Validity, Catalytic

Catalytic validity is a category of validity researchers use to evaluate whether qualitative research intended to spur social change accomplishes its objectives. Validity refers to whether methods undertaken in quantitative or qualitative research examine what they are intended to examine and thus produce credible findings. The criteria that determine whether a given study is valid differ based on which philosophies and theories guide the research, the research purpose, and whether the research is qualitative or quantitative. Historically, qualitative researchers have adapted traditional scientific criteria associated with quantitative research to establish qualitative research as valid. Researchers have used such methods as systematic data collection techniques, triangulation, and multiple coders to reduce researcher bias and ensure valid findings. In recent decades, as forms of qualitative inquiry have ...