Module 3 Assignment 1

Mixed-Methods Research

As you have explored the quantitative and qualitative research designs, you may have noticed that, depending on your research question(s), quantitative research may fit better (or vice versa) in answering the question(s). It is very important to choose your methodology based on the type of problems you wish to examine, in addition to your personal strengths and weaknesses. Below is a list of research problems and matching methods or designs (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007):

• Need to see if a treatment is effective » experimental design

• Need to see what factors influence an outcome » correlation design

• Need to identify broad trends in a population » survey design

• Need to describe a culture-sharing group » ethnography design

• Need to generate a theory of a process » grounded theory design

• Need to tell the story of an individual » narrative design (p. 32)

What about mixed methods? What are the situations in which the mixed method is the preferred approach? Below are some examples (adapted from Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007):

1. When a need exists for both quantitative and qualitative approaches. One may wish to collect both survey data and interview data to note trends and generalizations as well as in-depth knowledge and clarifications of subtleties of the participants’ perspectives.

2. When a need exists to enhance the study with a second source of data. This is preferred when one design can be enhanced by the other design. For example, a problem may exist that results from an experimental or correlational design that is insufficient and the qualitative data from interviews can offer further insights into the problems of interests and thereby enhance the overall study.

3. When a need exists to explain the quantitative results. Sometimes quantitative results are inadequate to provide explanations of outcomes, and the problem can be better understood by using qualitative data to explain the quantitative results in the words of the participants.

4. When a need exists to explore the issue qualitatively. Sometimes qualitative research can provide an adequate exploration of a problem, but it is not enough to fully understand the problem. For example, qualitative research is often used initially to identify variables, constructs, and theories to test and to help in the identification of items and scales to be used in a quantitative evaluation or to help develop a quantitative instrument.

To further explore mixed-methods research, take a moment to read the following article from: Mixed Methods Research Designs in Counseling Psychology

Reference:

Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting
           mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.