credibility and trust
Credibility and Trustworthiness
Based on this week’s required studies, determine two strategies a qualitative study can use to provide credibility and trustworthiness. What are the advantages of the strategies? Are there any risks involved with this strategy? If so, describe the risk(s). How do these strategies provide strength to a study?
Support your statements with evidence from the required studies and your research. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.
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Textbook Reading
Fundamentals of Education Research (McMillan, 2015)
- Chapter 11: Qualitative Research Design
- Chapter 12: Qualitative Data Collection, Analysis, and Credibility
- Chapter 5: Participants and Sampling
Understanding Education Research: A Guide to Critical Reading (Shank, Brown, & Pringle, 2018)
- Chapter 3: Basic Approaches in Educational Research, pages 19-26 only
- Review this chapter. This is a quick, easy overview of the use of educational statistics in research.
- Chapter 11: Understanding Qualitative Results and Findings
- Skim this chapter, which will help you with the article critique assignment for this week.
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Read
- Understanding and Validity in Qualitative Research (Maxwell, 1992) [Web page]
- Teachers as Architects of Transformation: The Change Process of an Elementary School Teacher in a Practitioner Research Group (Vetter, 2012) [Web page]
- First Person Reserved Handout
(Concordia University – Portland, n.d.-d) [PDF]
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View
- Jigsaw (Reading Rockets, 2012) [Video][Closed captioned]
Watch Video Jigsaw Duration: 9:20
Qualitative Research
This week’s studies will explore qualitative research. Unlike quantitative research, which begins with hypotheses, qualitative research has been defined as “a systematic empirical inquiry into meaning†(Shank, Brown, & Pringle, 2018, p. 20). Qualitative research begins with a high-level research question, and through a systematic discovery process, emergent data increasingly leads to a more thorough understanding of the research topic and question. Qualitative studies are not tightly controlled, as in quantitative studies. Instead, qualitative researchers seek to uncover hidden variables in natural settings. As a methodology, qualitative research embraces complex phenomenon to understand how the world works. According to Shank, Brown, and Pringle (2018), qualitative research focuses on understanding rather than knowing, and searches for meaning rather than facts. Qualitative research addresses cultural diversity and difference through trying to understand how people are different in different contexts. Whereas quantitative studies deal with samples that generalize to larger populations, qualitative studies do not attempt to generalize. Qualitative researchers understand that findings and interpretations are relevant to the study environment (local context). Sometimes one qualitative study may be compared to another, such as in comparative case studies. In these instances, some small generalizations can be made to similar contexts; however, overall qualitative studies do not focus on generalization. Qualitative studies do not use the same instruments to gather data as quantitative studies. Instead, qualitative studies rely on collection methods such as observations, interviews, and artifact analysis. Validity and reliability take on different meaning in qualitative studies; instead focusing on credibility and trustworthiness. Qualitative researchers use various methods to achieve credibility and trustworthiness. Data analysis is also quite different in qualitative studies. There are two “orientations†to qualitative data analysis—“thematic analysis and meaning discernmentâ€â€”that then lead to specific choices about the strategies available for researchers (Shank, Brown, & Pringle, 2018, p. 93). Since qualitative studies rely on narrative data collection strategies, transcribed data is coded to help determine themes and relationships that help researchers interpret the phenomenon under investigation. Reporting is also different in qualitative studies. Rich and thick narratives add credibility to qualitative studies by providing an appropriate account of the research processes, data collection methods, interpretations, and researcher bias. It is typical for qualitative reports to be considerably longer than quantitative reports.
Reference
Shank, G., Brown, L., & Pringle, J. (2018). Understanding educational research: A guide to critical reading (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Weekly Objectives
Through participation in the following activities, the candidate will:
- Understand the concepts of validity, reliability, and generalizability as applied to quantitative and qualitative research designs. (4j)
- Credibility and Trustworthiness
- Explore and analyze the different purposes, design elements, methodological concepts, and vocabulary of various research designs. (4j)
- Field Notes and Coding
- Analyzing Qualitative Research
- Demonstrate the ability to define researchable questions and write one(s) appropriate to the professional context of the student. (10f)
- Your Research Question and First Person Reserved Writing
