ABSTRACT
Probably the major theme to emerge from the preceding chapters is that many aspects of the debate about quantitative and qualitative research, which has been a prominent topic in discussions of social research methodology in recent years, are unsatisfactory. There are differences between quantitative and qualitative research, in terms of the kinds of data that each engenders and the levels of analysis at which each operates. Therefore, each has its own strengths and weaknesses. However, it is important not to minimize the importance of similarities between the two traditions. For example, there does not seem to be an obvious reason why qualitative research cannot be used in order to test theories in the manner typically associated with the model of the quantitative research process. A number of studies have used qualitative research to good effect in this respect. The suggestion that quantitative research is associated with the testing of theories, whilst qualitative research is associated with the generation of theories, can consequently be viewed as a convention that may have little to do with either the practices of many researchers within the two traditions or the potential of the methods of data collection themselves.
