Using triangulation in nursing research
QUESTION
Other than the those outlined in the PowerPoint for Narrative Inquiry, what possible problems might exist in recording stories told by others? How can triangulation help?
Using triangulation in nursing research
ANSWER
Triangulation
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Narrative inquiry documents the activities of a person or small group, exposing the personal history or distinctive perspective of such an individual, typically through interviews, which are then recorded and organized into a sequential narrative. Unlike social sciences, engagement in and application of narrative inquiry in nursing is still in its early stages. When doing nursing research, narrative inquiry can be fruitful but not compelling due to various reasons. This paper addresses these concerns and look into ways that triangulation can help achieve uniformity in nursing research.
During the narration, respondents determine the kind of information they want to share out based on their current or previous values, experiences, and expectations. An individual can compromise a narration to suit, please, or exalt themselves. Meaning that whatever is recorded down by the researcher may or may not be misleading. In case it is misleading, then the research results cannot be trusted. Besides, to realistically and successfully delineate the participants’ real-world experiences, a researcher is supposed to have in mind the research question, and also be conversant with the life experience of the participant. Also, this study approach largely relies on the participant’s memory. As a result, information triangulation is advised, for example, as distinctly addressing the query at a later date, checking for matching documents, or interviewing substantially related participants.
Triangulation in research alludes to the integration of several techniques or information outlets to get a comprehensive understanding of topics. Triangulation is a descriptive research approach for assessing authenticity by combining information from numerous origins. Triangulation can help in that, the information collected is from diverse sources compared and the appropriate verdict chosen (convergent result) (Begley, 1996). A nurse practitioner applying triangulation in any qualitative research has two or more methods to choose or combine in determining the research ‘perfect’ outcome.
References
Begley C. M. (1996). Using triangulation in nursing research. Journal of advanced nursing, 24(1), 122–128. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.1996.15217.x