Mixed Methods Procedures

Discuss the reasons for using mixed methods presented in the chapter. For each reason, provide an example of a study that would benefit.

Draws from quantitative and qualitative data collection methods: Mixed research methods entail combining qualitative and quantitative methods to understand an issue under study and answer the research questions. Using either quantitative or qualitative approaches has individual weaknesses. At a general level, combining both methods helps the researcher overcome the limitations of each individual method in a study (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). For instance, combining interviews and questionnaires to understand people’s physical exercise patterns helps overcome the limitations of each method.
Provides a complex and sophisticated approach that can appeal to people at the early stages of exploring new research processes: At a practical level, mixed methods are ideal for people who understand the research procedures under both methods. It can be useful in a study where a researcher wants to employ a new research procedure, such as in studying a person’s experience living with a disability, where the qualitative narrative study is the common method.
Provides a complete understanding of phenomena under study: At a procedural level, mixed methods enable the researcher to compile qualitative and quantitative data to understand a phenomenon better. A sample study that would benefit from this merit is investigating the effects of social media use, including analyzing people’s comments and views (qualitative) and trends of social media use per day (quantitative).

Discuss at least one example of integration in mixed methods research. Use the appropriate term (merging, explaining, building, embedding) and give an example.

Merging: Among the fundamental concepts in mixed methods is merging. Merging entails combining qualitative and quantitative data through procedures such as data transformation, side-by-side comparison, or joint display. Merging through side-by-side comparison is evident in a study in the discussion of findings section, where the researcher first reports the quantitative findings and later presents a discussion of qualitative findings, such as through thematic analysis that validates or invalidates the quantitative findings (Newman, 2016). Another form of merging is where a researcher transforms qualitatively coded data or databases into quantitative codes and combines the quantitative databases.
Embedding: Embedding is another form of integration in mixed methods where a researcher embeds a data set that contains qualitative, quantitative, or a combination of data in a larger methodology, theory, or design. For instance, in an embedded experimental design, a researcher can collect qualitative data independent of the experiment and then use it to support the larger experiment (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).

Chapter 10 gives six important factors to consider when choosing a mixed-method design. Consider a study you are interested in conducting. First, identify a mixed methods design. Then, discuss each of these factors in providing a rationale for your design choice.

An experimental design can be used to determine the effect of group work on students’ performance in Continuous Assessment Tests (CATs) using an intervention and control group. Experimental design can be employed as a mixed method where qualitative and quantitative data are obtained from the two participant groups. The six factors that influence the choice of a mixed design, as Creswell and Creswell (2018) suggest, are;

Expected Outcomes/Intent: The study entails understanding the outcome of a learning approach by analyzing the performance results as well as incorporating learners’ perspectives and opinions.
Timing of data collection: The design will be a convergent strategy since participant data will be collected concurrently and simultaneously. However, the study will use multiple time points since performance from several CATs will be considered.
Integrating data together: The analysis will entail merging the qualitative and quantitative data obtained.
Database being emphasized: Emphasis will be on the experimental study’s quantitative and qualitative data. As Creswell and Creswell (2018) point out, the convergent approach best suits a situation where the researcher wants to emphasize on both qualitative and quantitative data.
Design most suited for the field: An experimental design is used where the researcher wants to determine an outcome by subjecting participants to experimental conditions. As Mertens (2010) notes, experimental methods have effectively measured educational outcomes.
Whether a single researcher or a team is conducting the research: The data from the research is not complicated; thus, it is easy to integrate as a single researcher.

Select one of the complex mixed methods designs (experimental, case study, participatory-social justice, evaluation). What is an example of a study you might conduct using that particular design?

An experimental design can be used to study the patterns of social media use and the effects of social media use on working-class people. The study would entail developing self-measures that record participants’ social media use habits. The qualitative study would entail obtaining participants’ perceptions of social media use and the effects of the various patterns of social media use on their daily lives. Quantitative data, such as the number of hours spent on social media, would be obtained.

Review the mixed methods intervention design presented in Figure 10.2. What are the validity threats that may be present in this design?

Figure 10.2 shows a mixed methods intervention design and reasons for implementing the qualitative strand at different stages of the study (Sandelowski, 1996). The method entails the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data to integrate the findings into an experimental trial. However, the method may have two major validity threats;

Internal validity: As Creswell and Creswell (2018) point out, the method requires the researcher to understand the experiments and design them rigorously, failure to which compromise of internal validity is imminent.
External Validity: Qualitative data collection can occur at different points for the same study at different times, which may yield varying results due to errors. This may hinder external validity.

References

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. (5^th Ed.) California: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Mertens, D. M. (2010). Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (3^rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Newman, M. (2016). Research methods in psychology. (2nd ed.). Bridgepoint Education.

Sandelowski, M. (1996). Using qualitative methods in intervention studies. Research in Nursing & Health, 19(4), 359–364.

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Question

Mixed Methods Procedures

Discuss the reasons for using mixed methods presented in the chapter. For each reason, provide an example of a study that would benefit.
Discuss at least one example of integration in mixed methods research. Use the appropriate term (merging, explaining, building, embedding) and give an example.
Chapter 10 gives six important factors to consider when choosing a mixed-method design. Consider a study you are interested in conducting. First, identify a mixed methods design. Then, discuss each of these factors in providing a rationale for your design choice.
Select one of the complex mixed methods designs(experimental, case study, participatory-social justice, evaluation). What is an example of a study you might conduct using that particular design?
Review the mixed methods intervention design presented in Figure 10.2. What are the validity threats that may be present in this design?

Mixed Methods Procedures