Triangulation
The Credibility of research can be strengthened using a number of methods. Shipman(1988)
recommends that a researcher should go beyond the traditional concerns for reliability, validity and generalizability when considering the trustworthiness of research. He also suggests that asking the question “Is there sufficient detail on the way the evidence is produced for the credibility of the research to be assessed?” In Real World Research Robson(Robson, 2002) also suggests that there are strategies for dealing with threats to validity, a key mechanism used to support the credibility of research. Triangulation of data involves the collection of material from more than one source. Another approach could be the combining of quantitative and qualitative data to support a hypothesis. The use of triangulation in this way can help to reduce the threat to the validity of research. The reliability and testability of research also improves the credibility of the findings. For a project to be testable, rigorous record keeping and fact reporting must take place so that the exact environment can be recreated for the purpose of testing out the theory. Any failure in this method will result in the loss of credibility to the researcher and any of the facts within the report will be questionable. ROBSON, C. (2002) Real world research : a resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers,Oxford, Blackwell. SHIPMAN, M. D. (1988) The limitations of social research, London, Longman.
I agree with your point about the combination of quantitative and qualititative data. As stated earlier in my research, some studies may require either to provide relevant results for discussion. Other studies may also benefit from using both types of results.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points Tony, using mixed methods of research will add strength to the validity of the theory being presented.
ReplyDeleteI have searched in an attempt to find how widely Triangulation is used. It would appear that is often used because of the points discussed above.
In doing this I found via Wikipedia's page on the subject [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulation_(social_science)#Types] that there are various types of Triangulation:
- Data triangulation: involves time, space, and persons
- Investigator triangulation: involves multiple researchers in an investigation
- Theory triangulation: involves using more than one theoretical scheme in the interpretation of the phenomenon
- Methodological triangulation: involves using more than one method to gather data, such as interviews, observations, questionnaires, and documents.
Adopting more than one approach or method to research improves the confidence of the research. The first sentence in the post rightly explains the concept of triangulation.
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