The field of qualitative research is commonly perceived as a methodology that entails a high level of dependency on the researcher’s personality and judgment. When conducting a qualitative inquiry, researchers encounter a challenge of the intensity of influence of personal opinion and the overall impact of one’s personal beliefs on the interpretation of the results of the research and their overall applicability. Moreover, it is debatable to what extent subjectivity in research might hinder credibility and what the nature of interdependence between findings credibility and personal opinion is. To broaden the discussion even more, it is necessary to identify at what point subjectivity becomes bias. The current readings synthesis is aimed at addressing these tentative issues.
The concept of bias in qualitative research is addressed in-depth by the authors of the readings. According to Roulston and Shelton (2015), bias is a threat to the validity and credibility of research and might impact a study on different levels, ranging from participant recruiting to findings interpretation. Indeed, as Josselson (2013) demonstrated, the very choice of conceptual question, the decision concerning research model, data collection methods, participant recruiting, and other crucial issues depend on the researcher’s opinion and potentially lead to bias in research.
On the other hand, the concept of subjectivity resembles a notion that is closely related and often confused with bias. As Roulston and Shelton (2015) state that despite expected objectivity and neutral attitude of researchers, their participation in qualitative inquiry is inevitably linked with subjectivity. This assumption might be proven by an example from Tieken (2013), who explicitly states how the researcher might use its personality to influence the outcomes of the study. In particular, the researcher states that “if I’m looking to do research in the South, the label of a recognized academic institution could lend credentials, but the labels identifying me as a Southerner and a teacher would provide credibility” (Tieken, 2013, p. 323). Thus, it is important to acknowledge subjectivity in qualitative research and attend to it with awareness.
Another important concept that is discussed in the readings is reflexivity, which stands in the same connotation row with subjectivity and bias and implies the inclusion of a researcher’s personal opinion into the process of research. Ortlipp (2008) vividly demonstrates how a reflective approach might contribute to the credibility of qualitative inquiry and minimize the threats of bias. The researcher introduces a method of a reflective journal as a tool that helps to “facilitate reflexivity, whereby researchers use their journal to examine personal assumptions and goals” and clarify individual belief systems and subjectivities” (Ortlipp, 2008, p. 695). This method might be a valuable tool in addressing subjectivity from the perspective of separating it from potential bias.
The discussed concepts and their in-depth interpretations made by the authors significantly contribute to my knowledge in the field of qualitative research, Based on my prior learning experience, the concepts of bias and subjectivity were often confused for one another and even referred to interchangeably. Since both imply the researcher’s subjective attitudes or beliefs that have the potential of altering the findings and results of research, I tended to approach these concepts with caution. However, upon studying the discussions presented in the readings, I have expanded my perspective on subjectivity in qualitative research and acquired a reflective journal method to facilitate the credibility of my research projects in the future. Overall, when synthesizing the concepts of bias, subjectivity, and reflexivity, one might conclude that these issues inevitably occur in qualitative research but might be effectively managed to ensure credibility.
References
Josselson, R. (2013). Interviewing for qualitative inquiry: A relational approach. NY: New York, Guilford Press.
Ortlipp, M. (2008). Keeping and using reflective journals in the qualitative research process. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 695-705.
Roulston, K., & Shelton, S. A. (2015). Reconceptualizing bias in teaching qualitative research methods. Qualitative Inquiry, 21(4), 332-342.
Tieken, M. C. (2013). The distance to delight: A graduate student enters the field. Qualitative Inquiry, 19(4), 320-326.