Aprender a vivir juntos.

An enduring concern for researchers conducting research that employs qualitative methods is how the data analysis and results of the research are legitimised and defended. The traditional positivist measures of the quality of research projects are in the main irrelevant and inappropriate for research that adopts a constructionist approach. Further, criteria such as reliability and validity are of questionable value for this research project because

knowledge is considered to be provisional and contestable and material data historically, culturally and personally dependent. Indicators of research quality have been formulated specifically for qualitative or naturalistic approaches to research. For example Lincoln and Guba, (1985) proposed criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability and

conformability should be used to evaluate the quality of naturalistic research. This approach has been used widely in the field of social science, but owing to a significant association with the criteria used in positivist enquiry method, fails to address entirely the issue of trustworthiness for this research project. Although important to the value of the research, evaluations of quality that extend beyond the procedural fitness of the process are necessary. The criteria used to evaluate the quality in relation to this project will also need to consider factors such as the aesthetic significance, ethical dimension, reflexive content and the expression of a historical and cultural reality.

Bochner (2000) suggests that criteria for judging the quality of qualitative research include more than scientific considerations. Bochner argues that although differences exist between modernists and postmodernist, empiricist and interpretivists, inevitably choices are made

65 between what represents good quality and useful research and what does not. Bochner argues criteria relating to quality have as their subtext an oppressive element that serves to stifle subjectivity and promote rationality, adding that social science research may include the measures of methodological rigour but that it also demands an element of artistry and appreciation of the political, ethical, and personal sociology.

Finlay (2006) suggests that owing to the wide variation in qualitative methodological approaches and epistemological underpinnings that fixed evaluative criteria of

trustworthiness and quality are of limited value. Rather, the methods used are likely to dictate the most suitable evaluative criteria and combinations of criteria are practically useful. Finlay suggests researchers consider five broad categories relating to

trustworthiness. The categories include whether the research made contextual sense and whether a convincing argument was constructed. It also encourages consideration of the contribution the work makes to the field and whether the research has resonance with the reader’s experience. The final criterion scrutinises whether adequate respect and sensitivity has been demonstrated towards those taking part (Finlay, 2006). A broader approach is proposed by Ballinger (2004) who suggests criteria for researchers working from a relativist position. These include reflexivity, or thinking critically about actions and perceptions, transparency or the degree to which all research practices are detailed and utility or the degree to which the research has an impact either theoretically or practically (Ballinger, 2004). Ballinger’s broad criteria have been used primarily owing to their specific relationship with the epistemological approach to the study and specifically the acknowledgement of multiple possibilities of understandings. Used in isolation as a guide to trustworthiness, these criteria were considered to be insufficiently precise and lacking in satisfactory detail to guide and evaluate the quality of the study. Ballinger’s work was

66 included however because the criteria’s breadth reflected well the reflexive nature of the design and the anticipated utility of the study outcomes. They also acted as broader headings for the more detailed models used. This is illustrated in the table below.

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Table 3

Trustworthiness and Quality Criteria

Finlay (2006) Bochner (2000) Ballinger (2004)

Clarity Details.

Transparency Credibility Individual’s stories reflecting past

and present.

Contribution A story that has an emotional as well as an intellectual impact.

Utility The researcher must meet a

demanding standard of ethical self consciousness.

Communicative Resonance

Researcher’s honesty and emotional credibility.

Reflexivity Caring Detailed journey from who I was

then to who I am now.

Utility as a Determinant of Quality

In ensuring the overall quality of the research outcomes the approaches detailed above have served to guide each stage of the research process and have informed researcher interaction with those taking part in the research. This research project has an added constituent in gauging the quality of the research outcome. The quality of the research question, design, data produced and final screening tool generated will be reflected in efficacy of the tool to identify decrements in driving for individuals diagnosed with a dementia. The driver screening tool will be evaluated in a further study, designed to quantify the level of agreement of outcomes between the screening tool and driving assessment performance. Therefore, although the utility of the screening tool will not provide a direct indication of the quality of the research process, it will offer an indication whether the choice of the

68 approach adopted and quality of the data gathered to construct the screening tool is useful as a determinant to driving safety.

3.5 Chapter Summary:

This chapter has provided theoretical justification for the approach employed in the study. It explains that the approach was selected to elicit research data largely ignored by previous studies but considered to be of potentially high value in providing an indication of

functional performance. Research aims required a participatory role for those taking part and as such, extensive consideration of the issue of power in relation to the researcher, those taking part and the relevant discourses surrounding older age and mental health was given. The chapter examined the approaches and degrees of participation in health care research within a context of power discourses and described the approach taken. It also described the manner in which quality and trustworthiness of research would be monitored and maintained throughout the research process. The following chapter will present a detailed account of the research methods employed in conducting this study.

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Chapter Four: Design and Method:

Chapter Introduction:

Chapter four will present the project design and a description of the methods used to complete the study. It will provide a detailed explanation of the research choices and practical decisions made within the context of the methodological discussion of the previous chapter. The chapter will initially state the research aim and the means by which these objectives were met. Difficulties and dilemmas encountered in relation to the

research design and the people involved in the research will be explored and an account of the means by which these challenges were addressed will be made clear. Next, an account of the data collection methods and a description of the data analysis processes employed will be provided. The chapter will conclude with an examination of the broad and specific ethical issues associated with conducting research with people with a condition likely to impair capacity and consent to participate.