Techniques designed to combine the results of qualitative and quantitative studies can provide researchers with more knowledge than separate analysis

Three techniques for integrating data in mixed methods studies

In this article, the authors present an empirical example of triangulation in qualitative health research. The Canadian Heart Health Dissemination Project (CHHDP) involves a national examination of capacity building and dissemination undertaken within a series of provincial dissemination projects. The Project's focus is on the context, processes, and impacts of health promotion capacity building and dissemination. The authors collected qualitative data within a parallel-case study design using key informant interviews as well as document analysis. Given the range of qualitative data sets used, it is essential to triangulate the data to address completeness, convergence, and dissonance of key themes. Although one finds no shortage of admonitions in the literature that it must be done, there is little guidance with respect to operationalizing a triangulation process. Consequently, the authors are feeling their way through the process, using this opportunity to develop, implement, and reflect on a triangulation protocol.

Developing and Implementing a Triangulation Protocol for Qualitative Health Research

Researchers who advocate the use of multiple methods often write interchangeably about ‘integrating’, ‘combining’ and ‘mixing’ methods, sometimes eliding these descriptors with ‘triangulation’, whi...

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Triangulation and integration: Processes, claims and implications

This article provides researchers with knowledge of how to design a high quality mixed methods research study. To design a mixed study, researchers must understand and carefully consider each of the dimensions of mixed methods design, and always keep an eye on the issue of validity. We explain the seven major design dimensions: purpose, theoretical drive, timing (simultaneity and dependency), point of integration, typological versus interactive design approaches, planned versus emergent design, and design complexity. There also are multiple secondary dimensions that need to be considered during the design process. We explain ten secondary dimensions of design to be considered for each research study. We also provide two case studies showing how the mixed designs were constructed.

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How to Construct a Mixed Methods Research Design

This article refers to a study in Tanzania on fringe benefits or welfare via the work contract1 where we will work both quantitatively and qualitatively. My focus is on the vital issue of combining methods or methodologies. There has been mixed views on the uses of triangulation in researches. Some authors argue that triangulation is just for increasing the wider and deep understanding of the study phenomenon, while others have argued that triangulation is actually used to increase the study accuracy, in this case triangulation is one of the validity measures. Triangulation is defined as the use of multiple methods mainly qualitative and quantitative methods in studying the same phenomenon for the purpose of increasing study credibility. This implies that triangulation is the combination of two or more methodological approaches, theoretical perspectives, data sources, investigators and analysis methods to study the same phenomenon.However, using both qualitative and quantitative paradigms in the same study has resulted into debate from some researchers arguing that the two paradigms differ epistemologically and ontologically. Nevertheless, both paradigms are designed towards understanding about a particular subject area of interest and both of them have strengths and weaknesses. Thus, when combined there is a great possibility of neutralizing the flaws of one method and strengthening the benefits of the other for the better research results. Thus, to reap the benefits of two paradigms and minimizing the drawbacks of each, the combination of the two approaches have been advocated in this article. The quality of our studies on welfare to combat poverty is crucial, and especially when we want our conclusions to matter in practice.

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The use of Triangulation in Social Sciences Research

The essay focuses on the opportunities and strengths of a multi-method approach, widely called methodological triangulation, in which different investigative methods are applied to one research object. In practice, this can be realized with the coupling of quantitative structural data concerning the life course and the interpretation and evaluation of life course data collected with qualitative methods. This approach is examined in order to shed light on the problem that research findings often show different phenomena and not the different aspects of one phenomenon. The discussion of the relationships of the findings to one another (congruent, complementary or divergent) shows that in this context a multi-method approach can nevertheless be used to increase validity and to test hypotheses. Further, its particular strengths are the empirically induced modification of existing models and theories, as well as the development of new explanations.

Triangulation: Validity and empirically-based hypothesis construction

Optimal-Matching-Technik: ein Analyseverfahren zur Vergleichbarkeit und Ordnung individuell differenter Lebensverläufe

Wenngleich in der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschungspraxis die gemeinsame Nutzung qualitativer und standardisierter Ansatze weit verbreitet ist, zeigt sich in methodologischen, wissenschaftstheoretischen und professionspolitischen Debatten weiterhin haufig das altbekannte Schisma zwischen den beiden Forschungstraditionen. Dieser Trennung wird hier widersprochen und anhand von Beispielen aufgezeigt, wie gerade eine an Entwicklungsprozessen interessierte Forschung durch die Kombination beider Zugangsweisen gewinnen kann. Unter einer solchen Perspektive gerat die Frage nach der methodologischen Grundung der verwendeten Techniken in den Blick. Postuliert wird hier der Verzicht auf Sonderwege methodologischer Begrundungen qualitativer Verfahren und der Gebrauch der existierenden einheitswissenschaftlicher Methodologie. Ausgehend von der gemeinsamen Erfahrung als empirische Forschungspraktiker werden uber Problemstellungen aus dem Bereich der Lebensverlaufs-und Biographieforschung die spezifischen Starken und Schwachen der jeweiligen Ansatze kontrastiert. Unter dem Blickwinkel der Kombination kann gezeigt werden, dass dieses multimethodische Vorgehen einerseits die Absicherung von Erklarungen verbessert und andererseits adaquate Modelle der betrachteten Prozesse entworfen werden konnen. Im Falle inkompatibler Ergebnisse zeigt dieses Verfahren eine weitere Starke: Jetzt konnen Modifikationen bestehender Erklarungsmodelle empirisch begrundet vorgenommen werden.

Christian Erzberger

Papers

Triangulation: Validity and empirically-based hypothesis construction

Optimal-Matching-Technik: ein Analyseverfahren zur Vergleichbarkeit und Ordnung individuell differenter Lebensverläufe

Integration statt Konfrontation! On the methodological discussion about the respective values of quantitative und qualitative research