Understanding triangulation in research
TL;DR: The term ‘triangulation’ originates in the field of navigation where a location is determined by using the angles from two known points and is typically associated with research methods and designs.
Abstract: The term ‘triangulation’ originates in the field of navigation where a location is determined by using the angles from two known points.1 Triangulation in research is the use of more than one approach to researching a question. The objective is to increase confidence in the findings through the confirmation of a proposition using two or more independent measures.2 The combination of findings from two or more rigorous approaches provides a more comprehensive picture of the results than either approach could do alone.3
Triangulation is typically associated with research methods and designs. However, there are several other variations on the term. Triangulation may be the use of multiple theories, data sources, methods …
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01 Jan 2018
Abstract: One approach to promote social change, mitigate bias, and enhance reaching data saturation is through triangulation: multiple sources of data. Triangulation adds depth to the data that are collected. In this scholarly essay, the authors discuss the continuing relevance of Denzin’s approach to triangulation of data. Included is a critique of researchers who have posited other approaches to triangulation that appear to be merely a renaming of Denzin’s original paradigm rather new outcomes. The intended audience is novice researchers and doctoral students who can benefit from clarity on some common misconceptions about triangulation.
220 citations
Cites background from "Understanding triangulation in rese..."
...…in mind that the triangulation of data can result in sometimes contradictory and inconsistent results; however, it is up to the researcher to make sense of them for the reader and to demonstrate the richness of the information gleaned from the data (Heale & Forbes, 2013: O’Reilly & Parker, 2013)....
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TL;DR: Triangulation is a method used to increase the credibility and validity of research findings and can enrich research as it offers a variety of datasets to explain differing aspects of a phenomenon of interest.
Abstract: Triangulation is a method used to increase the credibility and validity of research findings.1 Credibility refers to trustworthiness and how believable a study is; validity is concerned with the extent to which a study accurately reflects or evaluates the concept or ideas being investigated.2 Triangulation, by combining theories, methods or observers in a research study, can help ensure that fundamental biases arising from the use of a single method or a single observer are overcome. Triangulation is also an effort to help explore and explain complex human behaviour using a variety of methods to offer a more balanced explanation to readers.2 It is a procedure that enables validation of data and can be used in both quantitative and qualitative studies.
Triangulation can enrich research as it offers a variety of datasets to explain differing aspects of a phenomenon of interest. It also helps refute where one dataset invalidates a supposition generated by another. It can assist the confirming of a hypothesis where one set of findings confirms another set. Finally, triangulation can help explain the results of a study.3 Central to triangulation is the notion that methods leading to the same results give more confidence in the research findings.4
Four types of triangulation are proposed by Denzin (p.301):5 (1) data triangulation, which includes matters …
191 citations
Cites methods from "Understanding triangulation in rese..."
...Mixing methods is a form of triangulation in research seen as mitigating the weaknesses found in single methods.(8) The first research method was a chart audit, conducted on randomly selected charts of adult patients in five NPLCs who had diabetes and at least one additional chronic condition....
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01 Jan 2017
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose a solution to solve the problem of the problem: this paper... ix.., ix,.. 'X'.
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92 citations
TL;DR: This review has added scientific and systematic knowledge about parental experiences of providing SSC, and two themes that characterized the provision of SSC emerged: a restoring experience and an energy-draining experience.
Abstract: Aim : To describe parental experiences of providing skin-to-skin care (SSC) to their newborn infants. Background : SSC care for newborn infants has been reported to have positive physiological and psychological benefits to the infants and their parents. No systematic review regarding parental experiences has been identified. Design : In this first part of a meta-study, the findings of a systematic literature review on parental experience of SSC care are presented. Data sources : Four databases were searched, without year or language limitations, up until December 2013. Manual searches were performed in reference lists and in a bibliography of the topic. Review methods : After a quality-appraisal process, data from the original articles were extracted and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results : The systematic and manual searches led to the inclusion of 29 original qualitative papers from nine countries, reporting experiences from 401 mothers and 94 fathers. Two themes that characterized the provision of SSC emerged: a restoring experience and an energy-draining experience. Conclusion : This review has added scientific and systematic knowledge about parental experiences of providing SSC. Further research about fathers’ experiences is recommended. Key words: Kangaroo mother care, meta-study, newborn infant, skin-to-skin care, qualitative systematic review (Published: 13 October 2014) Citation: Int J Qualitative Stud Health Well-being 2014, 9 : 24906 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/qhw.v9.24906 Responsible Editor: Carina Bertero, Linkoping University, Sweden.
54 citations
Cites methods or result from "Understanding triangulation in rese..."
...Mixed methods or triangulation of methodology can provide a more comprehensive picture than a single methodology (Heale & Forbes, 2013)....
