![]() ![]() Researchers will often talk about covering validity in qualitative research through triangulation-using several different ways to collect and analyse data about the same phenomena. Validity relates to how well the analysis actually represents the phenomena it purports to represent: ‘… to know the means of assessment you have developed is accurate and appropriate’ (Diamond, 1999, p.75). Validity is defined as a ‘… measure measures what it is intended to measure’ (de Vaus, 1991, p.55). Reliability is defined as ‘… a measure of how consistent a research method is’ (Diamond, 1999, p.77). ![]() ![]() In this #throwbackthursday post I’m re-visiting two key texts for researchers that address sample sizes – Judy Diamond’s 1999 classic, Practical Evaluation Guide: tools for museums and other informal education settings, and Paulette McManus’s 1991 work Towards Understanding the Needs of Museum Visitors.īefore thinking about the size of the sample, we need to first make sure that we are sampling the right kinds of people, paying attention to both reliability and validity. Issues of sampling, reliability and validity are thorny ones for museum audience researchers often tasked to get results quickly and often having to resort to the sample that is available – museum visitors either onsite or an online sample weighted towards the population. I am often asked about sample sizes – both in relation to quantitative data and qualitative studies. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |