What are scientific criteria appropriate for qualitative research? Select all that apply.
A. Auditability
B. Credibility
C. Fittingness
D. Reliability
Correct Answers: A, B, C
The rigor of qualitative research is judged by these criteria. They are the criteria by which qualitative research is evaluated for validity and reliability. In qualitative research, the researcher is the study instrument collecting the data, and doing the interpretation bias for inclusion and risk for harm is the researcher’s responsibility; they must constantly check with the subject.
Option A: Auditability is established by the reader being able to follow the steps of the research form, the research questions, to the data collection, to the data, and then to the findings (categories, themes, model) By the steps for interpretation and synthesis and data examples provided, the reader should be able to follow the researcher’s thinking.
Option B: Credibility is the truth of findings as judged by the participants themselves and others. To help establish, the researcher should return to the original participants and get them to validate the findings. Others within the discipline may also help establish by review of the data and findings.
Option C: Fittingness is the meaningfulness of the everyday findings to the everyday reality of that situation. Are the results described in enough detail so that one may evaluate them for their own practice?
Option D: A way to more fully address the nature of the human experience is to come at it from one in one fashion. Triangulation tries to address the problem using both quantitative and qualitative or multiple qualitative methods in one study.