Ensuring Trustworthiness Using an Inductive Approach in Qualitative Educational Research: An Autoethnographic Investigation of Two Early Career Researchers Reflecting on PhD Data Analysis
Ensuring the trustworthiness of qualitative research remains a critical challenge in educational research. However, early career researchers often lac.
- Pub. date: May 15, 2025
- Online Pub. date: May 12, 2025
- Pages: 233-244
- 45 Downloads
- 265 Views
- 0 Citations
Abstract:
Ensuring the trustworthiness of qualitative research remains a critical challenge in educational research. However, early career researchers often lack structured guidance on enhancing the credibility of qualitative data analysis. A key issue is the limited discussion on inductive approaches that support systematic theme generation and theory development. To address this gap, this study examines how two early-career researchers employed a three-level inductive methodology during their PhD studies to strengthen the trustworthiness of their findings. Using an autoethnographic approach, the study finds that this methodology deepened their understanding of participants’ experiences, facilitated the emergence of valid themes, and reinforced credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. These findings offer concrete strategies for researchers undertaking similar approaches to ensure trustworthiness in their qualitative inquiry. This study also highlights the importance of equipping PhD researchers in education with strategies to navigate qualitative research rigorously, ultimately enhancing the quality of their studies.
Keywords: Inductive, early career researchers, trustworthiness, methodology.
0
References
Adler, R. H. (2022). Trustworthiness in qualitative research. Journal of Human Lactation, 38(4), 598-602. https://doi.org/10.1177/08903344221116620
Anney, V. N. (2015). Ensuring the quality of the findings of qualitative research: Looking at trustworthiness criteria. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies, 5(2), 272-281. https://bit.ly/4cS7cbI
Birt, L., Scott, S., Cavers, D., Campbell, C., & Walter, F. (2016). Member checking: A tool to enhance trustworthiness or merely a nod to validation? Qualitative Health Research, 26(13), 1802-1811. https://doi.org/10.1177/104973231665487
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic analysis. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A. T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol. 2. Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (pp. 57-71). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods. Oxford University Press.
Chakma, U. (2023). Empowering subaltern voices through education: The Chakma diaspora in Australia. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003326953
Chakma, U., Li, B., & Kabuhung, G. (2021). Creating online metacognitive spaces: Graduate research writing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Issues in Educational Research, 31(1), 37-55. https://bit.ly/42yGr8v
Chang, S. M. (2015). Sink or swim. Journal of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, 19(1), 43-61. https://kiss.kstudy.com/Detail/Ar?key=3349315
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory. Sage Publications.
Chowdhury, R. (2019). Embarking on research in the social sciences: Understanding the foundational concepts. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 35(1), 99-113. https://doi.org/10.25073/2525-2445/vnufs.4340
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539
Cope, D. G. (2014). Methods and meanings: Credibility and trustworthiness of qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(1), 89-91. https://doi.org/10.1188/14.ONF.89-91
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Sage.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2017). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). Sage.
Ellis, C., & Bochner, A. P. (2000). Autoethnography, personal narrative, reflexivity: Researcher as a subject. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The handbook of qualitative research (pp. 733-768). Sage.
Elo, S., Kääriäinen, M., Kanste, O., Pölkki, T., Utriainen, K., & Kyngäs, H. (2014). Qualitative content analysis: A focus on trustworthiness. SAGE open, 4(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014522633
Fan, H., Li, B., Pasaribu, T., & Chowdhury, R. (2023). Online interviews as new methodological normalcy and a space of ethics: An autoethnographic investigation into Covid-19 educational research. Qualitative Inquiry, 30(3-4), 333-344. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004231176283
Flick, U. (2014). An introduction to qualitative research (5th ed.). Sage.
Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2019). How to design and evaluate research in education (7th ed.). McGraw Hill Higher Education.
Janis, I. (2022). Strategies for establishing dependability between two qualitative intrinsic case studies: A reflexive thematic analysis. Field Methods, 34(3), 240-255. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X211069636
Kincheloe, J. L., McLaren, P., Steinberg, S. R., & Monzó, L. (2017). Critical pedagogy and qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (5th ed., pp. 235-260). Sage.
Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 4: Trustworthiness and publishing. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 120–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375092
Li, B., & Chakma, U. (2024). Juggling multiple demands: Resilience of women in doctoral studies. In R. Chowdhury & H. A. Tuan (Eds.), Engaging with Australasia: Comparative research on ELT and English teacher education (pp. 297-322). Palgrave Macmillan, Sin”gapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-4038-3_12
Li, B., Jiang, W., & Chakma, U. (2023). Negotiating identities in western academia: An autoethnographic study of international doctoral students in Australia. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(4), 888-902. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.2082388
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
Lincoln, Y. S., Lynham, S. A., & Guba, E. G. (2018). Paradigmatic controversies, contradictions, and emerging confluences, revisited. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (5th ed., pp. 213-263). Sage.
Liu, L. (2016). Using generic inductive approach in qualitative educational research: A case study analysis. Journal of Education and Learning, 5(2), 129-135. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v5n2p129
Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.) Jossey-Bass.
Mertens, D. M. (2014). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (4th ed.). Sage.
Mishler, E. G. (1986). The analysis of interview-narratives. In T. R. Sarbin (Ed.), Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct (pp. 233-255). Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Two decades of developments in qualitative inquiry: A personal, experiential perspective. Qualitative Social Work, 1(3), 261-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325002001003636
Preissle, J. (2006). Envisioning qualitative inquiry: A view across four decades. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19(6), 685-695. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518390600975701
Punch, K. F. (2014). Introduction to research methods in education (2nd ed.). Sage.
Saldaña, J. (2015). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). Sage.
Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for Information, 22(2), 63-75. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-2004-22201
Spencer, R., Pryce, J. M., & Walsh, J. (2014). Philosophical approaches to qualitative research. In P. Leavy (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of qualitative research (pp. 81-98). Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199811755.013.027
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. M. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage Publications, Inc.
Thomas, D. R. (2006). A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data. American Journal of Evaluation, 27(2), 237-246. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214005283748
Trochim, W. M. K., & Donnelly, J. P. (2006). The research methods knowledge base (3rd ed.). Atomic Dog.
Yan, X., Zhu, Z., Li, B., Li, Z., & Sun, Y. (2024). Roles and interaction of supervisors and students in collective academic supervision: A qualitative study in China. Beijing International Review of Education, 6(3-4), 282-309. https://doi.org/10.1163/25902539-06030005