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...Below we will try to illuminate some issues where the qualitative findings can be seen as converging and complementing some of the previous results based on quantitative methodology (Heale & Forbes, 2013)....
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TL;DR: This study showed that patient satisfaction is positively associated with patient trust, doctors' interpersonal skills and communication behavior and negatively associated with waiting time and thus lead to better patient satisfaction and positively influence health outcomes.
Abstract: Background: With evolving health care industry toward patient centered orientation, inputs from the patients' perspective is valuable. Improved patient satisfaction is associated with increased levels of adherence to treatment processes and recommended prevention, and improved health outcomes. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the current level of patient satisfaction and explore its determinants in the Suva Subdivision health centers, Fiji, 2018. Methods: This was a mixed method cross-sectional study employing both quantitative and qualitative designs. A random sample of 410 participants attending the outpatient services completed the self-administered structured questionnaire. The questionnaire focused on socio-demographic features, waiting time, doctors' communication, and patient trust. Data from 375 questionnaires (response rate of 91%) was analyzed in SPSS where descriptive analysis and univariate and multivariate logistic regression was done at 0.05 level of significance and 95% confidence interval to find the determinants of patient satisfaction. From these 375 participants, 20 participants were purposefully selected for audio recorded interview guided by a semi-structured questionnaire and data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The majority of the patients were generally fully satisfied with their consultation (69.3%). Univariate logistic regression showed that age, gender, education level, waiting time, doctors' communication behavior, and patient trust level were significantly associated with patient satisfaction independently. After controlling for all the variables, gender, number of visits, waiting time, and patient trust were significantly associated with trust. Those who had full trust in the doctors, were more likely to be fully satisfied with their consultation (aOR of 18; p = 0.0001) and those who got seen within 1 h, were more likely to be satisfied with their consultation (aOR of 3.3; p = 0.0001). Though, the patients voiced that getting a satisfying consultation was worth the wait. The doctors' attitude and way of communication also made a difference to the patient's level of satisfaction. Conclusions: This study showed that patient satisfaction is positively associated with patient trust, doctors' interpersonal skills and communication behavior and negatively associated with waiting time. Hence, doctors upgrading their communication skills and health service managers strategizing ways to improve waiting time can contribute to better patient trust and thus lead to better patient satisfaction and positively influence health outcomes.
49 citations
Cites methods from "Understanding triangulation in rese..."
...Study Setting and Design This was a cross-sectional mixed method study employing both quantitative and qualitative designs using the concept of methodological triangulation (26)....
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References
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21 Jun 2010
TL;DR: In this article, Teddlie and Tashakkori present a survey of the use of Mixed Methods in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, focusing on the relationship between research purposes and mixed methods.
Abstract: Part 1 The Research Enterprise in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: Then and Now Ch 1 Major Issues and Controversies in the Use of Mixed Methods in the Social and Behavioral Sciences - Charles Teddlie, Abbas Tashakkori Ch 2 Pragmatic Threads in Mixed Methods Research in the Social Sciences: The Search for Multiple Modes of Inquiry and the End of the Philosophy of Formalism - Spencer Maxey Ch 3 Making Parardigmatic Sense of Mixed-Method Practice - Jennifer Greene, Valerie Caracelli Ch 4 Cultural Distance, Levels of Abstraction and the Advantages of Mixed Methods - Fathali M. Moghaddam, Ben Walker, Rom Harre Ch 5 Mixed Methods and the Politics of Human Research: The Transformational and Emancipatory Perspective - Donna Mertens Part 2 Methodological and Analytical Issues for Mixed Methods Research Ch 6 A Typology of Research Purposes and its Relationship to Mixed Methods - Isadore Newman, Carolyn S. Ridenour, Carole Newman, George M. DeMarco, Jr. Ch 7 Principles of Mixed-and Multi-Method Research Design - Janice Morse Ch 8 Advanced Mixed Methods Research Design - John Creswell, Michelle Guttman, Vicki Plano-Clark Ch 9 Mixed Methods Design: An Alternative Approach - Joseph A. Maxwell, Diane Loomis Ch 10 Mixed Method Sampling Strategies in Social Science Research - Elizabeth Kemper, Sam Stringfield, Charles Teddlie Ch 11 Data Collection Strategies in Mixed Methods Research - R. Burke Johnson, Lisa A. Turner Ch 12 Tables or Tableaux? The Challenges of Writing and Reading Mixed Methods Studies - Margarete Sandelowski Ch 13 A Framework for Analyzing Data in Mixed Methods Research - Anthony Onwueghbuzie, Charles Teddlie Ch 14 Computerized Data Analysis for Mixed Methods Research - Patricia Bazeley Ch 15 Impact of Mixed Methods and Design on Inference