Mixing methods and blending paradigms: some considerations for future research

Excerpt

The past two decades have witnessed substantial advances in quantitative and qualitative methodological development. Supported by the growth in the capacity and application of computers, methodologists and computer scientists have developed software to make multivariate modeling and data mining more accessible and feasible. In the realm of qualitative analysis, a number of software programs now exist for analyzing content of coded qualitative data, allowing linguistic analysis [1] and thematic analysis [2] of large coded data sets. Such developments have set the stage for increasing sophistication in the melding of quantitative and qualitative methods to yield new insights into research questions across a range of disciplines, therapeutic areas, and aims. …