What relationship between qualitative and quantitative approaches in the process and results of research? The example of the Gary project

Abstract

The Gary research, which studied the evolution of pupils’ literary reading skills and their teachers’ practices over the course of compulsory schooling in four French-speaking countries, adapted its research methodology according to the data collected and their analysis. The result was an articulation between qualitative and quantitative approaches that shed light on the results in different ways. In this case, the research started from an exploratory qualitative phase, which aimed to establish analytical tools for processing substantial data, and led to a quantitative and statistical study which could, in turn, be deepened by a qualitative approach.