Purpose: This article outlines the experience of conducting Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis research into the chronic illness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, an incurable condition of the gastro-intestinal tract which results in numerous physically and psychologically symptoms that are difficult to live with, by a researcher who shares the…

When the editors of this journal asked the author to provide his evaluation of the concept of "paradigms" and provide a commentary on Joseph Maxwell's article on the subject, he responded positively because he believes that too often important ideas are not clarified, discussed, and debated in the literature. In this article, he first defines some…

In this paper, I argue--with an example--that under certain conditions replacement of audio transcriptions with a combination of simultaneously taken and jointly produced notes can be done without affecting reliability, validity, and transparency. These conditions are: (1) professional or otherwise relatively "strong" interviewees…

In this article, the author challenges the validity and usefulness of the concept of "paradigm," as this term has been used in the social sciences generally, and specifically in the debates over research methods. He emphasizes that in criticizing what he sees as the misuse of the paradigm concept, he is not arguing for dismissing or ignoring…

Qualitative research has extended the boundaries of legitimate knowledge by including the insights of "subjects", valuing the voices of groups that have been excluded from telling their stories, seeing the complex ways researchers may be positioned in relation to other research participants, and becoming more diverse in their views of validity and…

Furlong and Oancea's influential framework for assessing the products of applied and practice-based educational inquiry raises some important issues about the criteria by which research should be judged. They begin by outlining the current significance of the issue, and some of the uncertainties surrounding the definition of applied and…

This article began as a response to the article "Action research as narrative: five principles for validation" by Heikkinen, Huttunen and Syrjala, which appears in this issue of "Educational Action Research". In so doing it addresses the question "How can we tell whether an action research study is good?" by arguing that validity is a construct…

Details the philosophical and practical dimensions of five types of validity used in qualitative research: descriptive, interpretive, theoretical, generalizable, and evaluative, with corresponding issues of understanding. Presents this typology as a checklist of the kinds of threats to validity that may arise. (SK)

An experiment is deemed to be valid, inasmuch as valid cause-effect relationships are established, if the results are due only to the manipulated independent variable (possess internal validity) and are generalizable to groups, environments, and contexts outside of the experimental settings (possess external validity). Consequently, all…

Deals with issues of validity and reliability in qualitative research in education. Discusses philosophical assumptions underlying the concepts of internal validity, reliability, and external validity or generalizability. Presents strategies congruent with a qualitative research perspective for ensuring the rigor and trustworthiness of findings.…

This paper provides examples of how one can use the research issue and the relationships between qualitative and quantitative research as a frame for instructing students and judging the quality of research. The emphasis is on validity estimates, also called legitimization techniques, with attention to the idea of a qualitative-quantitative…

The increased use of qualitative research methods has spurred interest in developing formal standards for assessing its validity. These standards, however, fall short if they do not include public disclosure of methods as a criterion. The researcher must be accountable in documenting the actions associated with establishing internal validity…

This paper explores how facets of the concept "rigor" might be applied to questions about the validity and reliability of research independently of the research modes. The focus of the critical lens could then be on how to assess the contribution of various forms of research rather than on the "paradigm wars" and arguments…

At the heart of the debate over validity in qualitative research are ontological, epistemological, methodological, and axiological questions that are themselves blurred in a postmodern/poststructuralist matrix. This paper explores some of the foundations and criteria for establishing, representing, and evaluating the truth, rigor, and accuracy of…

This discussion of facilitated communication (FC) focuses on implications of conflicting views of retardation, science, and truth. Discussion supports FC and considers the normative view and the competence view of individuals with mental retardation, positivist and experiential approaches to research in mental retardation, and responses to…