What is Mixed Methods Research
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, John Creswell from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln introduces mixed methods research, a field he's contributed to for 25 years. Creswell explains that mixed methods research combines qualitative and quantitative data to provide a more comprehensive understanding of social science, education, and health science problems. He outlines four key features of mixed methods research: collecting and analyzing both types of data rigorously, integrating the data, and often framing the research within a broader context such as an experiment or theory. Creswell clarifies misconceptions about mixed methods and discusses various research designs, including convergent, explanatory sequential, and exploratory sequential designs, emphasizing the importance of a rigorous approach.
Takeaways
- 📚 Mixed methods research combines both qualitative and quantitative data to provide a more comprehensive understanding of research problems.
- 🌟 John Creswell, a leading figure in mixed methods research, has co-founded the Journal of Mixed Methods Research and has extensive experience in the field.
- 🎓 Mixed methods research is particularly relevant in social sciences, education, and health sciences, where both stories and statistics are crucial for evidence.
- 📈 The approach is exemplified in various contexts like documentaries, sports analysis, and media reports, where personal stories and numerical data are presented together.
- 🔍 Mixed methods research involves collecting and analyzing both types of data using rigorous methods, ensuring the research is both systematic and in-depth.
- 🧐 Qualitative data provides detailed, context-rich insights from participants, while quantitative data offers efficiency and the ability to generalize findings to larger populations.
- 🔬 Rigor in mixed methods research is achieved through careful design, data collection, and analysis, with both quantitative and qualitative methods requiring different yet thorough approaches.
- 🔄 Integration of qualitative and quantitative data is a core aspect of mixed methods research, with different designs like convergent, explanatory sequential, and exploratory sequential being used.
- 🌐 Advanced mixed methods designs can incorporate broader frameworks such as experiments, theories, or community-based participatory research to enhance the study's context and impact.
- 📊 The choice of mixed methods design depends on the research question and the desired depth of understanding, with each design offering unique strengths and applications.
Q & A
What is mixed methods research?
-Mixed methods research is an approach that combines both qualitative and quantitative data to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a research problem. It involves collecting and analyzing data from both sources using rigorous methods and then integrating the findings.
Why is mixed methods research important in the social sciences?
-Mixed methods research is important in the social sciences because it allows researchers to gain a more complete understanding of social phenomena by combining the depth of qualitative data with the breadth and generalizability of quantitative data.
Can you provide an example of mixed methods research from the transcript?
-An example given in the transcript is Al Gore's documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth', which combines personal stories with statistical data to convey the message about global warming more effectively.
What are the four key features of mixed methods research mentioned in the transcript?
-The four key features of mixed methods research mentioned are: 1) Collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, 2) Using rigorous procedures in data collection and analysis, 3) Integrating the two forms of data, and 4) Often framing these designs within a larger perspective such as an experiment, theory, or community-based participatory research approach.
How does mixed methods research differ from multimethod research?
-Mixed methods research differs from multimethod research in that it involves the integration of qualitative and quantitative data, whereas multimethod research might involve gathering multiple forms of either qualitative or quantitative data separately without necessarily integrating them.
What is an example of a convergent design in mixed methods research?
-A convergent design in mixed methods research involves collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously and then merging the data to compare and corroborate the findings from both databases.
What is an explanatory sequential design and how is it used in mixed methods research?
-An explanatory sequential design starts with quantitative data collection and analysis, followed by a qualitative phase to interpret and elaborate on the initial quantitative findings, providing a deeper understanding of the results.
Can you explain the exploratory sequential design mentioned in the transcript?
-An exploratory sequential design begins with qualitative data collection to explore and understand a phenomenon, followed by a quantitative phase to test or measure the concepts or theories that emerged from the initial qualitative phase.
What are some of the advantages of using quantitative data in research?
-Quantitative data offers advantages such as efficiency in studying large numbers of people across wide geographic areas, the ability to examine relationships among variables, and control for bias. It also provides numerical data that can be statistically analyzed for patterns and trends.
What are some of the advantages of using qualitative data in research?
-Qualitative data allows researchers to hear detailed voices of participants, understand their experiences, and capture the context in which phenomena occur. It is more realistic as it builds perspectives from the views of participants, offering rich, in-depth insights.
Why is rigor important in mixed methods research?
