RIGOR OR RIGOR-MORTIS - THE PROBLEM OF RIGOR IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH REVISITED

Issues are raised by the persistent concern with achieving rigor in qu alitative research, including the rigidity that often characterizes th e search for validity in qualitative work and the threat to validity t hat the search for reliability may pose. Member validation is highligh ted as a technique that exemplifies not only the practical, but also t he profoundly theoretical, representational, and even moral problems r aised by all procedures aimed at ensuring the trustworthiness of quali tative work. Key words: qualitative research, reliability, rigor, vali dity