'Unsatisfactory Saturation': a critical exploration of the notion of saturated sample sizes in qualitative research
'Unsatisfactory Saturation': a critical exploration of the notion of saturated sample sizes in qualitative research
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DOI：
10.1177/1468794112446106
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发表时间：
2013-04-01
影响因子：
3.6
通讯作者：
Parker, Nicola
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
O'Reilly, Michelle;Parker, Nicola
衡量定性研究的质量是一个有争议的问题，证据基础中存在不同的观点和不同的框架。该领域的一个重要且有些被忽视的论点与日益普遍的数据饱和讨论有关。虽然最初是在扎根理论、理论饱和以及后来其他定性方法中称为数据/主题饱和的范围内发展起来的，但其含义已经演变并发生了转变。问题是，这种时间漂移已被视为没有问题，而饱和度作为采样充分性的标志正变得越来越被接受和预期。在本文中，我们挑战了对饱和概念毫无疑问的接受，并考虑了它在所有定性方法中的合理性和可转移性。通过考虑透明度和认识论问题，我们认为采用饱和度作为通用质量标记是不合适的。本文的目的是强调相关问题并鼓励研究界参与这一重要领域并为其做出贡献。
Measuring quality in qualitative research is a contentious issue with diverse opinions and various frameworks available within the evidence base. One important and somewhat neglected argument within this field relates to the increasingly ubiquitous discourse of data saturation. While originally developed within grounded theory, theoretical saturation, and later termed data/thematic saturation for other qualitative methods, the meaning has evolved and become transformed. Problematically this temporal drift has been treated as unproblematic and saturation as a marker for sampling adequacy is becoming increasingly accepted and expected. In this article we challenge the unquestioned acceptance of the concept of saturation and consider its plausibility and transferability across all qualitative approaches. By considering issues of transparency and epistemology we argue that adopting saturation as a generic quality marker is inappropriate. The aim of this article is to highlight the pertinent issues and encourage the research community to engage with and contribute to this important area.