Ch 14. Bridging the Quantitative/Qualitative Divide

Question 1

Quantitative and qualitative research strategies have a great deal in common and can complement each other. Why?

Answer 1

Both are required to gain knowledge of the social world

Question 2

Drawing on the insights of multiple perspectives (Qual/Quan) is much more…

Answer 2

…conductive to good research and produces a deeper level of understanding

Question 3

Certain epistemological and ontological positions may be associated with a research method. What is natural science epistemology and interpretivist epistemology often paired with?

Answer 3

natural science: social survey research
interpretivist: qualitative interviewing

Question 4

Three main issues regarding bridging the gap between Quan and Qual

Answer 4

1. against integrating the methods
2. there are different ways they can be combined
3. is it necessarily superior to combine?

Question 5

Integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches and methods. Does not assume automatic connection between methods/philosophical assumptions

Answer 5

multi-strategy research (mixed-methods research)

Question 6

Qualitative research often exhibits features associated with a natural science (positivist) model. In what ways?

Answer 6

It has empiricist overtones because of its desire for direct contact with reality, theories are grounded in data, the meanings people give can be ascertained through the senses. It has a specific problem focus which means it already has a positivist model in mind.

Question 7

What other ways does qualitative research often exhibit features associated with a natural science model?

Answer 7

• hypothesis and theory testing (an analytic induction and grounded theory)
• realism (middle ground between objectivist/constructivist debate)

Question 8

argues that social reality is produced by mechanisms that are real but not directly observable, and social scientists construct hypotheses about them and need to explain mechanisms of causal influence

Answer 8

Critical Realism

Question 9

How is quantitive research related to interpretivism?

Answer 9

Many quantitative researchers also are interested in issues of meaning. There is a desire to understand meaning.

Question 10

Quantitative researchers claim attitudinal questions can access…

Answer 10

…meaning, particularly if respondents are questioned in advance to create survey questions on attitudes.

Question 11

How can quantitative research have a constructionist mindset?

Answer 11

quantitative methods can be used to establish how people create their sense of reality

Question 12

People using a particular research strategy do not always…

Answer 12

…share the same epistemological and ontological assumptions. Certain research methods many not be accompanied by expected epistemology/ontology

Question 13

Problems with dividing quantiative and qualitative (4)

Answer 13

• putting behaviour and meaning against each other
• both ways can arrive to theories/concepts
• numbers vs words is not actually a significant divide (words can be coded)
• notion that quantitative is exclusively artificial and qualitative as exclusively naturalistic

Question 14

Many perspectives in quantitative social science now consider

Answer 14

meaning to be important. It’s rare to see social scientists who are soley focused on behaviour.

Question 15

Quantitative and qualitative researchers alike are typically interested both in what people do…

Answer 15

…do and in what they think, even if they go about their investigations in different ways.

Question 16

Much quantitative research (e.g., survey research) is inductive because?

Answer 16

Hypotheses and theories may not emerge until after the data have been gathered and in surveys, the number of potential hypothesis is vast and many are formulated after the data collection

Question 17

Quantitative research can be examined using qualitative methods and vice versa.

Answer 17

That suggests that the two approaches can be combined to bring new quality to the studies.

Question 18

How can quantification happen in qualitative research?

Answer 18

• thematic analysis
• quasi-quantification in qualitative research
• combatting ancedotalism through limited quantification

Question 19

The main argument against multi-strategy research

Answer 19

The use of a particular research method implies acceptance of certain epistemological and ontological positions

Question 20

The paradigm argument against multi-strategy research

Answer 20

The quantitative and qualitative approaches are based on separate paradigms that are epistemologically and ontologically incommensurable

Question 21

Hammersley (1996) proposed three approaches to multi-strategy research

Answer 21

1. triangulation
2. facilitation
3. complementarity

Question 22

Use of quantitative research to corroborate qualitative findings and vice versa and can take place within a research strategy

Answer 22

Triangulation

Question 23

Use of one research strategy to assist with research that uses a different strategy. Qualitative facilitates quantitative and vice versa.

Answer 23

Facilitation

Question 24

Using two or more approaches where a single approach would not be sufficient, filling the gaps

Answer 24

Complementarity

Question 25

When researcher cannot rely on either a quantitative or a qualitative method alone…

Answer 25

…a multi-strategy approach can be used to fill in the gaps.

Question 26

Will the principal data-gathering tool be qualitative or quantitative?

Answer 26

the priority decision

Question 27

Should the “complementary” method be used first, as a preliminary to the principal method, or second, as a follow-up?

Answer 27

The sequence decision

Question 28

Whether you’re using qualitative, quantitative, and multi-strategy research, the research (4)

Answer 28

• must be competently designed and conducted
• must be appropriate for the research questions asked
• multiple methods likely take more time and money
• different skills and training required