This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Green, E. C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Can Qualitative Research Produce Reliable Quantitative Findings?

Washington, D.C.

This article asks whether qualitative anthropological research using rapid methods can produce results as reliable and valid as those derived from expensive sample surveys, at least under certain circumstances. The discussion focuses on nonformal sampling or informant selection techniques on which anthropologists rely. To help answer the question, the author describes two relatively low-cost, rapid, qualitative studies in applied medical anthropology in Swaziland and in the Palestinian Territories. Although random sample surveys have become the gold standard for most policy makers dealing with KAP (knowledge, attitudes, and practices) data, qualitative research can form the basis of policy or program decisions under certain conditions.

Field Methods, Vol. 13, No. 1, 3-19 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/1525822X0101300101


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?