-Rigor in mixed methods research is important to ensure the scientific validity and reliability of the study. It involves careful design, systematic data collection, and rigorous analysis to ensure that the integration of qualitative and quantitative data is meaningful and justifiable.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Mixed Methods Research
John Crestwell introduces himself as a professor from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, specializing in educational psychology. He has extensive experience in mixed methods research, having co-founded the Journal of Mixed Methods Research and authored textbooks on the subject. The video aims to provide a basic understanding of mixed methods research, which combines both qualitative and quantitative data to gain a more comprehensive view of research problems. Crestwell emphasizes the importance of using a mix of stories and statistics, drawing examples from documentaries, sports, and media reports that utilize both narrative and numerical data.
🚫 Misconceptions about Mixed Methods Research
Crestwell clarifies common misconceptions about mixed methods research, noting that it is not merely using the term without following rigorous research procedures. It is more than just having both types of data available or collecting and analyzing them separately. He distinguishes mixed methods research from multimethod research, which involves gathering multiple forms of either qualitative or quantitative data. The paragraph emphasizes the need for a structured approach that combines different forms of data in a meaningful way.
🔍 The Process of Mixed Methods Research
The paragraph delves into the process of conducting mixed methods research, which involves collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data using rigorous methods. Crestwell discusses the different assumptions and methods associated with each type of data, highlighting the distinct advantages and limitations of both. Quantitative data is often predetermined and analyzed statistically, while qualitative data involves open-ended questions and thematic analysis. The paragraph also touches on the importance of design, sampling, and data collection methods in ensuring the rigor of mixed methods research.
🔗 Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Data
Crestwell explains the importance of integrating qualitative and quantitative data in mixed methods research, which is a key aspect that distinguishes it from other research approaches. He outlines different design models, including convergent, explanatory sequential, and exploratory sequential designs, each with a specific approach to data collection and integration. The paragraph also mentions advanced designs that can be used to further enhance the research by incorporating theories or community-based participatory research frameworks. The goal of integration is to achieve a more holistic understanding of the research problem by combining the insights from both types of data.
📖 Conclusion and Future Outlook
In the final paragraph, Crestwell concludes the presentation by summarizing the key features of mixed methods research: collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, using rigorous procedures, integrating the data, and often framing the research within a larger perspective such as an experiment or a theory. He expresses his anticipation for further discussions on mixed methods research, inviting viewers to engage more deeply with the topic in the future.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mixed Methods Research
💡Quantitative Data
💡Qualitative Data
💡Convergent Design
💡Explanatory Sequential Design
💡Exploratory Sequential Design
💡Rigorous Procedures
💡Data Integration
💡Research Design
💡Community-Based Participatory Research
Highlights
Introduction to mixed methods research by John Creswell from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
Mixed methods research combines both qualitative and quantitative data for a more comprehensive understanding.
Examples of mixed methods in documentaries like Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'.
The importance of combining stories and statistics in sports analysis, as illustrated by Shane Battier's basketball career.
Media portrayal of events like Hurricane Sandy using a mix of personal stories and statistical data.
Definition of mixed methods research as an emerging approach in social and health sciences.
Four key features of mixed methods research: collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data.
The necessity of rigorous approaches in collecting and analyzing data.
The integration of qualitative and quantitative data as a critical aspect of mixed methods research.
Differentiating mixed methods research from simply using both types of data without integration.
The advantages of quantitative research in studying large populations and controlling for bias.
The strengths of qualitative research in providing detailed voices and understanding experiences.
The importance of rigorous methods in both quantitative and qualitative research for scientific validity.
Convergent design in mixed methods research, where both types of data are collected and analyzed separately before integration.
Explanatory sequential design, starting with quantitative data followed by qualitative to interpret results.
Exploratory sequential design, beginning with qualitative data to guide subsequent quantitative research.
Advanced mixed methods designs that incorporate theories or community-based participatory research frameworks.
Conclusion and invitation for further exploration of mixed methods research.
