Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad
Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad
Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad
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Mix<strong>in</strong>g methods<br />
methods which allowed <strong>the</strong> detailed exploration of <strong>in</strong>tra-household<br />
resource allocation, it is doubtful that many of <strong>the</strong>se issues would<br />
have emerged ...<strong>the</strong> use of multiple methods enabled <strong>the</strong> scope of<br />
<strong>the</strong> questions designed for <strong>the</strong> BHPS [British Household Panel Study]<br />
schedule to be far broader than <strong>in</strong>itially envisaged (Laurie, 1992,<br />
p. 165).<br />
Quantitative <strong>the</strong>n qualitative<br />
This approach occurs when <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs of <strong>the</strong> quantitative research<br />
are needed to develop <strong>the</strong> qualitative phase.<br />
In a three-stage study on juvenile del<strong>in</strong>quency, Reicher and<br />
Emler (1986, cited <strong>in</strong> Bryman, 1988) <strong>in</strong>itially asked 600 young<br />
people, 12 to 15 years old, to complete questionnaire measures of<br />
self-reported del<strong>in</strong>quency and social attitudes. <strong>From</strong> this, <strong>the</strong>y identified<br />
groups which differed sharply <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir degree of <strong>in</strong>volvement<br />
<strong>in</strong> del<strong>in</strong>quency. In <strong>the</strong> second stage <strong>the</strong>y conducted structured faceto-face<br />
<strong>in</strong>terviews with 150 of <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al sample about <strong>the</strong>ir views<br />
on del<strong>in</strong>quency. The data obta<strong>in</strong>ed at this stage formed <strong>the</strong> basis for<br />
an <strong>in</strong>tensive <strong>in</strong>terview study of 60 young people with contrast<strong>in</strong>g<br />
levels of <strong>in</strong>volvement <strong>in</strong> del<strong>in</strong>quent activities.<br />
Ca<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>e McDonald’s (1996) study of <strong>the</strong> application of neo<strong>in</strong>stitutional<br />
<strong>the</strong>ory <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> non-profit sector is ano<strong>the</strong>r example of <strong>the</strong><br />
use of quantitative research to <strong>in</strong>form a later stage of qualitative<br />
research. (Neo-<strong>in</strong>stitutional <strong>the</strong>ory is an approach to organisational<br />
analysis that <strong>in</strong>corporates micro and macro levels of analysis. It<br />
‘l<strong>in</strong>ks micro sociological processes <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> form of taken for granted,<br />
habituated actions, with macro sociological processes such as <strong>the</strong><br />
production and ma<strong>in</strong>tenance of dom<strong>in</strong>ant organisational forms,<br />
sectors or fields’ (McDonald, 1996, p. 53).) We talk to Ca<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>e<br />
about her use of mixed methods later <strong>in</strong> this chapter.<br />
In both <strong>the</strong>se studies, <strong>the</strong> quantitative phase was used to identify<br />
groups of particular <strong>in</strong>terest that were followed up for more <strong>in</strong>depth<br />
analysis us<strong>in</strong>g qualitative methods. In both this and <strong>the</strong><br />
qualitative to quantitative design first discussed, <strong>the</strong> results from<br />
one method directly <strong>in</strong>form <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r; what happens <strong>in</strong> later phases<br />
is dependent on <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs from earlier phases.<br />
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