Mixed Research is a type of empirical research method that
- relies on both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis.
Mixed Research may
- engage in quantitizing–the process of converting qualitative data into quantitative data
- engage in qualitizing–the process of converting quantitative data into qualitative data.
Key Words: Mixed Methods Research; Multimethod Research
Mixed Research Methods are effective when
- you seek a more robust, layered perspective
- For example, statistical results from a survey can be enriched by interviews
- you seek to reach audiences or methodological communities that embrace diverse epistemologies.
either overlooks questions of objectivity vs. subjectivity and positivism vs. postpostivism or argues that it’s viable to balance between these perspectives or that justified truth lies in the shared boundaries of these positions.
of description Methodological Communities give to research studies that combine multiple research methods.
When investigators describe their methodology as using they typically mean they have gathered
The integrity of Mixed Research has been a hot topic of conversation and debate.
| Mixed Research Methods | Evidence The primary focus, the substantive evidence for the study, includes an equivalent blend of quantitative and qualitative data. |
| Qualitative Methods | Qualitative Methods are investigations that gather and interpret qualitative data (i.e., words) rather than numerical data (i.e., numbers and statistics). |
| Quantitative Methods | Quantitative Research gathers and interprets numerical data (i.e., numbers and statistics) |
- developing knowledge claims based on texts, logical reasoning, dialectics, and empirical observations.
- writing different versions of a study for multiple audiences and media.
Nearly all research studies mix methods a little bit. But the claim that a study represents Mixed Methods suggests the findings and implications of the study are based on multiple sources of evidence–and those sources of evidence include quantiative and qualiatative measures
- Informal Research Methods
- Empirical Research, Primary Research, Scientific Research
- Textual Research, Secondary Research
