Mixed Methods Procedures
A definition
• Mixed methods research is both a method and methodology for conducting research
that involves collecting, analyzing, and integrating quantitative and qualitative
research in a single study or a longitudinal program of inquiry.
• The purpose of this form of research is that both qualitative and quantitative research,
in combination, provide a better understanding of a research problem or issue than
either research approach alone.
Basic Characteristics
Design can be based on either or both perspectives.
Research problems can become research questions and/or hypotheses based on prior
literature, knowledge, experience, or the research process.
Sample sizes vary based on methods used.
Data collection can involve any technique available to researchers.
Interpretation is continual and can influence stages in the research process.
Why Use Mixed Methods?
At a general level, mixed methods is chosen
because of its strength of drawing on both qualitative and quantitative research and
minimizing the
limitations of both approaches. At a practical level, mixed methods provides a sophisticated,
complex approach to research that appeals to those on the forefront of new research
procedures. It
also can be an ideal approach if the researcher has access to both quantitative and qualitative
data. At
a procedural level, it is a useful strategy to have a more complete understanding of research
problems/questions, such as the following:
Comparing different perspectives drawn from quantitative and qualitative data
Explaining quantitative results with a qualitative follow-up data collection and analysis
Developing better measurement instruments by first collecting and analyzing qualitative data
and then administrating the instruments to a sample
Understanding experimental results by incorporating the perspectives of individuals
Developing a more complete understanding of changes needed for a marginalized group
through
the combination of qualitative and quantitative data
Having a better understanding the need for and impact of an intervention program through
collecting both quantitative and qualitative data over time.
When to use it?
Mixed methods research is particularly suited:
When one wants to validate or corroborate the results obtained from other methods.
When one needs to use one method to inform another method. For instance, when
little is known about a topic and it is necessary to first learn about what variables to study
through qualitative research, and then study those variables with a large sample of
individuals using quantitative research.
When one wants to continuously look at a research question from different angles,
and clarify unexpected findings and/or potential contradictions.
When one wants to elaborate, clarify, or build on findings from other methods. For
instance, if a causal relationship has being established through experimental research but
one wants to understand and explain the causal processes involved through qualitative
research.
When one wants to develop a theory about a phenomenon of interest and then test
it. Usually, qualitative research is more suitable to build theory, while quantitative
research provides a better way of testing theories.
Types of Mixed Methods Designs
When one wants to generalize findings from qualitative research.
• Convergent parallel mixed methods is a form of mixed methods design in which
the researcher converges or merges quantitative and qualitative data in order to
provide a comprehensive analysis of the research problem. In this design, the
investigator typically collects both forms of data at roughly the same time and then
integrates the information in the interpretation of the overall results. Contradictions or
incongruent findings are explained or further probed in this design.
• Explanatory sequential mixed methods is one in which the researcher first
conducts
quantitative research, analyzes the results and then builds on the results to explain
them in more detail with qualitative research. It is considered explanatory because the
initial quantitative data results are explained further with the qualitative data. It is
considered sequential because the initial quantitative phase is followed by the
qualitative phase. This type of design is popular in fields with a strong quantitative
orientation (hence the project begins with quantitative research), but it presents
challenges of identifying the quantitative results to further explore and the unequal
sample sizes for each phase of the study.
• Exploratory sequential mixed methods is the reverse sequence from the
explanatory sequential design. In the exploratory sequential approach the researcher
first begins with a qualitative research phase and explores the views of participants.
The data are then analyzed, and the information used to build into a second,
quantitative phase. The qualitative phase may be used to build an instrument that best
fits the sample under study, to identify appropriate instruments to use in the follow-up
quantitative phase, or to specify variables that need to go into a follow-up quantitative
study. Particular challenges to this design reside in focusing in on the appropriate
qualitative findings to use and the sample selection for both phases of research.
Several Advanced Mixed Methods Designs
The embedded mixed methods design nests one or more forms of data (quantitative or
qualitative or both) within a larger design (e.g., a narrative study, an ethnography, an
experiment). For example, within an experiment, the researcher can collect qualitative data
and collect it during the experiment (convergent) or before the experiment begins
(sequentially) or after the experiment ends (sequentially). It is a popular design within the
health sciences and when investigators test an intervention or program in an applied setting
(e.g., in a school). A second strategy is to incorporate elements of the convergent,
explanatory sequential, or exploratory sequential approaches within a social justice
framework to help a marginalized group. This design is call transformative mixed
methods, and the researcher uses a social justice theory as a framework for a mixed methods
study. This theory (e.g., feminist, racial) frames many aspects of the mixed methods study,
such as the research problem, the questions, the data collection and analysis, interpretation,
and the call for action. It is popular in studying marginalized groups in various countries,
especially third world countries, throughout the world and in the United States (e.g.,
indigenous populations, females, racial and ethnic groups, disabled individuals). Finally,
another advanced design is the multiphase mixed methods in which researchers conduct
several mixed methods projects, sometimes including mixed methods convergent or
sequential approaches, sometimes including only quantitative or qualitative studies in a
longitudinal study with a focus on a common objective for the multiple projects. This
form of research is popular in the evaluation or program implementation fields in which
multiple phases of the project stretch over time. These projects may go back and forth
between quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies, but they build on each other to
address a common program objective.
Mixed Methods Notation in the Figures
• QUAL and QUAN capitalization indicates an emphasis or priority on the quantitative or
qualitative
data, analysis, and interpretation in the study. In a mixed methods study, the qualitative and
quantitative data may be equally emphasized, or one may be more emphasized than the other.
Capitalization indicates that an approach or method is emphasized. Lowercase indicates
lesser
priority or emphasis on the method.
• Quan and Qual stand for quantitative and qualitative, respectively, and they use the same
number of
letters to indicate equality between the forms of data.
• A plus sign—+—indicates a convergent or merging integration of data collection—with
both
quantitative and qualitative data collected at same time.
• An arrow—→—indicates a sequential form of data collection; one form (e.g., qualitative
data)
builds or connects with the other (e.g., quantitative data).
• Parentheses—( )—indicate that one form of data collection is embedded within another or
embedded within a larger design.
• Double arrows—→←—mean that the flow of activities can go both ways.
• Also in the figures we see boxes that highlight important major components of the design—
such as
data collection or data analysis.
Advantages
Can be easy to describe and to report.
Can be useful when unexpected results arise from a prior study.
Can help generalize, to a degree, qualitative data.
Helpful in designing and validating an instrument.
Can position research in a transformative framework.
Disadvantages and limitations
The research design can be very complex.
Takes much more time and resources to plan and implement this type of research.
It may be difficult to plan and implement one method by drawing on the findings of
another.
It may be unclear how to resolve discrepancies that arise in the interpretation of the
findings.
