When both qualitative and quantitative data is used, the effectiveness of evaluation is improved significantly as the shortcoming of one method can be neutralized by the strengths of other. So, by knowing the various ways of doing things, one can enhance his or her understanding about certain facts in a great deal. In most of the cases, both qualitative data (text or images) and quantitative data (numbers) are collected but one should take care in advance of how to combine the data.
The main objectives of combining data are as below:-
Enriching:- Different issues and information which are not obtained by quantitative data can be collected from qualitative works.
Examining: Different hypothesis can be developed with the help of qualitative data and these can be tested with the help of quantitative methods.
Explaining: The various unexpected resulted of quantitative data can be understood by qualitative data.
Triangulation (Confirming/reinforcing; Rejecting): With the help of qualitative data, different types of resulted obtained from quantitative data can be verified or rejected.
Example:- If various display types such as TV, computer, mobile phone and monitor displays are identified in a qualitative research, this information can be utilized by the researcher to construct quantitative research which can help them to estimate the impact of these variables on the preference of the users. Similarly, different trends can be created with the help of quantitative research into qualitative data-collection methods and therefore various trends can be verified.
What happens when you use both to evaluate and the two are in conflict or contradictory?