Are you using qualitative and quantitative methods in order to combine and compare the datasets?

If
so, the form of integration you are seeking is merging the data. The relationship between the
datasets: Two sets of findings are brought together and compared to develop a more holistic view of
the research problem.

(Quantitative and qualitative data are collected (simultaneously if concurrent), and the data are
brought together and compared)

Convergent or concurrent designs4 involve collecting both quantitative and qualitative data,
analyzing both datasets, and then integrating the two sets of analyses in order to cross-validate or
compare the findings (Creswell, 2015, 2021)

In convergent designs, a plan for how to enact both the quantitative and qualitative methods is
determined in advance of data collection. In the case of concurrent designs,5 data collection with
both methods is carried out simultaneously, more or less (Hesse-Biber & Leavy, 2011). For example, if
you are conducting a study about cheating in college, you might conduct survey research to learn
about rates of different cheating behaviors and students’ attitudes about them from a large sample
of students. You could simultaneously conduct focus group interviews with a small sample of
students to elicit descriptions of the contexts of these behaviors in detail (e.g., motivations,
pressures, opportunities, attitudes). Morse’s (1991, 2003) notation system denotes convergent data
collection with a plus sign.

PROCEDURES

The convergent design procedures. The procedures for implementing a convergent design are
outlined in the procedural flowchart in Figure 3.4. As indicated in the figure, there are four major
steps in the convergent design. First, the researcher collects both quantitative data and qualitative
data about the topic of interest. These two types of data collection are concurrent but typically
separate—that is, one does not depend on the results of the other. They also typically have equal
importance for addressing the study’s research questions. Second, the researcher analyzes the two
data sets separately and independently from each other using quantitative and qualitative analytic
procedures. Once the two sets of initial results are in hand, the researcher reaches the point of
interface and works to merge the results of the two data sets in the third step. This merging step may
include directly comparing the separate results in a table or a discussion, or it may involve
transforming results to facilitate relating the two data types during additional analysis. In the final
step, the researcher interprets to what extent and in what ways the two sets of results converge or
diverge from each other, relate to each other, and/or combine to create a better understanding in
response to the study’s overall purpose. If the results diverge, then the researcher takes further steps
to explain this difference through reexamining the results, collecting more data, or reflecting on the
quality of the databases.