Implementing a triangulation protocol in bereavement research: a methodological discussion.
Triangulation is a comparative strategy for examining data that strengthens qualitative and multi-method research. Despite the benefits of triangulation noted in the research methods literature, few concrete models for operationalization of protocols exist. Lack of documentation of explicit triangulation procedures is especially true in the area of bereavement research. This article describes how an interdisciplinary research team implemented a triangulation protocol in a study of the needs of bereaved parents. Triangulation enabled the integration of diverse data sources, methods, and disciplinary perspectives. These processes yielded a more meaningful typology of bereaved parents' needs than would have otherwise been possible. Extending the use of triangulation will enhance multi-faceted understandings of bereavement.
Department of Anthropology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA. s.briller@wayne.edu
Sherylyn H
SH
Briller
Kathleen L
KL
Meert
Stephanie Myers
SM
Schim
Celia S
CS
Thurston
Allison
A
Kabel
D000328:Adult; D001601:Bereavement; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012107:Research Design; D012108:Research Personnel; D012944:Social Support