Criteria for Evaluating Qualitative Research

Within human resource development (HRD) there is an increasing call for in-depth qualitative research to enhance the evidence-base associated with the field. However, like the HRD community across the world, the qualitative research community is a disparate one. Different scholars draw on a range of research strategies that include (and are not limited to): case study, ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, biographical, narrative, historical and participatory inquiry (Denzin, 2017). Qualitative research is a vibrant and emerging field; different epistemological and disciplinary positions are represented and, given the emergent and diverse nature of the field, it is not surprising that no consensus has been achieved about ‘rigor’. Indeed, even the term ‘rigor’ is contested (Barusch, Gringeri, & George, 2011).