The contribution of computer software to integrating qualitative and quantitative data and analyses

In published mixed methods studies, qualitative and quantitative approaches have typically been combined by using them side-by-side or sequentially, until the point when the separately generated results are interpreted and conclusions drawn. Integration of different forms of data during analysis, or of different approaches within a single analysis, is much less commonly reported. In this paper, integration of these types is shown to be facilitated by use of computer software. Such integration is seen as occurring: (a) when text and numeric data are combined in an analysis; (b) when data are converted from one form to another during analysis; or (c) when combination and conversion occur together iteratively or in generating blended data for further analyses. Examples are provided to illustrate these various, computer-facilitated approaches to mixing methods.