Why Triangulate? A Very Good Question!!!

Marcia Pearce
CTGE 7194: Qual. Inquiry
Dr. Turner

As a social studies teacher, there is only way I describe the word triangulate—as a system of checks and balances for researchers. According to Sandra Mathison (1998), “Good research practices obligate the researcher to triangulate …” (p. 13). Regardless of the method of study, the use of several data collection processes is “necessary” in the execution of a study in order for it to withstand critique … (p. 17). What I hope to get out of the employment of multiple research methods is “assured” validity with no possible contradiction from my peers and those who desire to disapprove my work. For example, for a long time I have been interested in the importance of the incorporation of culturally relevant literature into the curriculum. Now, anyone with common sense would claim that we live in a multicultural world, so why would we not include this multiculturalism in everything, including the literature that we read.

As a researcher, I must put my common sense and personal feelings aside and use research to support my claim. Triangulation will hopefully prove, not disprove, the importance of having a curriculum that reflects the population it is supposed to educate. As Mathison (1998) so eloquently puts it, “Triangulation is typically perceived to be a strategy for improving the validity of research or evaluating findings …” (p. 13). Research that tends to “investigate” ethnic or cultural issues is already a hotbed for thorough critique, so I must apply research strategies that really examine this study. The “elimination of bias” on my part will be a difficult process, but with a solid strategy of triangulation, my research findings will provide the much-needed evidence to support my claim.

At Fordham University, all the professors, especially Dr. Turner and Dr. Ness, “drill” into their students’ heads the importance of triangulation, but I was surprise to find out that this strategy is a relatively new concept (really not so surprised) in the world of social science. Besides establishing the ethic guidelines on research, the second most important aspect of a study is validity—is it valid or not—and the application of a multitrait-multimethod matrix can ensure that.

Race Testing:
A good example is the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, which studied black men with an STD during the mid 1900s. It was unethical and devoid of any validity and, additionally, race clearly played a major part in the study. Many research studies throughout the last century don’t engage in any form of triangulation due to the fact that researchers desired their studies to support their claims about a particular issue—they would not benefit from solid methods of data collection.
Since I plan to do extensive research on ethical issues close to my heart, I need to look at which type of triangulation method to employ:

a) Data triangulation, including time, space, and person
b) Investigator triangulation
c) Theory triangulation
d) Methodological triangulation
(Denzin, 1978, p. 201)

I will probably use investigator triangulation. Mathison (1998) claims that it is “considered good research practice” (p. 14) to include more than one investigator. On a positive note, I have learned a lot about the guidelines of ethics as well as the importance of validity through the different types of triangulation methods, which is now my ongoing challenge as I stated before in the IRB.

So, Jeta and Christy—what do you think about triangulation? Plus, how is your research going?