THE RATIONALE FOR SATURATION IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: WHEN PRACTICE INFORMS THEORY

Abstract

This paper acknowledges the significance of data saturation in research as a methodological instrument governing the non-negotiable yet highly questioned scientific rigor in research. Therefore, it employs a reflective research-practice based approach to evaluate the importance of data saturation in qualitative research. It draws on context and time-bound first-hand research practices of sampling and collecting quality data using face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with migrant entrepreneurs in London between 2017-2021. This paper shows that data saturation is a complex phenomenon expanding beyond the theoretical rationale experienced as a before, during and after an iterative and reflective process of engaging with the research participants and data (i.e., triangulation of sources, disciplinary traditions, researcher’s experiences and participants’ willingness and readiness to share), which anchors researcher’s decision to resume data collection. This paper employs reflective fieldwork-based practices to demonstrate how saturation is reached in a phenomenological interpretative study. Thus, it contributes to the qualitative research scholarship by addressing the misalignment between theory and practice and bringing a practice-based, triangulated perspective on data saturation.

Keywords

• qualitative research
• data saturation
• sampling
• scientific rigor