Quality - Steven Miller Ch 16 Making Inferences in Mixed Methods: The Rules of Integration - Christian Erzberger, Udo Kelle Part 3 Applications and Examples of Mixed Methods Research Across Disciplines Ch 17 Mixed Methods in Evaluation Contexts: A Pragmatic Framework - Sharon F. Rallis, Gretchen B. Rossman Ch 18 Research Methods in Management and Organizational Research: Toward Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Techniques - Steven C. Curall, Annette J. Towler Ch 19 The Status of Mixed Methods in the Health Sciences - Melinda S. Forthofer Ch 20 Status of Mixed Methods Research in Nursing - Sheila Twinn Ch 21 Mixed Methods in Psychological Research - Cindy Waszack, Marylyn C. Sines Ch 22 Multimethod Research in Sociology - Albert Hunter, John Brewer Ch 23 The Pragmatic and Dialectical Lenses: Two Views of Mixed Methods' Use in Education - Tonette S. Rocco, Linda A. Bliss, Suzanne Gallagher, Aixa Perez-Prado, Cengiz Alacaci, Eric S. Dwyer, Joyce C. Fine, N.Eleni Pappamihiel Part 4 Conclusions and Future Directions Ch 24 Teaching Mixed Methods Research:Practices, Dilemmas and Challenges - John W. Creswell, Abbas Tashakkori, Ken Jensen, Kathy Shapley Ch 25 Collaborative Mixed-Method Research - Lyn M. Shulha and Robert J. Wilson Ch 26 The Past and the Future of Mixed Methods Research: From "Methodological Triangulation" to "Mixed Model Designs" - Abbas Tashakkori, Charles Teddlie
4,929 citations
TL;DR: Graham R Williamson discusses the concept of triangulation in data collection and analysis in mixed-methods research, and reflects upon how this contributed to a deeper understanding when he used it in his work.
Abstract: Graham R Williamson discusses the concept of triangulation in data collection and analysis in mixed-methods research, and reflects upon how this contributed to a deeper understanding when he used it in his work
131 citations
"Understanding triangulation in rese..." refers methods in this paper
...4 The technique was originally introduced into qualitative research in the 1950s as a means to avoid potential biases arising from the use of a single methodology.(4) This technique is used to confirm suggested findings, but it can also be used to determine the completeness of data....
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...Alternatively, the study may use two different data collection methods as with qualitative and quantitative.(4) “This can allow the limitations from each method to be transcended by comparing findings from different perspectives....
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TL;DR: How the use of data displays can improve data management and also how the process can help to make the routes from raw data to research findings in qualitative research more transparent are discussed.
Abstract: The amount of data generated in qualitative research can be difficult to manage. In this paper Tracey Williamson and Andrew Long discuss how the use of data displays can improve data management and also how the process can help to make the routes from raw data to research findings in qualitative research more transparent. Data displays can take several forms but share the benefit of helping to condense large amounts of data into more manageable forms. They can also help to convey information in a visually stimulating format where presentation time or column space may be limited.
50 citations
TL;DR: How mothers understood violence their adult children with mental illness exhibited toward them is described and the process mothers used to get assistance and access mental health treatment when this violence occurred is described.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: If individuals with mental illness become violent, mothers are most often victims, yet there is little available research addressing how, when, and from whom mothers seek help for themselves or their children when they become victims of this form of familial violence. OBJECTIVES: To describe how mothers understood violence their adult children with mental illness exhibited toward them and to articulate the process mothers used to get assistance and access mental health treatment when this violence occurred. METHOD:: Grounded theory methods were used to explore and analyze mothers' experiences of violence perpetrated by their adult children with mental illness. Eight mothers of adult children who are violent with a diagnosed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Axis I disorder participated in one to two open-ended interviews. Mothers were of diverse ethnic backgrounds. RESULTS: Getting immediate assistance involved a period of living on high alert, during which mothers waited in frustration for their children to meet criteria for involuntary hospitalization. This was a chaotic and fearful period. Fear and uncertainty eventually outweighed mothers' abilities to manage their children's behavior, at which time they called the police or psychiatric evaluation teams who served as gatekeepers to mental health treatment. Mothers accepted the consequences of being responsible for their children's involuntary hospitalization or of being left home with their children if the gatekeepers did not initiate involuntary hospitalization. DISCUSSION: Mothers can identify signs of decompensation in their children who are ill and recognize their need for hospitalization. They cannot, however, always access mental health treatment due to their children's refusal or failure to meet legal criteria for involuntary hospitalization. Mothers' inability to intervene early sometimes results in their own violent victimization. Language: en
29 citations