Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research

by Marc L. Miller and Jerome Kirk

Book Overview

Kirk and Miller define what is -- and what is not -- qualitative research. They suggest that the use of numbers in the process of recording and analyzing observations is less important than that the research should involve sustained interaction with the people being studied, in their own language and on their own turf. Following a chapter on objectivity, the authors discuss the role of reliability and validity and the problems that arise when these issues are neglected. They present a paradigm for the qualitative research process that makes it possible to pursue validity without neglecting reliability.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803925603
• ISBN13: 9780803925601
• Release Date: December 1985
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc
• Length: 88 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great insights for qualitative researches

Kirk and Miller's methodology explanation and historical examples help researchers of social problemas to conduct their works in a really focused scientific direction. Short and clear, without compromising the message, it's a really worth reading text.

Informative in Providing Background Material

Kirk and Miller seek to resolve some of the problems of reliability and validity faced by researchers using qualitative methodology. It is emphasized in the series introduction in the preface of the book that the distinction between qualitative and quantitative research is often misleading and false. The authors elaborate on that observation in their opening comments by noting, "Technically, a 'qualitative observation' identifies the presence or absence of something, in contrast to 'qualitative observation,' which involves measuring the degree to which some feature is present." They go on to discuss how one knows what one knows and the role data collection and interpretion plays. They acknowledge that individuals' meanings must be taken into account in the process of reporting the findings.The meat of their argument is addressed in the next section as they cite various well known researchers and discuss their contributions. They talk about issues of reliability in these studies and the role of interpreting results. This book helps you to see the challenges of ethnographic research.