Illumination with a Dim Bulb? What Do Social Scientists Learn by Employing Qualitative Data Analysis Software in the Service of Multimethod Designs?

Although there has been much optimistic discussion of integrating quantitative and qualitative findings into sociological analysis, there remains a gap regarding the application of mixed approaches. We examine the potential gains and pitfalls of such integration in the context of the growing analyti...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Sociological methodology 2012-08, Vol.42 (1), p.43-76
Main Authors:	White, Michael J., Judd, Maya D., Poliandri, Simone
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Automation Cities Computer Software Content analysis Data analysis Data collection Demography Design analysis Females Fertility Fertility decline Gender equality Handbooks Health sciences Italy Methodology (Data Collection) Methods Qualitative analysis Qualitative data Qualitative Methods Qualitative research Research design Research methodology Research methods Social Integration Social sciences Sociological analysis Sociological Research Sociology Software Software packages Statistical analysis Studies Symposium: Words, Narratives, Analyses, Agency Technological change
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Although there has been much optimistic discussion of integrating quantitative and qualitative findings into sociological analysis, there remains a gap regarding the application of mixed approaches. We examine the potential gains and pitfalls of such integration in the context of the growing analytic power of contemporary qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) programs. We illustrate the issues with our own research in a mixed-methods project examining low fertility in Italy, a project that combines analysis of large nationally representative survey data with qualitative indepth interviews with women across four cities in Italy. Despite the enthusiasm for mixed-methods research, the available software appears to be underutilized. In addition, we suggest that the sociological research community will want to address several conceptual and inferential issues with these approaches.
ISSN:	0081-1750 1467-9531