Culture, Context, and the Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in the Study of Human Development
The cultural community a child grows up in is arguably the most important influence in a child’s development. Culture and context should be incorporated into every research program in human development in our field. Ecocultural theory links structural and environmental conditions to the cultural learning environments of children and the everyday routines and activities that shape behavior and the minds of children. To do this, we require strong mixed methods, designs, samples, and analytical approaches. The world certainly is not linear, additive, and decontextualized, although for analytical purposes we can usefully model the world as if it were. This chapter discusses five research programs that use ecocultural models and integrate qualitative and quantitative methods: rural-urban migration and effects on parenting and children’s development in Kenya; sibling caretaking; countercultural families and children in California; families with children with disabilities in California; and interventions to support working poor families in Wisconsin.