Content Generalizability: Generalizing Qualitative Research to the General Study Population.

Area of Science:

• Qualitative Research Methodology
• Social Sciences
• Scientific Inquiry

Background:

• Generalizability of qualitative findings to the general population is under-explored.
• Existing concepts like analytical generalizability and transferability have limitations.
• Qualitative research is often perceived as exploratory due to small, non-randomized samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a novel concept: content generalizability.
• Propose a procedure for applying content generalizability.
• Expand the utility of qualitative research in informing policy and social change.

Main Methods:

• Concept analysis was employed to develop content generalizability.
• The proposed concept and procedure were tested and applied in empirical research.

Main Results:

• Content generalizability offers a new framework for generalizing qualitative findings.
• This approach allows qualitative insights to represent the general study population.
• The study demonstrates the practical application of content generalizability.

Conclusions:

• Content generalizability enhances the scientific value of qualitative research.
• It provides a pathway for qualitative data to inform policy and social change.
• This expands the scope and impact of qualitative inquiry within the scientific community.