Sruthi RAIR 18 · CSE 2025 · 428 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening · a definition
Qualitative research methods aim to understand the social world from the perspective of the actors involved. Unlike quantitative research, which focuses on measurement and generalisation, qualitative research prioritises the depth of meaning, context, and the subjective experiences of individuals. Because of this focus, debates around their reliability and validity take a different form than in the positivist tradition.
Body · points and prose
Reliability in Qualitative Research
Reliability traditionally refers to the consistency and replicability of findings. In positivist research, this is assessed by whether repeating a study yields the same results.
- Challenges: Qualitative research is often context-dependent, subjective, and dynamic. Since social life is not static, researchers acknowledge that reproducing the exact conditions or interactions of a study is impossible.
- Alternative interpretation: Rather than focusing on replicability, qualitative researchers emphasise 'dependability'. This is achieved through:
- Audit trails: Maintaining transparent records of the research process, data collection, and analytical decisions.
- Reflexivity: The researcher explicitly acknowledges their own biases, values, and influence on the data collection process, allowing the reader to assess how these might have shaped the findings.
Validity in Qualitative Research
Validity refers to whether a study accurately measures what it intends to study. In qualitative research, this is often discussed as 'credibility' or 'authenticity'.
- Internal Validity (Credibility): This refers to the congruence between the researcher's findings and the participants' experiences. Techniques to enhance this include:
- Member checking: Taking findings back to the participants to see if they recognise and agree with the interpretation.
- Prolonged engagement and persistent observation: Spending significant time in the field to build rapport and ensure that early, potentially superficial impressions are corrected.
- Triangulation: Using multiple data sources, methods, or investigators to cross-verify findings, thereby reducing the risk of error or bias.
- External Validity (Transferability): While qualitative research does not seek statistical generalisation, it aims for 'thick description'—providing enough context that other researchers can determine the applicability of the findings to other settings or groups.
Critique and Conclusion
Close · a summary
Critics, particularly those from a positivist standpoint, argue that the reliance on researcher subjectivity compromises scientific rigour, potentially leading to anecdotal evidence rather than objective truths.
However, supporters of qualitative methods argue that these concerns are misplaced. By prioritising the nuance of 'opinions, feelings, and experiences', qualitative research offers a validity that quantitative methods often miss. It provides a 'verstehen' (empathic understanding) that is essential for capturing the complexity of human life. Ultimately, the reliability and validity of qualitative research are not abandoned but are reconstructed, shifting the focus from standardised replicability to transparency, rigour in analysis, and depth of insight.