Quality Criteria in Quantitative and Qualitative Research

What actually distinguishes our everyday observations from scientific measurement? Inevitably, all researchers grapple with this question in their daily practice. For a measurement to be called scientific, it must meet certain academic basic requirements – the so-called scientific quality criteria.

 

In quantitative research, three main criteria are used to assess the quality – the so-called "quality" – of the study:

Quantitative research must consider the criteria objectivity, reliability, and validity.
This means ...

• Objectivity (independence from the person): Every scientific measurement must be as factual and neutral as possible, independent of the prejudices or subjective preferences of the researchers.
   
• Reliability (dependability): A measurement should be so reliable that under the same conditions and with the same subjects, it would produce the same result.
   
• Validity (correctness): A measurement should measure precisely the content it is supposed to measure – and nothing else. This includes both the content of the research (= complete representation of the examined subject) and the fundamental framework conditions (= theoretical and empirical foundation).

In the article Objectivity, Reliability & Validity: Definition, Example we explain to you in detail the features and differences of quality criteria for quantitative research methods.

 

Quality Criteria in Qualitative Research Methods

The classical quality criteria of quantitative research (objectivity, reliability, and validity) cannot be directly transferred to qualitative research methods. This is also understandable because criteria that assess the quality of standardized collection procedures cannot equally assess the quality of individual qualitative research methods.

If one now also seeks quality criteria for qualitative research methods, one indeed receives quite different answers. We would like to address one source in our summary by Mairing (2002). Here six quality criteria were determined. Accordingly, the following aspects count toward assessing qualitative research:

Procedure Documentation
The applied methodology must be documented in detail, since qualitative methods often use specially developed procedures, and thus outsiders can fully understand exactly how the researcher proceeded. Content should include prior knowledge, implementation of data collection and analysis.

Argumentative Interpretation Validation
Since the interpretations of the collected data cannot be checked, the researcher must justify them argumentatively.

Rule-Governed Approach
The research must adhere to rules and demonstrate systematic procedures. One can deviate from this if it is documented.

Proximity to the Subject
Proximity between researcher and the examined person must be present. Unlike in experiments, this must occur on a trustworthy basis.

Communicative Validation
To verify the validity of the results, the researcher should review the results and answers of the study jointly with the respondent. Additions from the respondent are also possible.

Triangulation
It is recommended to examine the research subject from two different perspectives. These can include: two researchers, two theories, two data sources, two methods.

 

What Happens After Data Collection?

We have already looked at the preparation phase in the research process, which shows how to arrive step by step at the correct type of data collection and what should be considered. The following chapter continues with the analysis and evaluation of the collected data.

 

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Next Chapter:
Chapter 14 – Analysis Methods in Empirical Research

• Analysis methods for quantitative and qualitative research
• Descriptive and Inferential Statistics