A Chart to Defend a Qualitative Research Design.
Summary
The topic of the project is mental problems among homeless young people. The expected conclusions include the list of the most frequent and dangerous mental health concerns in the chosen population. Regarding the fact that a qualitative research design is applied to gather and analyze personal data, a researcher has to answer the question about how to defend against plausible alternative interpretations and validity threats can be developed. Interpretations in qualitative research are closely tied with human senses, experiences, and subjectivity (Leung, 2015). The researcher is not able to predict what kind of information participants want to share. It is necessary to deal with subjective opinions and various life experiences that prevent the development of absolute truth (Roller & Lavrakas, 2015). Validity threats are based on three major factors that may challenge the project development. They include researcher’s bias or the inability to avoid personal knowledge and experiences, reactivity or the intention to interpret observations, and participant’s bias or the way of how participants accept the reality (Kriukow, 2018). The task of the researcher is to make sure that the results do not contradict the goals and research questions.
There are many ways to improve the quality of the study under analysis. Communication with participants and the use of theoretical models are useful tools to achieve good results. However, to defend against validity threats and alternative interpretations, the researcher must use such instruments as trustworthiness, credibility, applicability, and consistency (Hammarberg, Kirkman, & de Lacey, 2016). These methods help to explain why the offered research goals and questions have meaning and need to be discussed. In addition, the chosen methods of data collection and analysis are effective, and the obtained results can be used in the future. Sutton and Austin (2015) underline that human experiences and interpretations may challenge the study, but the researcher’s confidence, decision-making, and critical thinking verify the results. When the time to defend the validity of the study comes, personal biases and background knowledge should be called into question to have enough time and space to focus on participants’ opinions and credible theories.
References
Hammarberg, K., Kirkman, M., & de Lacey, S. (2016). Qualitative research methods: When to use them and how to judge them. Human Reproduction, 31(3), 498-501.
Kriukow, J. (2018). Validity and reliability in qualitative research. Web.
Leung, L. (2015). Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(3), 324-327.
Roller, M. R., & Lavrakas, P. J. (2015). Applied qualitative research design: A total quality framework approach. New York, NY: Guilford Publications.
Sutton, J., & Austin, Z. (2015). Qualitative research: Data collection, analysis, and management. The Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 68(3), 226-231.