TRUSTWORTHINESS AND RIGOUR

While quantitative research is usually assessed through sophisticated statistical tests, qualitative research is often attacked because of its naturalistic approaches towards the study of social phenomena (Silverman, 2014). Qualitative researchers are often faced with questions concerning the validation of their findings and claims. For this thesis, I relied on triangulation, respondent validation and comprehensive data treatment to increase trustworthiness and rigour in this study. Triangulation is useful in qualitative research that adopts an ethnographic stance because it helps “to validate claims and discover inconsistencies that require additional investigation” (Heigham & Sakui, 2009, p. 100). According to Denzin and Lincoln, triangulation “is best understood as a

strategy that adds rigour, breadth, complexity, richness and depth to any inquiry” (2000, p. 5). Different methods, researchers, theoretical frameworks and/or various types of data are used to “to open up a more complex, in-depth, but still thoroughly partial, understanding of the issue” (Tracy, 2010, p. 844). This is particularly useful in case study research because it helps to offer explanations for a variety of questions, such as when, how, why, with whom…etc. depending on the context (Heller, 2008).

There is, however, considerable debate within scholarly literature regarding whether triangulation provides a reliable means to check the validity of data or simply supports analysis with a deeper understanding of the case (Lewis, Ritchie, Ormston, & Morrell, 2014). Calls have been made to warn against attaching unrealistic or

unfounded expectations to the use of triangulation as a technique to increase the validity and rigour in qualitative research. Regardless of the type of triangulation a researcher adopts, Silverman (2014), for instance, warns against being caught in a web of

collecting different types of data rather than examining the contextualized and situated nature of qualitative data and social interaction. In other words, while triangulation is commonly described as the most taken-for-granted provider of trustworthiness and rigour within qualitative research, assessing the validity of any research study should exceed mere accumulation of sources and different types of data.

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In this thesis, I consider triangulation to be invaluable to address the research questions. Interview-based data supported my understanding of data collected through other methods. While none of the employed methods could stand alone to pave the way for addressing the research questions in this case study, all were considered to be integrated in a way that allows a better understanding of the social phenomena under investigation and facilitates provisions of a deeper description and further analysis. This is because each source facilitates access to understand specific angles and aspects of the case. In addition, triangulation enhances the credibility of any analysis through

providing firmer grounds for the analysis. Because of the further insight provided through triangulation, conclusions are, thus, offered with more confidence (Patton, 2002).

In addition to triangulation, respondent validation is often described in research methodology as an effective way through which researchers can check the validity of their conclusions. As checking with participants can be beneficial “as yet another source of data and insight” (Fielding & Fielding, 1986, p. 43), it helps to keep the data

grounded in the context in which they emerged. For this thesis, respondent validation has particularly helped me to repeatedly consider my understanding of this event which I documented in my observational fieldnotes. It also allowed the presenters to elaborate on their experiences and explain ambiguities. In this way, it helped to “provide further information to help interpret findings or suggest further analytical paths” (Lewis et al., 2014, p. 358). This was particularly useful in examining the representation and

communication of knowledge in this case. Because I was not a member of this

community, I relied on participants’ explanations of their meaning-making decisions to explore the creation of multimodal ensembles in their presentations. These explanations highlighted their positions as meaning makers and provided invaluable access to

understand how language is approached in these presentations in relation to other modes and resources.

The third strategy adopted in this case study to enhance its trustworthiness and rigour is related to comprehensive data treatment in analysis which works to incorporate all available data in in order to pave the way for a detailed analysis that can be revealing and trustworthy for readers (Silverman, 2014). Putting in mind that there is always a possibility for other types of analyses within any qualitative study (Spencer et al., 2014), the significance of comprehensive data treatment is brought to light within qualitative research in which the number of participants is limited or researcher’s

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involvement has been affected by contextual constraints as in this case. For this thesis, the adopted analytic framework introduced earlier requires going back and forth between the different stages of data analysis which allows continuous questioning of findings in light of the theoretical grounds and analytic tools shaping the analysis and discussion.

It is important to note, however, that “explanations in qualitative research are usually framed as conjectures about why something came about, rather than as accounts of deterministic causes” (Spencer, Ritchie, O'Connor, Morrell, & Ormston, 2014, p. 332). No matter how careful we are to incorporate different sources and perspectives that help us to explore and examine social phenomena, all what we can offer is our own inferences of the human condition as it is constrained by contextual demands and limitations and our own values and backgrounds. Because this thesis views reality as “fundamentally mind-dependent: it is only knowable through the human mind and through socially constructed meanings, and no reality exists independently of these” (Ormston, Spencer, Barnard, & Snape, 2014, p. 4), I approach my investigation

believing that qualitative research can strive to offer grounded understanding of human behaviour and interaction, rather than absolute judgements and fixed perceptions. 3.8 Chapter Summary

In this chapter, I discussed the research methodology adopted to conduct this case study. The next four chapters will be dedicated to analysis. Chapter four describes the context in which seminar presentations were carried out. Chapter five examines some of the social practices shaping participants’ engagement in this event. Chapter six offers an overview of the semiotic choices in the observed presentations which were highlighted by the participants in this study. Chapter seven examines how two of the participants designed their slideshows to represent and communicate meaning according to contextual demands, disciplinary norms and personal interests. Chapter eight

concludes the thesis by discussing the major themes of this investigation, the

methodological and pedagogical implications of this study, limitations of the research and recommendations for further research.

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Chapter 4 The Literacy Event: Exploring the Context