RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.8 TRUSTWORTHINESS, RELIABILITY AND RIGOUR .1 Trustworthiness
The aspect of trustworthiness is the qualitative equivalent of validity in quantitative research.
It can be best understood under the four aspects that it encompasses which are: credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability which are discussed in detail in the discussion that follows.
3.8.1.1 Credibility
Shenton (2004) states that credibility in qualitative research is the equivalent of internal validity in quantitative research and that it deals with the question, ‘How congruent are the findings with reality.’ This implies that the qualitative researcher endeavours to establish truthfulness through the adoption of research methods that are well established in qualitative investigation (Shenton, 2004). In this study I therefore ensured that research findings accurately represented what is really transpiring in the situation (Nelman et al., 2005) by offering participants an opportunity to check if their views were represented fairly in the findings and interpretations.
Thus, when I was done with the transcription and analysis of the data, I sent them back to the participants for them to verify if what I had written was exactly what they said. This exercise enabled the research participants to confirm that whatever was presented was authentic and not fabricated.
Triangulation is another way of ensuring credibility in qualitative research. According to Shenton (2004) this may involve using different methods such as observation, focus groups and individual interviews. These are the major data collection strategies employed in this research in my endeavour to address the issue of credibility. Shenton (2004) further notes that whilst focus group and individual interviews share some methodological shortcomings since they are both interviews of a kind, use of these methods is encouraged since their distinct characteristics actually result in individual strengths. Thus, the use of these two instruments in
57 this research ensured the credibility of this study as Shenton (2004) notes that the use of different methods in concert compensate for their individual limitations and exploits their benefits.
3.8.1.2 Transferability
Research results should be transferable. Transferability in qualitative research is the equivalent of external validity in quantitative research. Shenton (2004) quotes Stake (1994) as saying that although each case may be unique, it is also an example within a broader group and as a result the prospect of transferability should not be immediately rejected. This implies that as long as the cases under study are derived from an example, then the results can be transferable to other cases within that example. For example, in this study the three selected schools were drawn from Chiredzi District with more than 50 primary schools with the majority of pupils who speak Shangani as their first language. Thus, the results of this study can be transferable to these schools because their location is the same and as such, the experiences of teachers in using Shangani as the language of instruction may be the same.
3.8.1.3 Dependability
Dependability and credibility are interwoven aspects of qualitative research. This is because the demonstration of credibility has some bearing in ensuring dependability. This implies that a credible research is dependable. Shenton (2004) notes that dependability can be achieved through the use of overlapping methods like focus group and individual interviews. Thus, through this kind of triangulation a research study can be both credible and dependable.
Employing these overlapping methods in establishing the teachers’ experiences in using Shangani as the medium of instruction at the 3 schools ensured the dependability of the study.
The dependability of a qualitative study can also be enhanced if an in depth methodological description is given so that other researchers could repeat (Shenton, 2004). As such, I have taken this into consideration. The recommendations and the methodology employed have been clearly outlined. In addition to that, the minute details of how the data gathering process was done in the field was given to show that the research was not fabricated. Therefore, the study is dependable.
58 3.8.1.4 Confirmability
Trustworthiness also implies confirmability of results. According to Shenton (2004) the conception of confirmability is the qualitative researcher’s equivalent to objectivity in quantitative research. He adds that, research findings can only be confirmable if they reflect the actual experiences and ideas of informants, rather than the characteristics and preferences of the researcher. To cater for this, I ensured that findings of this research precisely corresponded to what is actually taking place in the situation (Nelman et al., 2005) by offering participants an opportunity to check if their views were represented fairly in the findings and interpretations. Thus, when I was done with the transcription and analysis of the data, I sent them back to the participants for them to verify if what I had written was exactly what they said. This exercise enabled the research participants to confirm that whatever was presented was authentic and not fabricated. This was done also to ensure that my own biases as a researcher are mitigated.
3.8.2 Reliability
According to Denscombe (2010) reliability refers to the quality of the methods therefore researchers need to be sure that the methods they use are consistent and not provide fluctuating measures. In addition to that, reliability implies the possibility of the findings to be replicable (Merriam, 2009). In qualitative research, however, it is very difficult to achieve the replicability of findings since researchers mainly study human behaviour and experiences which are never static. However, Merriam (2009) cites Lincoln and Guba (1985) as stating that, the notion of reliability with regard to instrumentation can be applied to qualitative research in a sense similar to its meaning in traditional research.
In this study, the most appropriate methodology to answer the research questions was adopted.
Reliability was also ensured through the triangulation of research instruments. Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2007) concur with Mouton and Marais (2003) that using numerous sources of data gathering in a single research project increases the dependability of the results and compensates for the shortcomings of each method. Therefore, using three data generation methods in this research enabled me to ‘home in’ an understanding of the issue under investigation by analysing it from different angles (Terre-Blanche and Durrheim, 1999). This is also consistent with Denscombe’s (2010) observation that the accuracy and precision of data can be assessed by comparing them with findings on the same topic produced using different
59 research methods, that is, triangulation. In this study the triangulation of data gathered through different instruments ensured the authenticity of research results.
3.8.3 Rigour
A trustworthy and reliable research has rigour. Dependability and rigour can be enhanced in qualitative research by recording data objectively and comprehensively including the use of audiotapes, videotapes and different levels of the transcription of data (Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2007). All the interview sessions were recorded and every detail necessary was included to make the report as comprehensive as possible. Doing this enables future researchers to repeat the same research and come up with more or less the same results (Shenton, 2004).