Essay Sample on Criteria for Evaluating the Quality of Qualitative Research Designs

Introduction

The first criteria for evaluating the quality of qualitative research designs are trustworthiness. Trustworthiness is crucial in qualitative research as it is aimed at ensuring reliability. There are two ways in which trustworthiness can be defined in qualitative research studies. First, trustworthiness can be described as the extent to which a researcher or a consumer of research can have confidence in the results of the study. Second, trustworthiness can be described as a parallel of objectivity, validity, and reliability in quantitative research approaches. Trustworthiness has also been defined as the extent to which one can have confidence in methods, data, and interpretation utilized in ensuring the quality of research (Polit & Beck, 2014). In qualitative studies, trustworthiness is ensured through transferability, confirmability, dependability, credibility, and authenticity.

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Transferability is the degree to which the findings of the research are helpful to people in other settings while confirmability can be described as the neutrality or the extent to which the results of a study show consistency and can be repeated (Connelly, 2016). Third, dependability refers to how the data is stable over time and the circumstances of the research. Fourth, credibility refers to the degree to which a researcher is confident in the truth of the study and, consequently, its findings. Lastly, authenticity refers to the degree to which investigators fairly and thoroughly manifest different realities and realistically convey research subjects' lives (Connelly, 2016).

The second way of evaluating the quality of qualitative studies is by examining the validity. Several terms have been utilized in describing validity. According to Leung (2015), validity in qualitative studies refers to how the tools, processes, and data are appropriate for a particular study. Specifically, it is concerned with the appropriateness of the research question for the anticipated outcome, the research methods and whether it addresses the research question, the alignment of research design with methodological approach, sampling methods and data analysis technique, and whether the findings and conclusions are appropriate for the context and sample (Leung, 2015).

How Trustworthiness and Validity are Tied to Epistemological and Ontological Assumptions

Epistemology deals with the questions related to the reliability of findings, the relationship between the researcher and the participants, and ways of investigating the reality. Trustworthiness is tied to epistemological assumptions because a researcher is entitled to ensure that actions are undertaken to safeguard it. For example, to ensure that transferability is enhanced, the researchers must describe all the procedures, contexts, and research subjects in detail to enable the readers to make evaluate potential application sites. Also, trustworthiness is fostered through enhanced dependability and confirmability. This can be achieved through an audit trail.

On the other hand, the validity of qualitative studies is tied to epistemological and ontological assumptions because the researchers are tasked with ensuring that the methodology allows for an appropriate examination of the phenomenon being studied. For instance, to enhance validity of qualitative studies, it is crucial for researchers to utilized proper data collection procedures such as observation and interview techniques.

A Potential Ethical Issue in Qualitative Research and Influence on Design Decision

One of the potential ethical issues in qualitative research studies is the issue of informed consent (Sanjari, Bahramnezhad, Fomani, Shoghi, & Cheraghi, 2014). Informed consent has been emphasized as a crucial part of ethics in studies conducted in various fields. In qualitative studies, it is essential for the researcher to have a concise explanation of the data that needs to be gathered on how they will be used. The principle of informed consent emphasizes that the researcher has a legal responsibility of informing the research subjects of various aspects of the study in a language that can be easily understood.

The researcher should clarify the following issues in informed consent form when designing qualitative: the nature of the research, the research subjects' possible role, the name of the researcher and source of funding, the aim of the study, and how the findings will be published and used. Majority of the individuals agree to participate in the study if it is of benefit to their society, community, or their peers. Consequently, qualitative health researchers should explain how the research they are conducting will be beneficial and how it will contribute to enhancing health policy.

What It Means for A Research Topic to be Amenable to Scientific Study Using a Qualitative Approach

A research topic can be described as being amenable to scientific study in qualitative research if it is possible to utilize a systematic scholarly method of inquiry to address the problem or the phenomenon being explored (Costley & Fulton, 2019). For example, if the researcher wants to explore a qualitative research topic, it is vital for him or her to employ qualitative methods of data collection such as in-depth interviews (Ciesielska & Jemielniak, 2018; Flick, 2018) and observations (Marchiori, 2018; Olson, Young, & Schultz, 2016). Secondly, a research topic can be described as being amenable to scientific study if there is no bias in the framing of the problem statement and the conclusion. This means that there should be objectivity in qualitative research studies.

References

Ciesielska, M., & Jemielniak, D. (Eds.). (2018). Qualitative methodologies in organization studies. Volume 2: Methods and possibilities. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Connelly, L. (2016). Connelly, L. M. (2016). Trustworthiness in qualitative research. Medsurg Nursing, 25(6), 435-436.

Costley, C., & Fulton, J. (Eds.). (2018). Methodologies for Practice Research: Approaches for Professional Doctorates. SAGE Publications Limited.

Flick, U. (2018). An introduction to qualitative research (Edition 5). Los Angeles: Sage.

Leung, L. (2015). Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(3), 324-327. https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.161306

Marchiori, M. (2018). The proceedings of the 17th European conference on research methodology for business and management studies. Retrieved from https://nls.ldls.org.uk/welcome.html?ark:/81055/vdc_100063095110.0x000001

Olson, K., Young, R. A., & Schultz, I. Z. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of qualitative health research for evidence-based practice. New York: Springer.

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2014). Essentials of nursing research: appraising evidence for nursing practice (8th ed). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health /Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Sanjari, M., Bahramnezhad, F., Fomani, F. K., Shoghi, M., & Cheraghi, M. A. (2014). Ethical challenges of researchers in qualitative studies: the necessity to develop a specific guideline. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4263394/