Explain+the+importance+of+credibility+in+qualitative+research.

Write a summary of pages 350-353 of your textbook, after that write a SAQ of this learning outcome. (you need to be able to define the main concepts and localize key vocabulary)

Qualitative research sometimes is need of different judging criteria than that used to evaluate quantitative research; in this case credibility is thought to account for the concept of __internal validity__. __Credibility__ is closely linked to the concept of __trustworthiness__ which is only established when the findings of the research reflect the meaning described by the participants (avoiding research bias since from this perspective, the purpose of qualitative research is to describe or understand the phenomena of interest from the participant's eyes, the participants are the only ones who can legitimately judge the credibility of the results ) and by opening the research for scrutiny. Thus some researchers such as Sandelowski argue that qualitative research should not be linked with truth but rather with this concept of trustworthiness. But there is no criteria for trustworthiness, instead __triangulation of credibility/trustworthiness__ can be useful in checking if the findings are trustworthy and in providing a new way of exploring the data. What is triangulation of credibility/trustworthiness? The method involves comparing the use of different perspectives and sources to see if the interpretation of the data can be supported. There are several forms of triangulation: __Method__-compares data from different methods, __Data__-compares data from other sources, __Researche____r__-compares data collected from several observes and __Theory__- uses different theoretical perspectives. While it is important to establish a set of strategies to increase confidence and validity in qualitative research the most radical researchers say that a criteria for trustworthiness and credibility cannot be predetermined because qualitative research is based on subjective interpretations of the world. Montserrat N. G.