Reply must be 250 words and include citations from at least 1 scholarly sources. Each thread and reply must follow current APA format.

Glesne, C. (2016) Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction (5th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

**David***

When preparing a research study, the researcher must determine what they wish to study and which issues, doubts, problems, or contradictions are of interest.  The research must ensure their chosen topic is of importance to more than just them and is research needed to fill gaps in existing knowledge.  Once the area of research is chosen, the researcher considers what they wish to describe, explain, and/or clarify about the chosen topic of study.  Understanding these goals allows for a clearly outlined research purpose leading to a focused research design (Glesne, 2016).  The topic for discussion two requires a dialog of multiple topic areas.  The first topic is the role of a purpose statement and research questions, and the interrelationship between the two.  Following the first topic, the essay shift to a discussion of the definitions of dependability/reliability, validity/credibility, and the transferability/ generalizability for qualitative data as applied in their own qualitative research study proposal.

Purpose Statement and Research Questions

            The role of the purpose statement is to provide the reader the reason for the study by examining the primary objective allowing a solid understanding of the main focus for the research and how the researcher plans to address the specified problem using clear and concise language.  With a clear and concise purpose statement completed, the researcher moves on to the research questions.  Research questions seek to identify what the researcher desires to understand about the focus of the study, and the questions provide a framework to build from that will generate the data needed to examine to answer the research questions.  The research questions are interrelated to the purpose statement by relying on each other to address the problem by providing open-ended questions seeking to explore the problem without implying cause or suggesting measurement.  The research questions go further by providing the framework for categorizing responses that tie back to the problem (Bloomberg & Volpe, 2012).  Research questions seek to answer questions like the existence of concepts, description and classification of an issue, a descriptive-comparative approach to the problem, a matter of the relationship between topic areas, causality-comparative questions seeking understanding, and causality-comparative interaction looking for differences (Simon, 2011).

Research Definitions

 When conducting research, it is crucial to work from a shared understanding requiring definitions for terms like dependability/reliability, validity/credibility, and the transferability/generalizability for qualitative data as applied in qualitative research study proposals.  Dependability comes through multiple verification methods, known as triangulation, by conducting duplicate analysis on data, inquiry audits, or using an audit trail, while reliability comes through dependability, consistency, and the ability to obtain the same results if repeating the tests.  Validity refers to the accuracy of inferences and the strength of the study, and in qualitative research, this equates to how well the study represents the issue of the study.  Credibility, or internal validity, exists with rigorous processes within prolonged engagements, persistent observations, and other methods used to answer the research question using multiple sources (Morse, 2015).  The credibility is the element allowing others to realize the events studied through an explanation of the participant articulated in the study (Thomas & Magilvy, 2011).  Transferability, or external validity, comes when the findings from the research are transferable to other contexts for qualitative data as applied in a qualitative research study.  Generalizability occurs when the results of a study extend to others, i.e., the effects of individuals apply to other individuals (Morse, 2015).

Conclusion

 Discussion two discussed multiple topic areas.  The first topic area discussed was the role of a purpose statement and research questions and the interrelationship between the two.  The purpose statement is to provide the reader with the reason for the study by examining the primary objective allowing a solid understanding of the main focus, and the research questions are interrelated to the purpose statement by relying on each other to address the problem with open-ended questions seeking to explore the problem without implying cause or suggesting measurement (Bloomberg & Volpe, 2012).  Topic two shifted to a discussion of the definitions of dependability/reliability, validity/credibility, and the transferability/ generalizability for qualitative data as applied in their own qualitative research study proposal.  When considering reliability and credibility of our studies, researchers should think the writings of the Apostle John in John 19:35, “He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe” (ESV).  Our research bears witness to the testimony of others if the story reveals what the participants mean to explain. 

References

Bloomberg, L. D., & Volpe, M. (2012). Completing your qualitative dissertation a road map from beginning to end. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Glesne, C. (2016). Becoming Qualitative Researchers An Introduction. Boston: Pearson.

Morse, J. M. (2015). Critical analysis of strategies for determining rigor in qualitative inquiry. Qualitative Health Research, 25(9), 1212-1222. doi:10.1177/1049732315588501

Simon, M. K. (2011). Dissertation and scholarly research: Recipes for success. Seattle: Dissertation Success, LLC.

Thomas, E., & Magilvy, J. K. (2011). Qualitative Rigor or Research Validity in Qualitative Research. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 16, 151-155. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6155.2011.00283.x