Member Check

The phrase member check refers to a set of processes in which researchers “check in” with participants in a qualitative study so that participants can consider and respond to their comments in the data and/or to researchers’ interpretations of the data. Member checks are often (and ideally) used in combination with other methods to establish a study’s validity, particularly a study’s credibility. Member checks are important in educational research studies because determining if and how participants “see themselves” and relate to the data and the researcher’s interpretations (or if and how they do not) can help to ensure the credibility and reliability of the research process, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Member checks can also be referred to as participant or respondent validation strategies; some ...