Week 3 Discussion 1
Week 3 Discussion 1
Week 3 Discussion 1
Sources for Data Quality Issues That Could Negatively Impact a Doctoral Research Study
The importance of data quality in research can not be understated. The quality of data
collected during research affects the accuracy of a study. There are a number of things that could
affect the quality of data in a study (Hassenstein & Vanella, 2022). Saunders et al. (2016)
identified four threats to the quality of data in research, which are participant error, researcher
bias, researcher error, and participant bias. Participant errors are things that severely affect the
behavior of participants in the data collection process (Saunders et al., 2016). An example of this
would be interviewing participants when they are tired which might lead to errors in the data
provided by the participants. Researcher bias is any factor that produces bias when a researcher
is taking a record of participant responses (Saunders et al., 2016). For example, a researcher with
a preconceived notion about a phenomenon might end up experiencing researcher bias during
data collection if the researcher allows this preconceived notion to affect how data is recorded.
Researcher error occurs when certain factors negatively affect the accuracy of the interpretation
of the researcher during data collection (Saunders et al., 2016). For example, the sickness of a
researcher may lead to errors in data collection from research participants. Participant biases are
factors that induce a wrong response from a participant (Saunders et al., 2016). For example, a
participant under duress during a data collection process might end up producing false responses
In an article on data quality by Hassenstein & Vanella (2022), they highlighted some of
the things that could affect the quality of data in research. One of these things was the length of
the questionnaire. It has been observed that a lengthy questionnaire leads to less detailed
(Hassenstein & Vanella, 2022). This can be viewed as an example of participant error. Another
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factor affecting data quality is questionnaire mode. This refers to how the questions are
administered. For example, a face-to-face interview might lead to better rapport between
(Hassenstein & Vanella, 2022). Social desirability bias is a form of participant bias where
participants tend to provide answers that are seen as favorable by other people (Krumpal, 2013).
For example, in a company, workers might want to report good things when there are negative
occurrences, but a good rapport with an interviewer can cause them to open up compared to a
self-administered interview.
Reliability and validity are very important in a research study. They help to test the
quality of a research study. Reliability helps to show that if the activities of a study, for example,
the data collection process, were repeated, the same results would be obtained (Yin, 2018). For
example, an instrument used to measure student motivation should produce the same result when
a particular participant is observed repeatedly in the same scenario. The test for validity can be
broken down into three parts, external validity, internal validity, and construct validity. External
validity shows if the result of a research study can be generalized, internal validity (a term only
legitimate, not spurious, while construct validity tests if the operational measures used in a study
are appropriate for the phenomenon being examined (Yin, 2018). In general, validity deals with
the accuracy of the findings in a study (Cypress, 2017). For example, measuring employee
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performance when employee motivation was the concerned phenomenon of the study is not a
valid study.
Validity and reliability are concepts that are used to measure quality in quantitative
research (Heale & Twycross, 2015). There are analogous criteria used to measure quality in
(Morse, 2015). Confirmability in qualitative research is concerned with to what extent can the
findings of a research study can be verified by other researchers. It ensures the results are clearly
derived from data (Korstjens & Moser, 2017). Dependability in research entails the ability to get
the same results of a study if it is repeated in the exact manner it was carried out (Moon et al.,
2016). For example, a study on student motivation should produce the same results when it is
repeated using the same procedures and performed in the same environment. Credibility deals
with how true and accurate the findings of a study are (Morse, 2015). For example, a study on
student motivation should measure student motivation accurately and not student performance.
Transferability in research deals with generalizability. Transferability has to do with how true are
the findings of a study when the same population under concern is examined but a different
sample is used (Morse, 2015). For example, a qualitative research study on student motivation in
Nigerian schools that used two schools in northeast Nigeria has transferability if its results can be
credibility, and dependability help to ensure quality in qualitative research (Korstjens & Moser,
2017). A quality doctoral study would be useful in society. If the study is of high quality, its
results would have some application in the area of concern (Corea & Molligoda, 2017).
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How Reliability and Validity Can Be Achieved Within the Doctoral Research
Process
Ensuring validity and reliability in a qualitative study would mean adhering to the
persistent observation, and member checks. As mentioned above, one of the ways of achieving
credibility is member checks, this involves the researcher sending the data and conclusion
obtained from a research study back to the participants of the study to see their perspectives, this
helps to improve the accuracy of the research as the participants and researchers have different
perspectives (Korstjens & Moser, 2017). For example, a study on employee motivation might
send its results to the workers examined to see their opinion on the result of the findings to see if
they agree with the observations. Confirmability and dependability can be achieved by creating
an audit trail and by using triangulation (Morse, 2015). Creating an audit trail for a research
study involves describing in detail the steps taken during the research process from the beginning
to the end (Korstjens & Moser, 2017). This would help other researchers verify the research. For
example, a researcher showing how the data collection process was carried out in detail, would
help another researcher verify the authenticity of data used in a study. The use of thick
procedures of a research study including its context would ensure improved transferability.
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References
Corea, E., & Molligoda, H. (2017). Research quality. Journal of the Postgraduate Institute of
Hassenstein, M. J., & Vanella, P. (2022). Data quality—concepts and problems. Encyclopedia,
Heale, R., & Twycross, A. (2015). Validity and reliability in quantitative studies. Evidence
Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2017). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. part 4:
https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375092
Moon, K., Brewer, T. D., Januchowski-Hartley, S. R., Adams, V. M., & Blackman, D. A. (2016).
Morse, J. M. (2015). Critical analysis of strategies for determining rigor in qualitative inquiry.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732315588501
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Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2016). Research Methods for Business Students (7th
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage
Publications, Inc.