Integration in qualitative research: Refining existing analytic framework through empirical evidence

Introduction: In qualitative research, triangulation (i.e., the combination of multiple methods, data sources, researchers' perspectives and/or theories in a single study) has become a key construct. Over time, triangulation has evolved to include alternative concepts and theories, one of which is "integration," where two or more methods, data types, and/or perspectives retain their unique separate nature, each making an equal contribution to the knowledge of the research topic while generating a multi-faceted picture of it.

Goals and Methods: The presentation discusses qualitative research on a college heritage site and people's reactions to it. The study centered on photographic data of two types—30 photographs of the site's design and 74 of bodily behaviors exhibited by people at the site—along with 21 in-depth interviews. Each dataset was analyzed using a method suitable for it: (a) visual analysis of, e.g., color, scale, layout, typography, empty spaces, aesthetics—for the site's design; (b) body analysis—for people's behaviors; (c) content analysis—for interviews.

Results: The study provides an empirical example of "integration," demonstrating how each layer of data and analysis method distinctly contributes to knowledge regarding the institutional heritage. The site design analysis revealed an unremarkable institutional heritage, deeply rooted in the past. Bodily behaviors disclosed a heritage marked by inattention and/or disregard. Interviews uncovered an institutional heritage embedded in institutional regularities and distinct from the institutionalized, on-display one. When integrated, a full account of institutional heritage was obtained, encompassing the institution and the individuals' perspectives on it, along with the heritage's overt and latent aspects. An analytic model, derived from the findings, will be introduced.  

Conclusions: The presentation contributes to the evolving analytic framework of "integration," which is occasionally flawed in its failure to retain the uniqueness and separateness of integrated components. The proposed model resolves this problem.