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- Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!auvm!PSUORVM.BITNET!HJDM
- Message-ID: <QUALRS-L%93012313180287@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.qualrs-l
- Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 10:06:37 PST
- Sender: Qualitative Research for the Human Sciences <QUALRS-L@UGA.BITNET>
- From: David Morgan <HJDM@PSUORVM.BITNET>
- Subject: Triangulation
- Lines: 21
-
- Thanks to the 30+ people who requested a copy of my think piece on using
- qualitative methods to improve the content of survey items. Now I am hoping
- for interesting feed back from you all.
- In the mean time, I wondered if anyone was interested in starting a more
- general discussion on the broader topic of triangulation?
- For myself, I don't such truncated uses of qualitative methods as
- improving survey items as a form of triangulation. Instead, I generally
- reserve that term for research that uses more than method to address the
- same basic research issues. (Using qualitative methods to improve the
- content of surveys is more a case of compensating for a known weakness
- within a particular method, but sill relying on that single method as your
- only way of addressing the research issues.)
- My sense is that a lot of people think triangulation is a good thing,
- in the abstract. But in practice it often seems to be more trouble than it
- is worth. Also, although this is not my area of expertise, the philosophical
- issues that it raises seem to be more difficult than some of the early,
- optimistic views would have had us believe.
- I'll be happy to share a couple of my own success and failure stories about
- triangulation and I for one would be interested in hearing about others
- views and experiences. Anyone else interested in this topic?
- ==>David Morgan hjdm@PSUORVM
-