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Establishing Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research in Social Work

Implications from a Study Regarding Spirituality

Arizona State University, USA

Carol L. Langer

University of Wisconsin, USA

Rich Furman

University of North Carolina Charlotte, USA

As the use of qualitative inquiry increases within the field of social work, researchers must consider the issue of establishing rigor in qualitative research. This article presents research procedures used in a study of autoethnographies that were written regarding the experience of being Jewish. In this project, the researchers utilized reflexivity, audit trail, triangulation by observer, peer debriefing, member check and prolonged engagement in order to manage the threats to trustworthiness as discussed by Padgett (1998). Implications of the project suggest that research procedures utilized by qualitative researchers to establish rigor are an important way to increase our confidence that the voice of the participants is heard, therefore fitting the mission of the social work profession.

Key Words: qualitative methodology • rigor • spirituality • trustworthiness

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