Summary

This book focuses on the key issue in the theory and methodology of the social and behavioural sciences: the mixing of different research methods within a single piece of research. Despite the long debate about the different philosophical traditions which are said to underlie quantitative and qualitative research, there are few books on either the theory or the practice of combining different methodologies. This book combines both a general discussion of the theoretical, methodological and practical issues with a number of case studies of research in which the researchers reflect upon their use of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The book includes contributions from sociologists who have contributed to this central methodological debate. The studies discussed cover important social policy issues in the fields of further education, social and community services and household finance.