Validity in Qualitative Research

Abstract

The complexity of human experience requires a variety of research methods for understanding nursing phenomena. In addition to quantitative methods, qualitative research, which brings a different research tradition to nursing, is gaining interest amongst researchers. However, it is time to move beyond debating the value of qualitative or quantitative research in nursing (Goodwin & Goodwin, 1984; Munhall, 1982.) Assuming that different methods help answer different research questions (Polit & Hungler, 1987; Leininger, 1985), it is timely to demonstrate the rigour of qualitative research. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issue of validity in qualitative research. Relatively little space is devoted explicitly to the topic of validity in many qualitative research textbooks (Munhall & Oiler, 1986, Parse, Coyne & Smith 1985) or in research reports giving readers the false impression that validity concepts receive only minor consideration. This author believes that qualitative researchers must increase documentation of the rigour of their research in order to gain credibility within the nursing science community.