Validity as Research Praxis: A Study of Self-Reflection and Engagement in Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

This article continues explorations into the concept of validity by looking closely at the notion of praxis as it might be involved in establishing validity through the doing of qualitative inquiry. Departing from thinking of the qualitative researcher as an instrument to thinking of the engagement of the researcher in the research process as praxis-oriented, new ways of thinking about how validity is established intra-actively are articulated. I report on an in-depth qualitative interview study of nine Christian women talking about their faiths. Instead of focusing on the substantive findings of the article, I analyzed the researcher–participant interactions using the concept of praxis to articulate five distinct ways validity was established through the researching process. These findings challenge correspondence theories of truth as the basis for validity and, instead, engage in a dialogic, complex notion of truth-telling as the point of resonance for validity.