Questioning the value of reliability in collaborative textbook research

Reliability is an important concept and principal criterion in content analysis to indicate the extent to which results are consistent over time or among different analysts. Traditionally, collaborative content analysis has been seen as an ideal which enables textbook researchers to establish reliability. But how is reliability in textbook research useful? Based on our experience of working collaboratively on an international textbook research project, we argue that experience and subjectivity influence how texts are read, leading to significant limitations to demands for (and ideals of) reliability in textbook research. In contrast, reevaluating the importance of reliability allows textbook research to explore the multifaceted nature of texts and generate multi-perspectival interpretations which are more meaningful in diverse contexts. Copyright © 2023 AERA.