Revisiting the Quantitative-Qualitative Debate: Implications for Mixed-Methods Research.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Research Methodology

Background:

• Health care research frequently employs mixed-methods, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches.
• The philosophical underpinnings of these methods, particularly their views on reality, are central to the ongoing debate.

Purpose of the Study:

• To revisit the quantitative-qualitative debate in mixed-methods research.
• To critically evaluate arguments for and against combining research methods.
• To propose implications for future mixed-methods research standards.

Main Methods:

• Review of the philosophical paradigms underlying quantitative and qualitative research.
• Analysis of the arguments concerning the combination of mixed-methods.
• Discussion of the implications for research practice and standards.

Main Results:

• Quantitative and qualitative paradigms hold different views of reality and the phenomena under study.
• Consequently, quantitative and qualitative methods address distinct phenomena.
• Direct combination for cross-validation or triangulation is not feasible due to differing ontological bases.

Conclusions:

• Mixed-methods can be effectively combined for complementary, rather than confirmatory, purposes.
• Future standards for mixed-methods research should acknowledge and guide this complementary application.
• This approach enhances the comprehensive understanding of health care phenomena.