Exam 9: Evaluating the Merits of Qualitative Research Studies in Kinesiology

Researchers conducing qualitative research studies should only present results that align with their primary findings or main themes; any information that is counter to the main findings should be ignored.

Which strategy to enhance trustworthiness, rigour, and validation in qualitative studies entails spending an extended amount of time with participants "in the field"?

When evaluating qualitative research studies, which aspects of trustworthiness should be addressed?

Brainstorm as many characteristics or attributes that you would expect of an ethically-minded researcher.

Which strategy to enhance trustworthiness, rigour, and validation is used in the following scenario? A colleague engages with a researcher and essentially pushes the researcher to critically reflect on study findings in a way that perhaps the researchers have not yet considered.

Which strategy to enhance trustworthiness, rigour, and validation in qualitative studies can serve multiple purposes including helping participants feel more natural in the presence of a researcher?

What is applicability?

You are the editor of a qualitative research journal in kinesiology. You receive a manuscript (i.e., a written research report) for publication, written by three authors, that explores gendered relations and identities that evolved amongst circus performers. The following is their section on reflexivity: We drew upon previous research on circus performers to develop key study questions. We have been involved in circus performing for several years. Indeed, this knowledge led us to frame the study in ways that paid attention to the impacts of gendered relations and identities on circus performers What recommendations would you provide the authors to improve their section on reflexivity?

Discuss the concept of trustworthiness.

Describe the methods for a qualitative study in which a researcher is interested in understanding the meaning of physical education for a group of physical education teachers from a Saskatoon elementary school. (Note. As part of your methods section, be sure to include strategies that would allow you to evaluate the merits or accuracy of your qualitative findings).

What is considered a high-quality characterizing trait in one qualitative study will certainly be another high-quality characterizing trait in other qualitative studies.

Qualitative research is merely the reflection of a researcher's bias.

In qualitative research studies, researchers should focus on forming understandings that may be relevant from one context to the next depending on similarity between the contexts.

Who is credited with developing the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ)?

Data saturation pertains to when a researcher determines that s/he recruited enough participants and no new knowledge is being obtained.

Which of the following statements correctly describes characterizing traits?

Identify and provide an example of four common strategies to enhance trustworthiness, rigour, and validation in qualitative research studies.

Researchers conducting qualitative studies should seek to understand one distinct study finding that is reflective of one objective truth or single reality.

Explain what an "armchair walkthrough" is and how it can help researchers plan a coherent study.

You are at a research conference listening to a presentation from Dr. Quality about her research on parkour, which is a form of physical activity/training using all types of human movement (e.g., running, swinging, jumping, rolling) to manoeuvre oneself through a complex environment. The objective of Dr. Quality's qualitative research study was to obtain a novel understanding of parkour. Fifteen male parkour practitioners (aged 19-30 years) participated in her study, which included having their training sessions observed (training sessions were video recorded for repeat viewing) and engaging in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Themes that emerged from the data were: Making the Impossible Possible, Breaking the Cycle of Old Training Habits, and Perfecting Movement. Using Tong et al.'s (2007) Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) as your guide, identify five questions you would ask Dr. Quality to evaluate her study. In parentheses, specify which domain/sub-domain each question stems from in the COREQ.