Member checking.
With member checking, the validity procedure shifts from the researchers to participants in the study Lincoln and Guba (1985) describe member check as the most crucial technique for establishing credibility (p. 3i4) in a study. It consists of taking data and interpretations back to the participants in the study so that they can confirm the credibility of the information and narrative account With the lens focused on participants, the researchers systematically check the data and the narrative account.
Several procedures facilitate this process. A popular strategy is to convene a focus group of participants to review the findings. Alternatively researchers may have participants view the raw data (e.g., transcriptions or observational field notes) and comment on their accuracy. Throughout this process, the researchers ask participants if the themes or categories make sense, whether they are developed with sufficient evidence, and whether the overall account is realistic and accurate. In turn researchers incorporate participants' comments into the final narrative. in this way, the participants add credibility to the qualitative study by having a chance to react to both the data and the final narrative