Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad

Mixing methods
in itself. Rather, the methods ‘measured’ different things. The
semi-structured interviews measured the mothers’ attitudinal
norms while the observational data measured the behavioural
norms which appeared to govern nurse–mother interaction.
Whether, as here, explanations can be found, or whether one needs
to go back to the field and look again, discrepant findings can be a
catalyst to carrying an analysis and understanding forward and, as
such, are best regarded as an opportunity rather than a constraint.
Bryman’s view is that discrepancies in the data should be expected;
what matters is how one responds to them:
Discrepancies between the findings deriving from research in which
quantitative and qualitative research are combined are not in the least
unusual. Further, it is in the spirit of the idea of triangulation that
inconsistent results may emerge; it is not in its spirit that one should
simply opt for one set of findings rather than another. Discrepancies
may also prompt the researcher to probe certain issues in greater
depth, which may lead to fruitful areas of inquiry in their own right
(Bryman, 1988, p. 134).
Stories from the field
We include here three inside stories about the use of mixed
methods. First, Liz Kelly talks about her evaluation of a program to
implement a crisis intervention service to follow-up police responses
to domestic violence in the UK. Catherine McDonald then talks
about her use of mixed methods in her study of non-profit human
service organisations and, finally, Cheryl Tilse talks about her use of
a combination of qualitative approaches in her study of older people
who had placed their spouse in a nursing home.
Liz Kelly—Domestic violence matters
We talked with Liz Kelly about the evaluation she and her colleagues
at the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, University of
North London, did on Domestic Violence Matters—a program to
implement a crisis intervention service to follow-up police responses
to domestic violence. It is a complex program with three discrete
aims, each of which had to be evaluated in terms of both outcome
and process. The study is published as Domestic Violence Matters
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