What is transferability in qualitative research and how do we establish it?
Transferability in qualitative research is synonymous with generalizability, or external validity, in quantitative research. They establish transferability by showing the findings apply to other contexts, situations, times, and populations. It is important to note that you as the researcher cannot prove that the research study’s findings will be applicable. Instead, your job as the researcher is to provide the evidence that it could be applicable. This may sound tricky and wish-washy, but Lincoln & Guba (1985) said it best on p. 316.In summary, the naturalist’s task is to provide data for potential appliers to judge transferability.
Each school differs in transferability techniques, but we’ll follow Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) thick description recommendation. Thick description may be familiar to those who’ve studied ethnography in a methodology course—well done for remembering! Ethnographic researchers extensively use this technique, but other qualitative researchers can also apply it.
Thick description is a technique where a qualitative researcher gives a detailed account of their experiences during data collection. A qualitative researcher makes explicit connections to the cultural and social contexts that surround data collection. This includes details like interview locations, participants’ exhaustion after work, and other factors that enrich the research setting.
This information helps the reader construct the scene that surrounds the research study, from the daily lives of participants to the way that implicit biases may affect their responses. It is helpful to put what participants express to the researcher into the context of the surrounding social and cultural environments that the research study is framed around. This allows outside researchers and readers to make the transferability judgements themselves.
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