TWENTY YEARS LATER: THE SEARCH FOR CRITERIA ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH CONTINUES

This article aims to provide an overview of the contemporary landscape of qualitative research, emphasizing quality criteria and the diversity of perspectives within the field. Rather than addressing specific substantive issues, it examines the broader characteristics and developments shaping qualitative research today. The first part of the article highlights the evolution of qualitative research from its earlier status as a dissident approach to its current position as a recognized and evolving research stream. Despite its growth and adoption of new paradigms, methods, and technologies, qualitative research faces increasing divergence across theoretical and methodological dimensions. The second part explores efforts within the qualitative research community to define criteria for assessing the quality of research inquiries. This section presents various perspectives on these criteria, illustrating these views' diversity and sometimes contradictory nature. The search for definitive criteria is ongoing, and the APA's recommendations for the design, review, and journal reporting of qualitative research represent promising steps forward. The establishment of clear, consensus-driven guidelines in the form of generally accepted criteria is indispensable for researchers tasked with ensuring the quality of their work.