Member+Checking

Summary of paper presentation at ASHE:

Students in qualitative research courses have long been encouraged to utilize member checks as a means of empowering participants and establishing trust. Whereas quantitative scholars run tests and measure standard errors to persuade readers of the importance of their findings, qualitative scholars persuade their readers to accept their findings by employing different strategies. Member checking involves “taking data and interpretations back to participants in the study so they can confirm the credibility of the information and narrative account” (Creswell & Miller, 2000, p. 127). Conducting member checks is a critical aspect of establishing trustworthiness and meeting the criteria of validity, credibility and believability that are assessed by the academy, study participants and readers (Harrison, MacGibbon & Morton, 2001; Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Scholars working with underserved, marginalized or invisible populations have also considered member checking as one method of giving participates a voice in the research process (Duneier, 1999).

What are the potential harms associated with member checking? Drawing from studies conducted with marginalized youth, I discuss the potential implications associated with providing participants the opportunity to review findings. This paper focuses on situations when the researcher predicts negative outcomes based upon analysis of data. In a recent study of homeless youth I ‘predicted’ two of my participants would not graduate from high school or attend college (Hallett, 2012). Although my original study design included member checking, I had to consider the potential psychological and educational harms that may result from telling adolescents who trusted me that I expected they would fail.

The second half of the paper provides suggestions for professors and students who work with marginalized participants. I encourage future researchers embarking upon qualitative research to consider how their findings could impact the participants in negative ways and outline ways that professors can encourage students to use sensitivity in member checking. The paper explores alternative methods of member checking that protect the researchers’ findings and avoid harming participants.

(the above was submitted by Ronald Hallett -- rhallett@pacific.edu)

Here are some resources. Please feel free to add to the list.

Bradshaw, M. (2001). Contracts and member checks in qualitative research in human geography: Reason for caution? //Area, 33//(2), 202-211.

Carlson, J. A. (2010). Avoiding traps in member checking//. The Qualitative Report, 15//(5), 1102-1113.

 Cho, J., & Trent, A. (2006). Validity in qualitative research revisited. //Qualitative Research, 6//(3), 319-340.

Creswell, J. W., & Miller, D. L. (2000). Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. //Theory into Practice, 39//(3), p. 124-130.

Decrop, A. (1999). Triangulation in qualitative tourism research. //Tourism Management, 20//, 157-161.

Doyle, S. (2007). Member checking with older women: A framework for negotiating meaning. //Health Care for Women International, 28//, 888-908.

Foster, A. (2004). A nonlinear model of information-seeking behavior. //Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 55//(3), 228-237.

Guba, E. G. (1981). Criteria for assessing the trustworthiness of naturalistic inquiries. //Educational Communication and Technology Journal, 29//(2), 75-91. Hallett, R. E. (forthcoming--2012). Dangers of member checking. W. Midgley, P. A. Danaher, & M. Bagueley (eds.), //Reimaging participants in educational research.// Routledge.

Moss, G. (2004). Provisions of trustworthiness in critical narrative research: Bridging intersubjectivity and fidelity. //The Qualitative Report, 9//(2), 359-374.

Shehadeh, A., & Burns, A. (2010). Critical participatory looping: Dialogic member checking with whole classes. //TESOL Quarterly, 44//(4), 811-821.

Stake, R. E. (1995). //The art of case study research.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 Tierney, W. G., & Hallett, R. E. (2010). Writing on the margins from the center: Homeless youth and cultural politics. //Cultural Studies// // ß //// à //// Critical Methodologies, 10 // (1), 19-27//.//

Turner, S., & Coen, S. E. (2008). Member checking in human geography: Interpreting divergent understandings of performativity in a student space. //Area, 40//(2), 184-193.