Methods for Establishing Quality. Thesis Example.

Quality in a qualitative research means that the results of the research are reliable and valid. Reliability of Qualitative research is critical since the research is always based on theoretical assumptions as well as qualitative analysis of the collected data (Creswell, 2013). When a correct research design is used for the study, it is then reliable to apply its findings. In this study, the research applied several measures to ensure the quality of the study. To recruit participants who were manufacturers in the state Louisiana, the researcher applied an inclusion criterion where participants were supposed to be licensed in the State of Louisiana with a current employment of $100 and had to be located within the Northwest Louisiana region. Another inclusion criterion was that the participants were required to have worked for the organization for a minimum of two years and be eighteen years of age.

The inclusion criteria applied in this study were appropriately used according to the qualitative tradition of quality research. In qualitative studies, the researcher needs to collect data through various methods such as observation and questionnaire methods. The researcher used open-ended questionnaires to interview the participants face-to-face which were appropriate according to the tradition of qualitative studies. In this study, the inclusion criteria ensured that participants provided specificity of the study. The inclusion criteria are used to group participants in one common group of participants to avoid variance in the information provided in the questionnaires (Creswell, 2013). Another appropriateness of the inclusion criteria applied in this study is that all the participants were required to have met specific working conditions in the industries. One of the requirements which were a working experience not less than two years is appropriate to ensure the provision of quality and precise information to the researcher. According to the tradition of quality regarding qualitative studies, participants must be reliable enough to provide the required information needed for the researcher. In this way, one is required to establish a strategic inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Another appropriate method for ensuring the quality of this study was that participants were supposed to have attained 18 years of age. The above approach of ensuring quality is necessary to ensure the validity of the information provided in the study. According to the tradition of qualitative studies, not all participants are legible for providing reliable information, and therefore, this method is appropriate for ensuring quality in this particular study. The shortcoming of the provided inclusion criteria was that the researcher failed to provide a counter-argument such as exclusion criteria and the specific reasons for making the inclusion allegations. The researcher should have given a clear justification as to why the inclusion conditions were used for the study. For a full justification of the inclusion criteria, the researcher was supposed to state specific states support the qualities of the participants such as;

"The exclusion criteria will be any participant who failed to meet all the requirements in the inclusion and whose age is over 50 years. Also, participants will be excluded if they failed to complete the entire interview to ensure fully answered questionnaires. Lastly, the researcher should have stated the kind of biases that were being avoided by the recruitment method."

Another method applied to ensure quality during the recruitment was that participants were selected from a voluntary participation. Also, confidentiality of the participants was also ensured during their recruitment. The voluntary method of selecting participants is an appropriate way of ensuring quality in the study (Creswell, 2009). The data collected from a willing participant is much reliable than forced participants. It is the tradition of the qualitative studies to ensure reliability and validity of the data obtained. By assuring the confidentiality of the participants' information, it is an appropriate method of promoting quality in the study (Creswell, 2009). This method was sufficiently justified and no need of adding extra information concerning the confidentiality of the participants.

Concerning the selection of participants for the study, not all aspects of quality were met. The hanging aspect of quality regarding the qualitative study was that the researcher failed to describe how many participants were enough for the study. According to the qualitative study traditions of quality, you need to state how many participants are required to represent the entire study population (Creswell, 2009). Again, not every number of participants is enough, since there are specific considerations that are made, for instance, confidence level and intervals and allowable margin error. The author should have used this additional method to establish the full quality of this study. With a well-established number of participants, it is easy to carry out the study, and more so, the author will have the opportunity to validate the study depending on the response rate in the study. Additionally, an adequate number of participants for this study would provide very reliable conclusion after analyzing the collected data (Bernard, 2010).

In conclusion, the methods applied in this study to ensure quality were appropriately used, and among these methods, the author used appropriate selection criteria and a method to ensure participants confidentiality. With the above methods for establishing quality, some aspects of quality were left out which included a description of the required number of participants for the study and how the author came up with the total participants. The author was supposed to apply the above method to determine a reliable number of participants.

References

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Bernard, H. R. (2010). Analyzing qualitative data: Systematic approaches, Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.