Meeting the Mixed Methods Challenge of Integration in a Sociological Study of Structure and Agency

Abstract

Substantial integration of quantitative and qualitative data and findings in mixed methods studies is seldom seen, although maximizing the potential of the approach depends on this. An absence of exemplars has been identified as among a number of factors that currently impede integration in studies carried out by researchers using the approach. This article offers an example of how maximum integration of data sets can be achieved. The sociological study discussed used a combination of methods—questionnaire survey, group interviews, and individual interviews—to obtain a fuller view of young people's perspectives on their lives. Aspects of the project's research design and analyses that were instrumental to achieving a genuinely integrated mixed methods approach are identified.