Researching Family Relationships: A Qualitative Mixed Methods Approach

Autor: Jacqui Gabb
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Methodological Innovations, Vol 4 (2009)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2059-7991
20597991
DOI: 10.1177/205979910900400204
Popis: Research has demonstrated how families are constituted through every day practices of care and emotional investment. In this article I suggest that a mixed methods qualitative approach can add another dimension to sociological understandings of these processes. The integration of different qualitative methods produces a dynamic account of everyday family relationships and experiences of intimacy. It shows how the biographical, experiential and social are interwoven, enabling the fabric of family relationships to be unpicked. Drawing on original data from empirical research, I outline the kinds of material produced by different methods and the usefulness of creativity in research design, including innovative methods such as the emotion map and psycho-social approaches to research. Through case study analysis, I demonstrate how the mixing of methods generates multilayered, richly textured information on family relationships but I caution against tidying up all the empirical loose ends. I suggest that there is analytical benefit in retaining some of the ‘messiness' that comprises connected lives.
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