Qualitative-Quantitative Research Methodology: Exploring the Interactive Continuum

Rejecting the artificial dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative research strategies in the social and behavioral sciences, Isadore Newman and Carolyn R. Benz argue that the two approaches are neither mutually exclusive nor interchangeable; rather, the actual relationship between the two paradigms is one of isolated events on a of scientific inquiry. Through graphic and narrative descriptions, Newman and Benz show research to be a holistic endeavor in the world of inquiry. To clarify their argument, they provide a diagram of the qualitative-quantitative continuum showing that qualitative analysis with its feedback loops can easily modify the types of research questions asked in quantitative analysis research and that the quantitative analysis results and its feedback can change what will be asked qualitatively. In their model for research - an interactive continuum - Newman and Benz emphasize four major points: the research question dictates the selection of research methods; consistency between question and design can lead to a method of critiquing research studies in journals; the model is built around the place of theory; and the assurance of validity of research is central to all studies.