Egon Guba

Egon G. Guba, alongside his colleague Yvonna S. Lincoln, revolutionized qualitative research methodology by advancing a constructivist approach. They argued that realities are understood as socially constructed, fundamentally shifting how researchers evaluate educational and social programs.

Published in 1985 by Egon Guba and Yvonna S. Lincoln, "Naturalistic Inquiry" serves as a comprehensive methodology guide for conducting research in natural settings. The book outlines criteria for establishing trustworthiness in qualitative studies, contrasting sharply with traditional scientific positivism.

Guba's constructivist paradigm posits that there is no single, objective reality waiting to be discovered by a researcher. Instead, researchers and participants work together to co-create shared meanings and understandings of complex social realities.

To replace the traditional quantitative metrics of validity and reliability, Guba and Lincoln introduced four criteria for trustworthiness: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. These criteria ensure that qualitative findings accurately reflect the participants' realities rather than just the researcher's biases.