reliability validity and trustworthiness in qualitative research

A good qualitative study can help us “understand a situation that would otherwise be enigmatic or confusing” (Eisner, 1991, p. If we see the idea of testing as a way of information elicitation then the most important test of any qualitative study is its quality. The significance of this test is to ensure replicability or repeatability of the result.Īlthough the term 'Reliability' is a concept used for testing or evaluating evidence based practice in nursing research, the idea is most often used in all kinds of research.

In the broadest sense, devising a test (Crocker & Algina, 1986) or the validity of an instrument is on focus. But the question is if the measuring instrument measures what it is supposed to measure. Thus, an evidence based practice in nursing researcher needs to construct an instrument to be administered in standardised manner according to predetermined procedures.

For example, an evidence based practice in nursing researcher may prepare a list of behaviour to be checked or rated by an observer using a predetermined schedule or numbers (scales) as an instrument in his/her method of research. In his/her attempts, the researcher's methods involve the 'use of standardised measures so that the varying perspectives and experiences of people can be fit into a limited number of predetermined response categories to which number are assigned' (Patton, 2001, p.14). Reliability, Validity, and TrustworthinessĪn evidence based practice in nursing researcher attempts to fragment and delimit phenomena into measurable or common categories that can be applied to all of the subjects or wider and similar situations (Winter, 2000). The concept of authenticity, which includes fairness, the sharing of knowledge and action, has not yet become as widely known and debated as the concept of trustworthiness.RELIABILITY, VALIDITY, AND TRUSTWORTHINESS Dependability is often another word for reliability. Transferability refers to the degree to which the results of qualitative research can be generalised or transferred to other contexts or settings. Credibility involves ensuring that the participants, setting, and processes are accurately identified and described for the research to be meaningful. The proponents of the exclusive trend claim that the terms “validity” and “reliability” from quantitative research do not make sense in qualitative research, so they should be replaced. The actual understanding of validity in qualitative research in the literature is confusing. Objectivity means that the human element and biases are supposedly removed, including eradication of any influence on the data by researchers' own value systems. It discusses the importance of establishing validity. This chapter defines reliability and validity in qualitative research.

Reliability validity and trustworthiness in qualitative research