Module 6 DQ 1

This is the question to the reply

There are several unique characteristics of qualitative research that make it distinct from quantitative research. Describe the aspects of qualitative research and the elements of design that contribute to the rigor of the work. What actions of the researcher can compromise the integrity of the findings?

Please reply in APA style with reference and 150-200 words

Tina Gilson

2 posts

Re: Module 6 DQ 1

1. Qualitative research has been criticized for being less reliable than quantitative research methodologies, but qualitative research has been found to provide a deeper exploration into experiential problems (Tetnowski, 2015). When we reference rigor in qualitative research, it is correlational to reliability and validity in quantitative research methods (Thomas & Magilvy, 2011). So, I would pose the questions, what makes a study valid and how do we know we can trust what is being said? A researcher could potentially write anything they want to, and we could be easily be led astray if there were no expectations of rigor in qualitative research, right?

The idea of establishing rigor in research is where the researcher establishes a sense of trust through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Researcher that present findings that represent a true representation of the human experience shared by participants establish credibility through member checking or peer confirmed forms of verification (Thomas & Magilvy, 2011). Researchers that describe their study in depth so that other researchers can follow to the same outcome and by being able to transfer the findings or methods of research to another group a researcher achieve transferability and dependability (Thomas & Magilvy, 2011). Once the previous three concepts have been achieved the concept of confirmability and in turn the concept of rigor in qualitative research are achieved (Thomas & Magilvy, 2011).

Thomas and Magilvy (2011) presented some things that can significantly impact the rigor of a qualitative study that are critical to understanding qualitative research methods:

1. Confirmability cannot be achieved if a researcher interprets findings with their own personal bias.

2. During data collection when there is interaction with participants, the researcher can also influence the outcome if they are not objective or if they interact with personal feelings.

3. When researchers do not look at a research problem objectively and seek only information that supports their argument

References

Thomas, E., & Magilvy, J. K. (2011). Qualitative rigor or research validity in qualitative research. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 16(2), 151-155. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6155.2011.00283.x

Tetnowski, J. (2015). Qualitative case study research design. Perspectives on Fluency and Fluency Disorders, 25(1), 39-45. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/journal /1940-7602_Perspectives_on_Fluency_and_Fluency_Disorders

Catherine Sienko

2 posts

Re: Module 6 DQ 1

2. As a doctoral student, it is important to understand the difference between research methods before start working on a dissertation. It does get confusing to tell which is what. To this day, I have a better understanding to tell the difference between qualitative and quantitative. Whenever I come across to quantitative research article, I’d focus on quantity and with the qualitative research, I’d focus on the quality.

Quantitative research relies heavily on numbers and contains mostly numerical data that can be measured while qualitative research relies on descriptive data based on observations but cannot be measured. According to Greenberg (2018) qualitative research primarily focuses on the meaning or quality of experience to understand the underlying reasons, opinions, and motivation. The credibility of qualitative research depends on the ability and effort of the researcher. When it comes to the reliability and validity findings of the study, the researcher is responsible to put their bias aside and must remain neutral. The compromise of the integrity of the findings can occur if the researcher skewed the data to change the outcome of the research that may lead to personal advantage. As a doctoral student studying to become a scholar, it is important to remain ethical and maintaining research integrity by using honest and verifiable methods as they are researching the context that may have an impact on people’s lives.

Reference

Greenberger, S. (2018). The nature of inquiry. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.), GCU doctoral research: The purposeful path to a successful dissertation. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/res811/gcu-doctoral-research-the-purposeful-path-to-a-successful-dissertation/v2.1/#/home

This is the question to the reply

Validity and reliability are primarily quantitative research concepts. Morse, Barrett, Mayan, Olson, and Spiers (2002) argue that their exclusion from qualitative research design undermines the credibility and rigor of qualitative research conclusions. Were they correct in this assertion? Why or why not?

Catherine Sienko

1 posts

Re: Module 6 DQ 2

3. When you are comparing the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods, it’s like comparing the difference between apple and orange. Both of the research methods have a different process of how researchers obtain and analyze the information, but both research methods have a similar probability of validity and reliability of the study based on the ability and effort of the researcher.

According to Morse, Barrett, Mayan, Olson, and Spiers (2002), the researcher is responsible for using the verification strategies to determines the reliability and validity of the study. The more I think about this, the more I have concluded that I do not agree with the authors’ assertation about the credibility of qualitative research because qualitative research should be judged using the same criteria and terminology as quantitative research.

Sandelowski’s research mentioned (as cited in Cope, 2014) that a qualitative study is considered creditability if the participants’ experiences are recognized by readers who shared similar experiences. While it may be true that qualitative researcher views the research through a very different lens, but regardless of whichever method researcher use for their study, they are still responsible to maintain neutral, free of bias, and can justify their argument with supporting evidence from their study.

References

Cope, D.G. (2014). Methods and Meanings: Credibility and trustworthiness of qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(1), 89–91. http://doi.org/ 10.1188/14.ONF.89-91

Morse, J. M., Barrett, M., Mayan, M., Olson, K., & Spiers, J. (2002). Verification strategies for establishing reliability and validity in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 1(2), 1-19.