Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research : Prospects and Limits, 1994-2003

This project drew its inspiration from what was felt to be a growth in the number of investigations combining qualitative and quantitative research. Enthusiasm for and use of multi-strategy research was running ahead of what was known about how it is employed in practice and what its benefits might be. Thus, it was felt at the start of the project that the time was ripe for an examination of multi-strategy research in practice.<br> <br> The project's objectives were to:<br> <li>provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of the field with regard to the integration of qualitative and quantitative research;</li><br> <li>proffer recommendations with regard to good practice for the integration of qualitative and quantitative research;</li><br> <li>identify areas or contexts in which the integration of qualitative and quantitative research is not obviously beneficial;</li><br> <li>explore an area where qualitative and quantitative research co-exist as separate strategies or traditions and analyse the prospects for linking the two sets of findings;</li><br> <li>explore some of the discursive practices involved in the representation of research which integrates the two approaches.</li><br>