The use of quantitative and qualitative methods in the analysis of academic achievement among undergraduates in Jamaica

Abstract

This paper describes a study which uses quantitative and qualitative methods in determining the relationship between academic, institutional and psychological variables and degree performance for a sample of Jamaican undergraduate students. Quantitative methods, traditionally associated with the positivist paradigm, and involving the counting and measurement of events and statistical analysis of a body of numerical data, constitute the primary research approach to this investigation. At the same time, qualitative methods are also employed to enhance the contextual meaning and to provide insight into the quantitative-based findings. Full account is taken of concerns relating to paradigmatic violations – that of the positivist and interpretivist in particular – and relevant literature is used to carve a clearer path towards an understanding and reconciliation of combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Further, implications for the findings as they relate to mixed-method design and institutional direction are discussed.