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Triangulation research among culturally diverse populations
G A Bechtel1, R Davidhizar, S Bunting
1Harris College of Nursing, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, USA. gbechtel@earthlink.net
Journal of Allied Health
|June 30, 2000
Summary
Developing effective transcultural health research methods is challenging. This article explores triangulation, integrating quantitative and qualitative data, as a superior approach for understanding diverse health beliefs and actions across cultures.
Area of Science:
- Health Sciences
- Transcultural Studies
- Research Methodology
Background:
- Quantitative research is dominant but may not fully capture cultural health nuances.
- Qualitative methods offer holistic descriptions, valuable for cross-cultural understanding.
- A need exists for research methods suited to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the challenge of developing effective transcultural health research methods.
- To present triangulation as a viable and advantageous research strategy.
- To discuss six specific approaches for implementing triangulation in transcultural health research.
Main Methods:
- Discusses the limitations of traditional quantitative research in cross-cultural contexts.
- Highlights the strengths of qualitative research for holistic cultural descriptions.
- Introduces triangulation as a mixed-methods approach integrating quantitative and qualitative data.
Main Results:
- Triangulation effectively integrates the strengths of quantitative and qualitative data.
- This approach minimizes the limitations inherent in single-paradigm research.
- Six distinct methods for employing triangulation in transcultural health studies are detailed.
Conclusions:
- Triangulation offers a robust framework for transcultural health research.
- Integrating diverse data sources enhances the validity and depth of findings.
- The discussed approaches provide practical guidance for researchers in the field.