This means that the common idea that quantitative data is somehow more pure, and therefore more valid than qualitative data is not only false, but misleading. Rather, both types of research have important rules to ply in forming a complete picture of certain circumstances or situations.

Generally, researchers undertaking a particular study tend to have some vested interest in the area they wish to examine. This is true whether the analysis is performed from a qualitative or quantitative perspective. If researchers' assumptions are stated openly, as they generally are in qualitative research, they can be incorporated into the body of the research, and can then be tested and understood for what they are.

2.1 Action Research

Action research carries the experiential, subjective approach of qualitative research one step further: in action research, information, is gathered and analyzed for the expressed purpose of informing political action and social change. The focus in action research is on gathering information through "participant observation", a technique used in anthropological research, in which researchers interact in the community or situation they are studying, and piece together a coherent picture. The Women's Research Centre points out that this kind of research is a way of grounding our analysis (and the action strategies we develop from our analysis) in real life and ensuring that the theories we develop have a basis in reality.

Action research, then, is both qualitative and descriptive. While it makes use of numbers, or statistical data, it does not rely on traditional quantitative methods. The Women's Research Centre notes that "action research usually uses small scale intensive interviews which are always carried out systematically. As in all research, all stages of the action research process are rationalized, justified and documented."

Research can play an important role in developing analyses of specific problems; it can provide documentation to use in lobbying, advocacy or education; it can help organizations decide what strategies or courses of action might best address problems; and it can strengthen or validate the positions of people who are affected by problems. What it cannot do, however, is solve problems or produce social action. Rather, it must take its place as one tool for social change, along with organizing, lobbying, advocacy and education.

Finally, action research asserts that the real expertise in any area lies with those who experience it. This differs from the traditional approach, which presumes that "experts" must have official credentials and documentation from institutes of higher learning, in order to profess knowledge of a subject. Action research moves away from this hierarchical approach, validating the lived realities of those it studies, and incorporating their perceptions and accrued insights into the body of knowledge.