Discussion: Designing Qualitative Research
As you recall from earlier weeks, various philosophical orientations hold unique epistemological and ontological assumptions. These assumptions return to the forefront of attention when considering how to evaluate the rigor or quality of various qualitative research designs. Typically, when speaking of validity, qualitative researchers are referring to research that is credible and trustworthy, i.e., the extent to which one can have confidence in the study's findings (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Generalizability, a marker of reliability, is typically not a main purpose of qualitative research because the researcher rarely selects a random sample with a goal to generalize to a population or to other settings and groups. Rather, a qualitative researcher's goal is often to understand a unique event or a purposively selected group of individuals. Therefore, when speaking of reliability, qualitative researchers are typically referring to research that is consistent or dependable (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), i.e., the extent to which the findings of the study are consistent with the data that was collected.
References
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
For this Discussion, you will explain criteria for evaluating the quality of qualitative research and consider the connection of such criteria to philosophical orientations. You will also consider the ethical implications of designing qualitative research.
With these thoughts in mind
Post an explanation of two criteria for evaluating the quality of qualitative research designs. Next, explain how these criteria are tied to epistemological and ontological assumptions underlying philosophical orientations and the standards of your discipline. Then, identify a potential ethical issue in qualitative research and explain how it might influence design decisions. Finally, explain what it means for a research topic to be amenable to scientific study using a qualitative approach
Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week's Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.
Assignment:
Annotation of a Qualitative Research Article
Submit: Annotation of a Qualitative Research Article
This week, you will submit the annotation of a qualitative research article on a topic of your interest. This annotation is a precursor to the annotated bibliography assignment due in Week 10.
An annotation consists of three separate paragraphs that cover three respective components: summary, analysis, and application. These three components convey the relevance and value of the source. As such, an annotation demonstrates your critical thinking about, and authority on, the source topic. This week's annotation is a precursor to the annotated bibliography assignment due in Week 10.
An annotated bibliography is a document containing selected sources accompanied by a respective annotation of each source. In preparation for your own future research, an annotated bibliography provides a background for understanding a portion of the existing literature on a particular topic. It is also a useful first step in gathering sources in preparation for writing a subsequent literature review as part of a dissertation.
Please review the assignment instructions below and click on the underlined works for information about how to craft each component of an annotation.
It is recommended that you use the grading rubric as a self-evaluation tool before submitting your assignment.
Annotate one qualitative research article from a peer-reviewed journal on a topic of your interest.
Provide the reference list entry for this article in APA Style followed by a three-paragraph annotation that includes:
A summary
An analysis
An application as illustrated in this example
Format your annotation in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced. A separate References list page is not needed for this assignment.