Qualitative and mixed-method designs

Some questions need numbers; others need stories. Why do girls drop out in a particular village? A survey can count them, but only interviews and observation can reveal the reasons — distance, safety, household work, teacher attitudes. Qualitative designs study such meanings in depth; mixed-method designs combine numbers and stories so each strengthens the other. Worked example: a study that surveys 500 pupils about dropout and then interviews 20 dropouts in depth is a mixed design — the survey shows the scale, the interviews explain the causes.