Navigating nuance through nesting: qualitative data collection along side surveys and censuses.

This paper outlines two practical means accessible to traditionally quantitative social researchers of improving the quality of qualitative fieldwork. The first highlights advantages related to nesting qualitative work within longitudinal quantitative projects, including: (1) random samples of respondents, (2) comparisons between the sample and the population from which it was drawn, (3) having a rich history on individual respondents, and (4) access to contextual information on trends and patterns within the study population over time. The second corrects, through a process of repeated interviews with high levels of principal investigator involvement between rounds, for the lack of language skills and relatively large sample sizes that often plague traditionally quantitative researchers' ability to collect qualitative data themselves. The paper draws on experiences of conducting and analyzing qualitative research nested in longitudinal projects in two settings: a panel of surveys in rural Malawi and a demographic surveillance site in rural South Africa. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]