Tuesday 14th July      Wednesday 15th July      Thursday 16th July      Friday 17th July     

Thursday 16th July, 14:00 - 15:30 Room: L-102

Mixed methods designs combining survey data and qualitative data 1
Convenor	Professor Mark Trappmann (Institute for Employment Research (IAB) )
Coordinator 1	Dr Andreas Hirseland (Institute for Employment Research (IAB))

Session Details

In social science research there is a long tradition of research combining survey data with qualitative data. There can be various reasons why this integration of approaches provides advantages compared to a single method approach and how it is implemented in a research design. Greene et al. (1989) propose a typology consisting of five types of mixed-method designs. Triangulation involves investigating the same aspect of the same phenomenon. If research methods bias results, there is a chance of detecting this bias by using different methods independently. In contrast, complementarity involves investigating different aspects of the same phenomenon by different methods. Results from one method are used to elaborate, enhance, or illustrate results from the other. Development designs sequentially use one method to develop or support the other method. Examples include using qualitative interviews in questionnaire design or residual diagnostics or to use quantitative survey data for theoretical sampling in qualitative research. Initiation designs aim at uncovering paradox or contradictions to initiate new insights. Finally, expansion designs extend the scope of a study by mixing methods. One typical example of this last approach is the combination of quantitative evaluation of programme outcomes with qualitative studies of programme implementation. We encourage submissions dealing with designs of mixed-methods studies combining survey research and qualitative research. Presentations should focus on methodological issues of research designs or analysis of such data.

Paper Details

1. Understanding the added worker effect: a mixed methods approach
Professor Heather Laurie (ISER, University of Essex)
Dr Karon Gush (ISER, University of Essex)
Dr Mark Bryan (ISER,University of Essex)

The added worker effect has long been predicted by economic theory. One puzzle faced by empirical studies is the added worker effect is often found to be smaller than theoretically predicted, is a lagged effect, or is not found at all. This analysis uses data from the UK Labour Force Survey in combination with qualitative interviews carried out with members of the Innovation Panel of Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study. The combined use of quantitative and qualitative data enriches our understanding of couple’s responses to job loss and the processes underlying their labour market supply decisions.

2. Advantages of a complementary and development research design to analyze temporary layoffs
Mr Tobais Gebel (Bielefeld University)
Mrs Andrea Hense (Bielefeld University)
Mrs Franziska Schork (Bielefeld University)

The presentation will give three examples how the complementary research design of our study enhances the interpretation of recalls: The transaction cost approach could be verified, the assumptions about the decision process had to be modified, and unexpected effects of recalls on social recognition could be found. Moreover, we will discuss why it is necessary to combine a purposive sampling based on the secondary analyses with a subsequently theoretical sampling based on the qualitative analyses. Finally, we will show how the qualitative interviews helped to develop questions for the self-categorization of employees in our quantitative survey.

3. Ethnography meets Survey - Perspectives of a Mixed Method Research on University Students
Mrs Alexa Maria Kunz (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT))
Miss Stefanie Enderle (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT))

Being convinced that a succeeding research on higher education is characterized by the combination of micro and macro perspectives, we strongly approve a methodologically motivated and reflected combination of different methods to investigate life-worlds and everyday lives of students. Based on findings of a current research project, this paper focusses on the following questions: 1. How the design of a life-world analytical ethnography without ‘fear’ of quantitative methods can look like, 2. which (first) results can be generated by using this design and 3. which measures have been used (so far) to face methodical and methodological challenges.

4. Coding qualitative data to use in quantitative studies
Dr Iasonas Lamprianou (University of Cyprus)
Dr Thekla Afantiti Lamprianou (Miistry of Education, Cyprus)

Social scientists often embed open-ended questions in structured questionnaires, especially for face-to-face administration. However, coding free-speech responses can be very complicated. The reliability of coding is often low. This study presents an experiment where open-ended questions were deliberately embedded in a structured questionnaire for purposes of triangulation. Social Network Analysis was employed in order to monitor the reliability of coding between the coders. Exponential Random Graph Models were employed to investigate the factors affecting the reliability of coding. The study discusses how to monitor the coding of qualitative data for purposes of quantitative analysis.