ACS 301 November 27, 2008 Mixing qualitative and quantitative

The case against mixing qual and quant Methods have fixed epistemological assumptions. You can change them. Yes, I agree. Though I would say that qual and quant have conflicting paradigms. Embedded methods argument Paradigm argument

The case against mixing qual and quant…is weak Methods have fixed epistemological assumptions. You can change them. Yes, I agree. Though I would say that qual and quant have conflicting paradigms. Embedded methods argument Paradigm argument Epistemological stances are tendencies , not perfect determining factors There is no technical reason why they can’t be combined

Epistemological stances are tendencies , not perfect determining factors

There is no technical reason why they can’t be combined

Mixing: an example “ The aim was to study managers in companies that represented the broad ‘new capitalism’ experience.” “ We collected two forms of data…A questionnaire…[and] We also conducted interviews.” Source: Wajcman, Judy and Bill Martin. 2002. "Narratives of identity in modern management: the corrosion of gender differences?" Sociology 36:985-1002.

3 strategies for mixing qual and quant Triangulation Facilitation Complementarity

Triangulation

Facilitation

Complementarity

Triangulation I want to corroborate what I found with a quantitative survey. Well you can do some interviews and see if the main trends are the same.

Facilitation I use qual methods to assist in my quant research. And I use quant methods to help in my qual research!

Types of facilitation Generating hypotheses Aiding measurement Qualitative helping quantitative Quantitative helping qualitative Identifying participants Identifying different types of participants

Generating hypotheses

Aiding measurement

Identifying participants

Identifying different types of participants

Complementarity You really can’t do everything with a single method That’s true. Sometimes I need to use other methods to answer the entire question. Often, however, people mistake this for “more is better.”

Types of complementarity

Mixing: the quant findings “ Fundamentally, the basic career experiences…or men and women hardly differ.” Source: Wajcman, Judy and Bill Martin. 2002. "Narratives of identity in modern management: the corrosion of gender differences?" Sociology 36:985-1002.

Mixing: the qual findings “ Women were much more concerned with the boundaries…” “ Women do not necessarily ground their private identities in their workplace ones…” Source: Wajcman, Judy and Bill Martin. 2002. "Narratives of identity in modern management: the corrosion of gender differences?" Sociology 36:985-1002.

Mixed: The Overall Findings There were some differences between men and women quantitatively Discrimination experiences Pay gap But they were often quantitatively the same They were vastly different qualitatively

There were some differences between men and women quantitatively

Discrimination experiences

Pay gap

But they were often quantitatively the same

They were vastly different qualitatively

What to remember… Don’t mix for the sake of “more is better” Mixing adds to time, scope and budget Consider mixing in multiple phases, not a single research project

Don’t mix for the sake of “more is better”

Mixing adds to time, scope and budget

Consider mixing in multiple phases, not a single research project