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Are qualitative methods misunderstood?

D Ezzy1

  • 1University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. Douglas.Ezzy@utas.edu.au

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
|September 1, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Health researchers are shifting qualitative research quality assessment from natural science to interpretative social science models. This study critiques outdated bias assessment in focus groups, advocating for social context in qualitative data analysis.

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Area of Science:

  • Health Research Methodology
  • Qualitative Research Evaluation
  • Interpretative Social Science

Background:

  • Qualitative research methods are increasingly adopted in health research.
  • Assessment criteria for qualitative research quality are evolving.
  • Recognizing the distinct epistemology of qualitative versus statistical methods is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critique the use of outdated natural science methodologies for assessing bias in qualitative health research.
  • To advocate for an interpretative social science approach to evaluating qualitative research.
  • To highlight the importance of considering social contexts in qualitative data production and analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a recent article in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
  • Application of interpretativist social science theory.
  • Referencing recent work from the British Medical Journal.

Main Results:

  • The analyzed article employs an outdated natural science model for assessing bias in focus groups.
  • There is a need to move beyond traditional scientific assessment criteria.
  • Qualitative data is influenced by the social contexts in which it is generated.

Conclusions:

  • Health researchers must adopt interpretative social science models for evaluating qualitative research.
  • Assessing bias using natural science frameworks is inappropriate for qualitative data.
  • Understanding the social context is essential for rigorous qualitative health research.

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