Methodological triangulation and multi-method approach in sociological research: Advantages and challenges

Abstract

This paper theme is the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in sociological research, and in social sciences, in general, from the perspective of the multi-method approach – also designated as methodological triangulation. The argument presented here is that a multi-method approach is one of the most complete forms of empirical research, once it combines the strength of large samples, and their ability to generalize, with the strength of case studies, and its ability to identify causal mechanisms. However, it presents many challenges in its implementation, especially when its goal is corroboration. From a review of the reference literature, I will indicate how these challenges can be overcome. I begin by specifying the characteristics of quantitative and qualitative methods, and of their combination (multi-method approach), pointing to the potentials and limitations in this combination, and I conclude describing two studies as examples: a classic research for excellence (Distinction: A social critique of the judgment of taste), in which Bourdieu (1977b) used a combination of methods to verify the determinants of cultural practices, and a more recent study (Corruption and inequality at the crossroad – a Multimethod Study of Bribery and Discrimination in Latin America), in which Fried et al. (2010) discuss the relationship between corruption and social inequality in Latin America, from an experiment followed by qualitative interviews as a way to better understand and explain the results of the experimental phase.

Keywords: quantitative and qualitative methods, triangulation, multi-method (or mixed methods).