Question

What term is used to describe the point in data analysis at which nothing new is being revealed?

Select one:

a. Verbatim

b. Theme

c. Saturation

d. Reflexivity

e. Grounded theory

Answer 1

C. Saturation

Saturation is a fundamental principle used in qualitative research. It acts as redundancy signal to researchers that data collection may cease.

Saturation provides an indication of data validity. It has origins in the grounded theory approach. it is used to determine adequacy of data for the development of theory. Outside grounded theory it is used to justify sample sizes of qualitative studies.

The following is the definition by Glaser and Strauss:

The criterion for judging when to stop sampling the different groups pertinent to a category is the category’s theoretical saturation. Saturation means that no additional data are being found whereby the sociologist can develop properties of the category. As he sees similar instances over and over again, the researcher becomes empirically confident that a category is saturated. He goes out of his way to look for groups that stretch diversity of data as far as possible, just to make certain that saturation is based on the widest possible range of data on the category.

Source:

Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization

Benjamin Saunders,¹ Julius Sim,¹ Tom Kingstone,¹ Shula Baker,¹ Jackie Waterfield,² Bernadette Bartlam,¹ Heather Burroughs,¹ and Clare Jinks¹

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5993836/