'Merged Methods', a new research approach

22 December 2022

Together with colleagues from Italy and England, methodologist Wander van der Vaart has published a book on Merged Methods: a new research approach that goes beyond the classic distinction between 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' approaches. Discover it in the new publication recently published by SAGE.

The full title of the book is Merged Methods: A Rationale for Full Integration. Four authors jointly present 'Merged Methods' as a new research approach that goes beyond 'mixed methods' and the classic distinction between 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' approaches.  The essence of this approach is partly inspired by the experiences Wander van der Vaart gained at the University for Humanistic Studies, as a methodologist with both quantitative and qualitative backgrounds. 

The core of 'Merged Methods' focuses on the interaction between interpretative (often 'qualitative') and structural (often 'quantitative') facets of a phenomenon, and attempts to theorise and 'capture' this interaction in data collection procedures. To this end, design principles are formulated that build on 'mixed methods', but facilitate a fully integrated, holistic approach to these interpretative and structural facets in empirical research. The book also contains a number of chapters highlighting the 'merged methods' character of existing methods.

Merged Methods, a rationale for full integration, by Giampietro Gobo, Nigel G. Fielding, Gevisa La Rocca, Wander van der Vaart. The book is published by SAGE, an international leader in the field of methodology. 

More information:  

https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/merged-methods/book271252#description

https://www.amazon.com/Merged-Methods-Rationale-Full-Integration/dp/1529717736

Wander van der Vaart and colleagues have published a book on Merged Methods: a new research approach. Discover it in the new publication by SAGE.