MIXED METHODOLOGY

Mixed methodology is a methodological orientation that researchers can adopt, which combines qualitative and quantitative approaches in the methodology of a single study. It has its own framework, vocabulary, and techniques. Over the years, several definitions for mixed methodology have emerged and emphasized different elements: a method (mixed method research), a research process (mixed methodology), and a philosophy orientation (“multiple ways of seeing”). Nevertheless, Creswell and Clark identify key components that go into designing and conducting a mixed methods study: (a) it collects both qualitative and quantitative data rigorously in response to research questions and hypotheses; (b) it integrates (or mixes or combines) the two forms of data and their results; (c) it organizes these procedures into specific research designs that provide the logic and procedures for conducting the study, and (d) it frames these procedures within theory and philosophy. 

Mixed-methods research is often used by a wide variety of disciplines in the social, behavioral, and health sciences – especially when one data source seems to be insufficient. Oftentimes, researchers face phenomena and research questions that require both an exploration and an explanation, which can be drawn from different data sources. New insights may then be gained because of such a combination of approaches and multiplicity of data sources. Morgan affirms that mixed methodology has other potential advantages: (1) it can provide a way to harness strengths that offset the drawbacks of both quantitative and qualitative research, (2) it can provide more evidence for studying a problem than a single research method alone, (3) it can encourage the use of multiple worldviews, or social paradigms (i.e., system of beliefs and values), (4) it can provide a bridge across the often antagonistic divide between quantitative and qualitative researchers, and (5) the researcher becomes free to use all methods possible to address a research problem, by combining inductive and deductive logic through abductive thinking. However, adopting a mixed methodology might be a challenging endeavor since it requires researchers to have skills in several areas (quantitative research skills, qualitative research skills, and mixed-method skills). In addition, its data collection and analysis processes might require intensive use of multiple resources – including but not limited to – technology and expertise. Finally, gathering and analyzing extensive data might be a time-consuming process.

Bergman, Manfred Max. 2008. Advances in Mixed Methods Research: Theories and Applications. Sage Publications. 

Clark, Vicki L Plano, and Nataliya V Ivankova. 2016. Mixed Methods Research: A Guide to the Field. Sage Publications. 

Creswell, John W. 2013. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications. 

Creswell, John W. 2015. A Concise Introduction to Mixed Methods Research. Sage Publications. 

Creswell, John W, and Vicki L Plano Clark. 2017. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. Sage Publications. 

Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Nagy. 2010. Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory with Practice. Guilford Press. 

Johnson, R. Burke, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, and Lisa A. Turner. 2007. “Toward a Definition of Mixed Methods Research.” Journal of Mixed Methods Research 1 (2): 112–33.  

Morgan, David L. 2007. “Paradigms Lost and Pragmatism Regained: Methodological Implications of Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods.” Journal of Mixed Methods Research 1 (1): 48–76.  

Reis, Harry T, Harry T Reis, and Charles M Judd. 2014. Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology. Cambridge University Press. 

Tashakkori, Abbas, and John W. Creswell. 2007. “Editorial: Exploring the Nature of Research Questions in Mixed Methods Research.” Journal of Mixed Methods Research 1 (3): 207–11.  

Tashakkori, Abbas, and Charles Teddlie. 2010. Sage Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social & Behavioral Research. Sage Publications. 

Tashakkori, Abbas, and Charles B Teddlie. 1998. Mixed Methodology: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Sage Publications.