Qualitative network analysis in the strategy of mixing methods in the social sciences: a systematic literature review

Abstract

This article discusses the place of qualitative network analysis in the strategy of mixing methods in the social sciences. We conducted a systematic review of the literature that allowed us to demonstrate examples of the use of qualitative network analysis in empirical research. There are four ways of analyzing qualitative data in network mixed studies: qualitative analysis of qualitative data, quantitative analysis of qualitative data, quantitative and qualitative analysis of qualitative data and quantitative and qualitative analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. Currently, there is a lack of a single definition of the methodology of qualitative network analysis and consensus on its implementation in practice. The main possibilities of qualitative network analysis are discussed in the article. At the level of the research object, qualitative network analysis studies the personal networks of individuals’ relationships, and also make easier an access to hard-to-reach groups of respondents. At the level of the subject of research, qualitative network analysis allows us to study the deep meanings of relationships in the network and the contexts of interaction, to describe and understand networks from the inside and outside, to focus on the activities of actors and their strategies for building a network, as well as to identify the temporality of relationships in the network. The article discusses a position that questions the existence of qualitative network analysis as an independent methodology.