Transcripts
hello this is John crestwell I'm
speaking to you from the University of
Nebraska at
Lincoln in the United States I am in the
department of educational
psychology and I'm going to talk a
little bit today about what is mixed
methods research this will just be a
short video
presentation I've been working in the
field of mixed methods research for
almost 25
years I co-founded uh the Journal of
mixed methods research we've established
a research office here I've written
textbooks on mixed methods research and
I've been teaching it for almost uh 20
years now so I'm just going to kind of
run through some of the basic ideas of
uh Four Points about what mixed methods
research is and hopefully you'll find
this informative and educational and
learn a little bit about mixed methods
research the thing is we might start
with the broader question of what kind
of evidence do we use to study the
problems today in the social sciences
and education and the Health
Sciences I think we can draw some Clues
from looking at recent documentaries
take for example Al Gore's documentary
and Inconvenient Truth and this is a
documentary of of course about global
warming but when you look at this
documentary it's a mixed methods
documentary
because Al Gore combines both of stories
as well as statistical trends for
example he shows some pictures of how
the glaciers have changed over time and
talks about that story of change over
the years and then in the next slide
he's he's showing us some some graphs
some pictures of how these changes have
occurred we can find it also in the
sporting world today when we look at the
evidence for example there is this
well-known basketball player in the
United States Shane batier he was uh in
seven as a seventh grader the fourth
best in the nation he graduated uh from
high school he considered the best he
went on to a very illustrious college
career
now when he went into the professional
basketball realm and people began
looking at his statistics on how he
performed he didn't score many points
points he didn't really snag many
rebounds he stole few balls he really
dished out few assists but yet his team
was
winning but then when they started
bringing in qualitative information such
as looking at how he uh blocked the
opponent's Vision how he looked at
whether the the players drove left or
right whether he talked to teammates and
how he talked to teammates we get the
quality evidence that begins to
supplement or augment the statistical
evidence to have a greater understanding
of Shane's potential we see this too in
everyday events that are portrayed in
the media such as the stories about
Hurricane Sandy in New York City where
we get the the passionate uh tragic
stories of individuals who've Lost
Property and some of lost lives and
those are then presented alongside the
uh newscast that show the statistics
about Hurricane Sandy and give us the
numeric information so again we have
stories and numbers being portrayed in
the media this leads to mixed methods
research which in the simplest way of
thinking about it is just simply putting
together the stories of people's lives
as well as the the numbers the
statistics of what occurs it's an
emerging mixed methods uh approach in
the Social and Health Sciences it
combines both these statistical Trends
and the stories people have developed a
complete methodology around this concept
the whole idea is that combining both
statistics as well as the stories gives
us a more complete understanding of our
research problem than just one by
itself so I want to go through now four
key features that really illustrate to
me what mix meth this is all about first
of all it's collecting and analyzing
both qualitative and quantitative
data using rigorous approaches in
collecting those
methods combining the two forms of data
and then perhaps framing it within a
broader framework and what I'm going to
do now is take each one of these four
points and I'm going to break them down
and talk about them
specifically it's helpful too at the
beginning to think about what mixed
methods is not because there's a lot of
uh commentary out there about what mixed
methods is what it is
not here are some of my thoughts about
what it's not it's it's not simply just
using the name mix methods without the
more rigorous
procedure in research methodology people
do that they drop in the terms such as
grounded Theory but they really don't
have the rigorous procedures behind
it it's more than just having both
quantitative and qualitative data
available and it's also more than
just Gathering both forms of data and
analyzing them separately without
bringing them
together also it's not just Gathering
multiple forms of qualitative data or
multiple forms of quantitative data
there's a term for that in the
literature called multimethod research
so now let me go through these four
points first of all what does it mean to
collect and analyze both qualitative and
quantitative
data we need to view data as part of a
larger picture of doing research it's
the type of information We Gather and
analyze to answer our questions it's
inframed within larger questions and
framed within larger philosophical
assumptions of doing research so my
focus is going to be on how we treat
that data how we combine it and
integrate it in mixed methods research
but we need to recognize it as part of a
larger approach to doing research it's
just one step in the
process now when you gather quantitative
data and qualitative data there are
certain different assumptions that are
operating two different forms of
gathering evidence quantitative data is
usually predetermined by the researcher
it's based on instruments We Gather
those instruments measuring performance
attitudes
observations we then do statistical
analysis and we make an inter
interpretation qualitative has a
different type of methods going on it's
an emerging methods where we don't
necessarily start with a predetermined
instrument we ask very open-ended
questions we often conduct interviews
observations we look at documents we
might look at email messages we might
listen to sounds the array of
qualitative methods uh that are
collected data that's collected is very
Broad then we take that information and
