Administering Quantitative Instruments to Improve the Quality of Qualitative Interviews: Implications of the Mixed-Methods Interview for the Field of Education and Beyond

• In Event: Advances in Research Methodology

Abstract

As noted by Onwuegbuzie, Johnson, and Collins (2009), “having a constructivist orientation—or any other qualitative-based orientation—does not prevent a researcher from conducting quantitative analyses [in their qualitative research studies]—especially descriptive statistical analyses” (p. 130). Such a strategy would yield a qualitative-dominant crossover mixed analysis. Consequently, in this paper, we demonstrate how collecting quantitative data from one or more psychometrically sound quantitative instruments during the qualitative interview process—which yields a qualitative dominant crossover analysis— can enhance the quality of interpretation of interview data by helping the researcher better contextualize the qualitative findings. Thus, we encourage qualitative researchers, whenever appropriate, to administer one or more quantitative instruments that tap the construct of interest in order to increase verstehen.

Authors

• Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Sam Houston State University

• Rebecca K. Frels, Lamar University