reliability and validity in qualitative research. Generalizability can be defined as the application of research findings based on a sample to the whole population, it also means that the findings of one study is transferable to another similar situation. A first step towards a comprehensive approach to judging rigour/quality. Naturalistic Inquiry . Fundamental concepts of validity, reliability, and generalizability as applicable to qualitative research are then addressed with an update on the current views and controversies. The humanistic psychology-positive psychology divide: Contrasts in philosophical foundations. 2018; International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. Verification strategies for establishing reliability validity in qualitative research. Reducing bias. Concepts such as reliability, validity and generalisability typically associated with quantitative research and alternative terminology will be compared in relation to their application to qualitative research. Validity Validity is the extent to which an instrument, such as a survey or test, measures what it is intended to measure (also known as internal validity). Be consistent in how you handle your data. In contrast to quantitative research, qualitative research as a whole has been constantly critiqued, if not disparaged, by the lack of consensus for assessing its quality and robustness. 2019; 16(9): 1158, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research. 2019; : e13009, Journal of Teaching in Social Work. Newbury Park, London: Sage; 2009. Newbury Park; London: Sage; 1994. J Adv Nurs 2010;66:246-54. 2020; 22(3): 648, Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2015 Jul-Sep; 4(3): 324–327. Becker PH. The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research. BMJ 2001;322:1115-7. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2016; 14(4): 184, Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. Meyrick J. google_ad_channel ="9994736013"; Noblit GW, Hare RD. George M, Apter AJ. J Gen Intern Med 2008;23:476-80. 2019; VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. J Health Care Chaplain 2014;20:109-22. 2019; : 1, Health Promotion Practice. 8/14/2017 Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research 1/6 Go to: Go to: Go to: J Family Med Prim Care. Vol. Copyrights and related rights for article metadata waived via CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0) Public Domain Dedication. 2019; 16(3): 413, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. Evaluating the quality of research is essential if findings are to be utilised in practice and incorporated into care delivery. google_ad_height = 600; Qualitative Research. Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research. The problem of appraising qualitative research. Med J Aust 2008;188:243-6. This paper argues that the problem of validity and reliability in qualitative research is entwined with the definition of qualitative research, though some scholars argue that qualitative research is not as valid and reliable as quantitative research, this essay argues that it is possible for qualitative research to be properly valid and reliable, taking into consideration qualitative criteria in social research, including its … Gaining insight into patients′ beliefs using qualitative research methodologies. Br J Gen Pract 2014;64:e392-400. 2020; 30(1), Clinical Nursing Research. Am Psychol 2013;68:124-33. Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research 2017; 20(1): 21922, BMC Medical Research Methodology. These are certain preferred qualities which gauge the goodness in measuring the characteristics under consideration. 2018; Qualitative Health Research. In contrast to quantitative research, qualitative research as a whole has been constantly critiqued, if not disparaged, by the lack of consensus for assessing its quality and robustness. Since reliability and validity are rooted in positivist perspective then they should be redefined for their use in a naturalistic approach. 2019; 39(1): 75, Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020; 57(9): 1105, Journal of Sustainable Tourism. This article illustrates with five published studies how qualitative research can impact and reshape the discipline of primary care, spiraling out from clinic-based health screening to community-based disease monitoring, evaluation of out-of-hours triage services to provincial psychiatric care pathways model and finally, national legislation of core measures for children's healthcare insurance. Newbury Park, London: Sage Publications; 2000. p. 85-99. Enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis. However, since it cannot be quantified, the question on its correctness is critical. google_color_url = "000000"; A researcher must test the collect data before making any conclusion. Using a mobile health application to support self-management in COPD: A qualitative study. 2018; 18(1), Journal of Holistic Nursing. Research Methods: The Concise Knowledge Base . 2020; 76(3): S73, Benchmarking: An International Journal. Issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research. PopUp = window.open( location,'RightsLink','location=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=650,height=550'); }, Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None. Available from: Barbour RS. google_ad_width = 160; Health Promotion Journal of Australia. 2017; : 00, Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences. Kahn DL. American Journal of Infection Control. Finfgeld-Connett D. Generalizability and transferability of meta-synthesis research findings. In contrast to quantitative research, qualitative research as a whole has been constantly critiqued, if not disparaged, by the lack of consensus for assessing its quality and robustness. 2020; : 1, Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology. The aim of any research regardless of whether it is a quantitative research or a … Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. Reliability, validity and generalizability. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2004;4:185-9. Lincoln YS, Guba EG. Nurs Philos 2003;4:4-16. Reliability is about the consistency of a measure, and validity is about the accuracy of a measure. Things are slightly different, however, in Qualitative research. 2018; 36(4): 385, International Journal of Construction Management. For the purpose of checking the accuracy and applicability, a multi-item measurement scale needs to be evaluated, in terms of reliability, validity, and generalizability. Sampling in qualitative research. 2020; 20(1), Home Health Care Services Quarterly. Noble, H. & Smith, J., 2015. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work. Williams V, Price J, Hardinge M, Tarassenko L, Farmer A. 2019; 27(5): 290, Journal of Nursing Research. Common pitfalls in published grounded theory research. Hence, the essence of reliability for qualitative research … Evaluating care pathways for community psychiatry in England: A qualitative study. J Adv Nurs 2006;53:304-10. Reliability and validity are concepts used to evaluate the quality of research. Reliability refers to the consistency of the measurement. google_color_link = "cc6601"; Place Branding and Public Diplomacy. 2019; 7(1): 75, Industry and Higher Education. 2020; : 1. How to assess rigour…or not in qualitative papers. 2020; : 1. Two fundamental criteria of measurement in scientific research are reliability and validity [19,20, [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48]. In qualitative research with diverse paradigms, such definition of reliability is challenging and epistemologically counter-intuitive. //-->. 2020; : 1, Evaluation and Program Planning. 2016; : 1, International Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination. CASP. Qualitative data is as important as quantitative data, as it also helps in establishing key research points. Keywords: Controversies, generalizability, primary care research, qualitative research, reliability, validity,