Conferences

Many studies in the recent years serve as a successful example of combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Therefore this research orientation without doubt needs special attention. Its fundamental principle is to bring together different and complementary strengths of each method involved. Surveys are therefore often complemented by focus groups, in-depth interviews and ethnographic methods to achieve either a preliminary initiation or a follow-up extension of surveys with qualitative data. In the first instance, qualitative data help to explore the phenomenon under study or/and develop and test a survey questionnaire. Sometimes surveys can be used to achieve the generalisations of qualitative results to different groups. In the second instance, qualitative data help to explain or/and expand survey findings. Sometimes survey results (e.g. significant, outlier or surprising results) call for additional explanation.

This session aims to bring together papers discussing various issues of complementing surveys with any of qualitative methods, such as:

- Methodological issues of research designs combining surveys and qualitative methods;

- Epistemological considerations;

- Challenges of combining survey and qualitative data;

- Combinations of web surveys and online qualitative methods (online focus groups, online in-depth interviews).

- Good practice examples