ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 explores how to interpret the research findings. Terrapsychological inquirers often gain a new level of understanding of findings by putting them in some kind of presentational order. This is especially so when the sheer amount of data collected exceeds early expectations. Examples of themes uncovered in previous studies and arranged by importance illustrate the “so what” of the findings as they bind together many areas of experience involving topic, researcher, site, and any participants involved in the study. The chapter then compares standard expectations for research validity (does the inquiry study what it purports to study), reliability (can the results be repeated), and generalizability (to the findings apply to people beyond the study and its participants) with those used in terrapsychological work. The Terrapsychological Inquiry methodology uses its own versions of these three criteria of rigor, versions informed by how other qualitative researchers have transformed the three into criteria that honor direct participant (and researcher) involvement.
