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Course Goals: At the completion of this course students should be able to: Understand mixed methods research. Appreciate the strengths and limitations of qualitative and quantitative data. Understand the intent, procedures, advantages, and challenges of three basic mixed methods designs. e three basic mixed methods designs Course Readings: The ...
Mixed methods research contributes valuable insights to and appears in fields as diverse as business, health sciences, psychology, sociology, and education. The flexibility of mixed methods makes it a versatile tool, enabling researchers to tackle complex questions in diverse fields and bridge the gap between qualitative depth and quantitative breadth.
- When to Use Mixed Methods Research
- Mixed Methods Research Designs
- Advantages of Mixed Methods Research
- Disadvantages of Mixed Methods Research
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Mixed methods research may be the right choice if your research processsuggests that quantitative or qualitative data alone will not sufficiently answer your research question. There are several common reasons for using mixed methods research: 1. Generalizability: Qualitative research usually has a smaller sample size, and thus is not generalizable...
There are different types of mixed methods research designs. The differences between them relate to the aim of the research, the timing of the data collection, and the importance given to each data type. As you design your mixed methods study, also keep in mind: 1. Your research approach (inductive vs deductive) 2. Your research questions 3. What k...
“Best of both worlds” analysis
Combining the two types of data means you benefit from both the detailed, contextualized insights of qualitative data and the generalizable, externally valid insights of quantitative data. The strengths of one type of data often mitigate the weaknesses of the other. For example, solely quantitative studies often struggle to incorporate the lived experiences of your participants, so adding qualitative data deepens and enriches your quantitative results. Solely qualitative studies are often not...
Method flexibility
Mixed methods are less tied to disciplines and established research paradigms. They offer more flexibility in designing your research, allowing you to combine aspects of different types of studies to distill the most informative results. Mixed methods research can also combine theory generation and hypothesis testingwithin a single study, which is unusual for standalone qualitative or quantitative studies.
Workload
Mixed methods research is very labor-intensive. Collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing two types of data into one research product takes a lot of time and effort, and often involves interdisciplinary teams of researchers rather than individuals. For this reason, mixed methods research has the potential to cost much more than standalone studies.
Differing or conflicting results
If your analysis yields conflicting results, it can be very challenging to know how to interpret them in a mixed methods study. If the quantitative and qualitative results do not agree or you are concerned you may have confounding variables, it can be unclear how to proceed. Due to the fact that quantitative and qualitative data take two vastly different forms, it can also be difficult to find ways to systematically compare the results, putting your data at risk for biasin the interpretation...
If you want to know more about statistics, methodology, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
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Chapter 11: Mixed Methods and Multiple Methods Mixed methods research recognizes, and works with, the fact that the world is not exclusively quantitative or qualitative; it is not an either/or world, but a mixed world, even though the researcher may find that the research has a predominant disposition to, or requirement for, numbers or qualitative data.
Overview. This online short course for postgraduate researchers critically discusses a mixed methods approach to research. The course includes a strong conceptual and theoretical component and is also participatory in nature, with multiple resources that you can interact with either independently and/or collaboratively.
Learn the three basic mixed methods designs. Introduction to Designing & Conducting Mixed Methods Research, a collaboration between the Harvard Catalyst Education and Community Engagement programs, is an online, eight-week course that offers an introduction to mixed methods research in the health sciences. This course is ideal for learners who ...
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The Certificate in Mixed Methods Research (MMR) is designed for researchers and practitioners in social work, nursing, psychology, public health, anthropology, political science, sociology, education, and other applied fields who are interested in: ways to integrate qualitative and quantitative research methods and data.