Reversible Relationship between Quantitative and Qualitative Data in Self-Consciousness Research: A Normative Semiotic Model for the Phenomenological Dialogue between Data and Capta

摘要

The aim of this study was to explore modes of integration of quantitative and qualitative data to verify existence of psychological constructs. Data obtained with a Likert-type rating scale and with narrative accounts of significant life-events were compared and integrated via logical analysis to examine the psychological construct of self-consciousness. Undergraduates between 17 and 32 years of age (78 females and 23 males) participated. Psychometric analysis of the scale classified the subjects focus of self-consciousness (public and private) into three levels: high, average or low. Independent judges evaluated self-consciousness profiles from the narrative accounts. Analysis verified the compatibility between self-consciousness scale measurements and self-consciousness profiles on narrative accounts. The results illustrate possibilities for and limitations of such comparisons, and also suggest criteria for comparing the same phenomenon in different contexts. Guidelines for choice of instrumentation in gathering data for research and practice are also presented.