COUN 6204A Discussion Discussion: Reliability and Validity

COUN 6204A Discussion Discussion: Reliability and Validity

Reliability and Validity within Doctoral Study There are various data quality issues in a qualitative research. A study is said to be reliable if a measurement is applied on the same event at different times and they produces the same results and is valid if the method used for the measurements are accurate. Creswell (1998) defines validity as the accuracy of an indicator designed to measure a concept. It is the credibility of the findings of a study (Maxwell, 2005). A study is not valid without being reliable. Saunders et al. (2015), opined that reliability is a requirement to validate a study. For an accurate representation of a concept, the data must be valid and reliable (Wan, 2002). Lincoln and Guba in Houghton et al. (2013) proposed credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability as the criteria for determining the rigor of a research. Rigor is regarded as the quality of the research method (Houghton, et al., 2013). Data Quality Issues Data quality is the extent to which the data and the research methods meet the requirements and desire of (Vale, 2010). To evaluate data quality, there is need to consider credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability of the data used for the study (Lincoln & Guba in Houghton, et al 2013). Being aware and paying attention to these data quality elements helps reduce quality issues and ensures that the research is adequate satisfies the assessment and evaluations of evaluators