Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Data: What does the User Need?

Abstract

The convergence between quantitative and qualitative approaches is fragile. Nowhere is this more evident than in the attempt to lodge mixed-mode data. Assumptions about the "basic" form of the data dictate what is considered relevant. Quantitative archiving assumes no more than qualitative appended material, and qualitative archiving sits lightly on the structured nature of the quantitative data. Problems consequently arise at the level of data-collection and of retrieval and analysis. By reference to two mixed quantitative-qualitative projects, this contention is illustrated (Occupational cognition and Sexual diaries) where decisions about representation of the data dramatically affect the possibilities of retrieval and analysis in context. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0502402