| Abstract: | In this article the results from two studies on essay writing are contrasted. One uses a qualitative method and the other a quantitative one. The qualitative study is rich in detail but, for those of a quantitative disposition, it lacks sufficient quantitative information. We are not told, for example, what proportion of the students involved are men or women, traditional-entry or mature, and what disciplines they are studying. The quantitative study provides details of this kind, but it does, however, have problems of its own. Internal inconsistencies in the data reveal that the validity of some of the findings is questionable. The article concludes by suggesting the necessity for combining - or sequentially chaining - different methods in research of this kind. |
