One of the frequently pointed out criticisms of qualitative research is its lack of reliability and validity in its findings. In qualitative research, it is difficult to replicate the observations to test for its reliability. The ability of qualitative research in giving correct answers to the phenomena in question or its validity is also normally put to test.
Another major criticism of qualitative research stems from the presence of the researcher in most of the methods that are sued to extract data. The presence of an observer or the researcher during an interview, for example, can cause demand characteristics or in other words, the participant gets an idea as to what the research is all about and gives the researcher the answers he/she thinks the researchers is expecting from them. If this happens, the findings are not reliable nor are they valid.
This criticism can be addressed in various different ways. The researcher can use what is known as purposive sampling that involves participants who are not directly influenced or affected by the phenomena that are being studied.
Although it may seem like quantitative research resolves the threat posed to validity by using strategies like choosing a random sample and proper use of controls, the way that data is collected and analysed in a qualitative research addresses the issue of validity. Because of qualitative research’s nature that encourages researchers to dig in deeper in the cases, find an emerging pattern in the themes and tests the developing hypotheses, qualitative researchers are basically ensuring validity.
Triangulation also helps eradicate any questions that may be raised against the validity of a qualitative research. Triangulation is a technique used by researchers wherein they make use of a variety of strategies when working on the same topic throughout the study. They gather data from two other methods and try to establish comparisons and commonalities, this way, the validity increases significantly.
Ethical issues
Because of the nature of qualitative studies where the researcher aims to probe and get as much detail as they possibly could from the participants, the issue of ethics is prevalent. Two of the main ethical issues that qualitative researchers have to face are an invasion of privacy and ensuring the confidentiality of their findings.
Despite the researchers’ attempts to guarantee privacy and confidentiality, most participants would still be unwilling to share details they think are private and personal. Instead, they give the researchers “safe” answers. This can hamper the findings and reduce the validity of the study. Although it is the researcher’s responsibility to keep the findings confidential, there have been many such instances where the findings have leaked which caused significant distress to the participant involved.
To counter this, researchers would then resort to deception by conducting covert observations or not informing the participants that they are a part of a research study. Another technique in qualitative research that stirs debate because of the ethical issues it may be breaching is data analysis. When a researcher analyses texts, computer data and databases, it is debated in the research community whether or not this practice is a breach of privacy.
Ethics is also an issue that researchers who are conducting ethnographic research faces. Participants in such studies are subjected to deceit to a varying degree.
For example, a researcher may want to research about the quality of life in an impoverished are of the city, he or she then embeds himself in the community. The researcher will participate in their daily activities, gain their trust and make the participants believe that the researcher is one of them.
This way, the researcher will be able to observe the participants in their most natural state and have the most valid findings. However, the degree of deception is in such cases is an important issue that researchers have to find a solution for.
Diversity
The techniques that are used to gather and collect data in a qualitative research are better suited for participants who are more comfortable answering open-ended questions and talk in interviews compared to more structured and close-ended questionnaires. Women, for instance, may be more comfortable in the methods deployed in qualitative research than men who would prefer more close-ended questionnaires and would not want to elaborate on details.
It has also been observed that participants coming from a background that is far from that of the researcher’s tend to go into much more detail. One way to make sure that the study is valid and generalizable is by creating a questionnaire that has no cultural bias or different interpretations across different cultures. The researcher should also go through regular checks to know if there are any biases from their side that is affecting how they view the study.
Qualitative research, undeniably, gives the researcher a deeper knowledge of the complexity of human diversity.
Technology and computers
The advent of computer technology has allowed qualitative researchers to gather and collect data easier using computers. This can be both a disadvantage and advantage in qualitative research. The disadvantages would be that merely processing data through the computer tarnishes the main idea of a qualitative research, which is being able to look deeper into the participant’s thoughts.
This is not something that a machine can do no matter how many keywords and phrases the researcher feeds the system. Creating and identifying the pattern requires manual work and analysis.
