This is a question we have been asked countless times. When conducting mixed method research, more often, qualitative research comes first, but depending on the study, starting with quantitative may make more sense. It really depends…
Why Qualitative First?
The beauty of qualitative research is that you don’t always know what you don’t know. Qualitative often uncovers unexpected and “a-ha” findings. Given the nature of the research, moderators can follow respondents down a rabbit hole to dive deep into the topic for a full understanding of “why?” By conducting qualitative research first, the moderator may uncover several items that can later be “quantified” via an online survey. Typically, with a smaller number of respondents, qualitative studies lend themselves to more depth.
Why Quantitative First?
Quantitative studies have a fixed survey, and all respondents answer the same questions. They provide the statistical data on which to base important decisions. However, sometimes the data is surprising. Studies may reveal unexpectedly high or low results, prompting the question, “Why?” By conducting quantitative research first, we can then follow up with a qualitative study to understand why respondents answered the way they did. Quantitative research is especially useful for studying large populations and breaking them down to compare subsets (i.e. North America vs Europe, Millennials vs Gen X vs Boomers, etc.).
The choice between qualitative and quantitative research depends on the study's goals. Qualitative research uncovers deep insights, while quantitative research provides broad statistical data. These methods complement each other to offer a comprehensive understanding of the research topic. If you’d like more information on how to how best to structure your next study, contact us here https://unmutedci.com/contact-us/.
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