I interviewed 8 respondents and at the same time asked all my students (including the 8) to fill in a semi-structured reflective journal (which is a class assignment). I found that the students gave me excellent answers and seemed useful. Can I use their answers when analyzing my data, as they are not my respondents? Can their ideas.responses be included as part of my findings? Thank you so much.
I believe you cannot use the students` answers when analyzing data, as they are not your respondents. But you may use their answers as long as they are your respondents. In this case you may use bias statistics in such a way to find that if the sample is systematically different from the population parameter being estimated.
It is not the subject matter but the methodology. Were the questions for both groups the same? How do these respondents and/or the students (as a sample) infer to a larger population? Proper methodology is what gives credibility to any study. The subject matter in this case already determined the research design. The issue here is how sound is the methodology with the design.
Yes, the questions for both respondents and students were the same. Thank you so much for the responses. I need to strengthen the methodolog.
A review of the eligibility/definition of a respondent may further help/clarify:
…….respondents of a qualitative study have special roles in that not only are their answers in aggregate important to the study, but also their respective voices are essential to the study’s evolution and findings……in recruiting individuals, the qualitative researcher must be keenly aware of what aspects of the study (e.g., subject matter, length of interviews, incentives) will encourage individuals to accept or decline the invitation to become respondents. These issues are important when considering which type of respondents are best suited for the study—adults, children, parents, men, women, cancer survivors, educators, prisoners, union members, and so on……when there are human subjects considerations or restrictions, the qualitative researcher must take all of these factors under consideration when developing a sample that will generate enough respondents to conduct an adequate analysis to explore the topic under investigation and address the research questions posed……respondent is a term that conveys a very sterile, impersonal, and distant relationship with individuals who give of their time and voice to the researcher who wishes to better understand and learn something new about a particular human experience…….(see: Given, 2008, pp. 790-791).
Given, L. M. (2008) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Methods Volumes 1&2. California: SAGE Publications, Inc.
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