In qualitative research, fieldworkers are essential in data collection, therefore it is important that they are well-trained, have experience and are sensitized in working with adolescents and, are able to follow a non-judgmental approach. It is often an advantage to select fieldworkers who have younger siblings, or who are around the same age as the adolescent research participants.

Power imbalance between the researcher and the participants in research is often common. The inequality is intensified when conducting research with adolescents who are minors (10-16 years). Awareness of the power dynamics allow you to minimise the imbalance and chose a methodology that is not reliant on obedience, but lean more on giving the participant freedom to meaningfully engage in research.

Social phenomenon like adolescent risk taking and health seeking behaviours are best studied in the social contexts where they take place, not in controlled laboratory settings. Such research settings are ideal for qualitative research but pose the question of bias and lack of rigour.

Managing and controlling bias is critical in strengthening the rigour of qualitative research and as such the following issues should be checked at all times:

• How the research questions are constructed and posed to the research participants
• How the interviewers and focus group discussion facilitators manage the discussion
• How interviews and discussions are recorded, transcribed and interpreted

Strategies to ensure rigour in qualitative research

• Account for personal biases which may have influenced findings
• Acknowledge biases in sampling and continuously do critical reflection of methods to ensure sufficient depth and relevance of data collection and analysis
• Keep accurate records, demonstrate a clear decision trail and ensure interpretations of data are consistent and transparent
• Include rich and thick verbatim descriptions of participants’ accounts to support findings
• Demonstrate clarity in terms of thought processes during data analysis and subsequent interpretations
• Engaging with other researchers, research staff and the research participants to reduce research bias
• Able to obtain participant perspectives on interpretation of the research
• Data triangulation, whereby different methods and perspectives help produce a more comprehensive set of findings.

Traditional research methods do not always give great outcomes when working with adolescents and for this reason novel methods such as video games and the use of graphic illustrations to obtain narratives from the adolescents are proving to be successful in other settings. (Refer to: Novel Methods to Collect Meaningful Data from Adolescents for the Development of Health Interventions)