Credibility in Autoethnography: Connecting Hallmarks of Qualitative Research Validity

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Methodologies: Revisiting the Old and Offering the New (Table 5)

Abstract

Notions of rigor differ within qualitative research approaches. More established approaches in qualitative research question the methodological integrity of some contemporary approaches. One such approach that deserves more exploration in qualitative research is the autoethnography. Autoethnography is composed of three interrelated components: “auto,” “ethno,” and “graphy.” Thus, autoethnographic projects use selfhood, subjectivity, and personal experience to describe, interpret, and represent the beliefs, practices, and identities of a group or culture (Adams & Herrmann, 2020). This presnetation attempts to detail how autoethnography connects to validity/credibility in qualitative research (Creswell, 2000). We detail how autoethnography utilizes researcher reflectivity, prolonged engagement, member checking, collaboration, disconfirming evidence, triangulation, an audit trail, and thick, rich description.

Authors

• Eric Hogan, Georgia Southern University

• Sean Forbes, Auburn University

• Carey E. Andrzejewski, Auburn University