In considering what is “good” research—in the sense of research of good quality—quality frameworks provide a lens that may offer a useful perspective. The tenet that quality implies “fit[ness] for [a] purpose” (Juran 1995, p.455) suggests that it is critical to understand the purpose of the research. It further suggests that different types of research may have different measures of “fitness”—or a different balance of qualities—depending on their purpose.
Three key purposes for social research have been identified (Neuman 2011, p.38), namely exploration, description and explanation. Exploration introduces the basic facts, generates new idea and new data collection and analysis. For this purpose, reliability or credibility of the data is crucial. Description details a more accurate understanding, develops new categories and sequences of activities, and documents causal mechanisms and background or context. For this purpose validity or dependability are required “to insure an accurate reflection of reality (or at least, participants’ constructions of reality” (Cho & Trent 2006, quoted in Marshall & Rossman 2011, p.41). Explanation tests theory, elaborates or extends on theory; and seeks to establish and rank general explanations. For this purpose, the research must in particular be generalizable or transferable so as to be comparable across cases.
Whilst these qualities may be abstracted together as ‘trustworthiness’ (Marshall & Rossman 2011, p.39) this marks a jump from considering the qualities that may be attributes of particular studies to considering a more generalised ‘theory of research’. Whilst important for understanding, comparing and refining different research methods, this generalised level does not give the detailed guidance required to design and assess particular pieces of research.
REFERENCES:
Juran, JM 1995, A History of Managing for Quality, SQC Quality Press, Milwaukee, WI.
Marshall, C & Rossman, GB 2011, Designing Qualitative Research, 5th edn, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Neuman, WL 2011, Social Research Methods, 7th edn, Pearson, Boston, MA.
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