英语论文网

urable data and causal relationships
between variables, qualitative research or naturalistic inquiry
concerns itself with processes and meanings that cannot
always be experimentally examined. Socially constructed
realities and relationships between the researcher and what
is being studied are essential components of qualitative
inquiry (Denzin and Lincoln, 2003). Proponents of
qualitative approaches emphasize the value-laden nature
of naturalistic inquiry; a commonly heard criticism is that
qualitative research is subjective, anecdotal and subject to
researcher bias (Koch and Harrington, 1998).
Pilkington (2002) suggests that because qualitative
methods are aimed at primarily understanding human
experiences and ultimately theory development, alternative
criteria are required for ensuring the scientific merit of
qualitative research studies. As quantitative studies are
concerned with the generalizability and reproducibility
of findings, the concepts of reliability and validity are
seen as appropriate criteria to use when evaluating the
adequacy or robustness of quantitative research. There is
much discussion about the applicability of validity and
reliability to qualitative research (Koch and Harrington,
1998; Tobin and Begley, 2004; Hoye and Severinsson,
2007). The challenge to alternative paradigms or qualitative
approaches is to produce plausible, robust research and to
demonstrate rigour.
Rigour is the means of demonstrating the plausibility,
credibility and integrity of the qualitative research process.
The rigour, or trustworthiness, of a study may be established
if the reader is able to audit the actions and developments
of the researcher (Koch, 2006). According to Burns and
Grove (2001), the critique of qualitative research requires an
appraisal of the rigour in documentation, procedural rigour,
and ethical rigour:
Rigour in documentation ensures there is a correlation
between the steps of the research process and the study in
question, commencing with the phenomenon of interest
and following through to the recommendations and
implications for practice.
■
742 British Journal of Nursing, 2007, Vol 16, No 12
Procedural rigour refers to appropriate and precise data
collection techniques and incorporates a reflective/critical
component in order to reduce bias and misinterpretations.
Ethical rigour describes how confidentiality issues and the
rights of participants are dealt with during the research
process.
The most common criteria used to evaluate qualitative
research studies are credibility, dependability, transferability
and confirmability (Table 2). Other terms such as goodness
and fruitfulness may also be used (Lincoln and Guba, 1985).
The researcher needs to identify the criteria used and the
reader should be able to clearly follow each step of the
research process:
Credibility refers to the faithfulness to the description of the
phenomenon in question (Koch and Harrington, 1998). It
addresses the issue of whether there is consistency between
the participants’ views and the researcher’s representation
of them. Koch (2006), asserts that credibility may be
enhanced by the researcher describing and interpreting
his/her experiences as researcher, and also by consulting
with participants and allowing them to read and discuss the
research findings. Cr