we analyze it I say we analyze text or
image data and we build up a picture of
what themes or patterns emerge from
talking to people so I see the methods
for quantitative and qualitative being
very different and having distinct
features now now both methods have
advantages take quantitative research
for example it's really useful for
studying large numbers of people AC
across a wide geographic area it's a
very efficient method of data collection
we can start looking at the relationship
among Concepts or variables we can even
look at whether something causes
something cause and
effect uh we can control for bias
carefully you know and people tend to
like numbers but we also know there's a
downside to quantitative research it
tends to be impersonal dry we really
don't hear the words and particip s
often we don't go out to the actual
setting where things are occurring it's
largely driven by the
research now qualitative research has
some distinct advantages too we can hear
those detailed voices of people we can
understand their experiences and their
actual settings where things are
occurring your whole idea and
qualitative is to build the perspective
up from the views of
participants not from the researchers
perspective so it's more realistic and
people like
stories some of his limitations well
it's it often draws on small sampal so
we can't really apply it across a large
number of
people uh it's also highly
interpretive uh and it also relies on
the researchers interpretation to make
sense of these stories that individuals
provide so next method secondly is
rigorous what what constitutes a
rigorous quantitative study and a
rigorous qualitative study we need to
attend to different perspectives about
design such as uh using a design
procedure in quantitative this would
mean an experiment or correlation or
survey whereas in qualita it might mean
using a design such as ethnography a
gred theory phenomenal olical study we
also need to attend to how we collect
the data from sites permissions a
systematic or a purposeful
sampling an adequate n or number of
people that we study we need to have
multiple forms of data collection we
need to go through a rigorous procedure
of analysis of the information whether
it's a statistical analysis such as
descriptive inferential using
statistical packages or on the
qualitative side whether it's using a
soft qualitative software package and
then building from the codes to the
themes to the to the larger perspectives
so we need some rigorous methods when we
do mixed methods research that gives it
more of a
scientific uh
form third and this is maybe one of the
most important and one of the most
confusing parts of mix methods research
we need to integrate these two forms of
data we need to bring the qualitative
and the quantitative
together now there are some designs out
there in the mix methods field that have
emerged and these have developed over
maybe the last 20
years the first one we call a convergent
design basically what we're going to do
here is we're going to collect
quantitative data analyze it and at the
same time we're going to collect
qualitative data and analyze it so the
quantitative might be a survey the
qualitative might be an open IND
interview with some people we're going
to gather these two databases and then
we're actually going to merge the data
bring it together and basically we're
going to compare the results to see when
we ask people questions and talk to them
as in qualitative and we gather
information on instruments whether the
results from these two
databases uh merge and are are
comparable that's a convergent design
the next is an explanatory sequential
design it's a very very popular one in
the social sciences and Health Sciences
we're going to start by collecting
quantitative data analyzing it and then
from those results we're then going to
build in a second qualitative phase
where we follow up so the whole idea in
in this design is to interpret the
quantitative results using the
qualitative
data now we can reverse this and we have
an exploratory design where we're going
to start not quantitatively but we're
going to start
qualitatively so we start with the
qualitative data collection we explore
and come up with findings we then use
those findings to then follow up with a
quantitative phase for example we might
use qualitative findings to develop a
new instrument because there aren't
existing instruments out there to
measure the a certain uh Phenomenon with
a population so this is a good design
for that so I call it qualitative
exploration then leading to a
quantitative
test now there's one more step we can
move Beyond these three basic designs to
more what we call Advanced
designs So within a basic design we can
add to it think about a basic design
that we're then going to surround it
with a more advanced design we're going
to put some more features into it for
example we might do an experiment within
which a ENT design is used we might do a
case study we might use a theoretical
model social change model for example or
we might use a social science theory
model one of the popular approaches here
is to do an experiment and within that
to use a convergent basic design Where
We Gather both quantitative and
qualitative data and bring them together
another one would be to use a social
science theory that surrounds an
explanatory sequential design so the
theory that kind of guides the entire
study it provides a framework for which
we then start quantitatively and follow
up
qualitatively another popular one that's
emerging is is a community- based
participatory research that's a
framework for engaging the community and
getting them involved in decisions
throughout the research process we might
use that in an exploratory sequential
design
so those are four of the basic ideas of
what mix methods research is it's
collecting and analyzing qualitative and
quantitative data using rigorous
procedures combining or integrating both
forms of data and then framing often
framing uh these designs within a larger
perspective such as an experiment a
theory or a community participatory
research approach
thanks for your time we look forward to
hearing more about mix methods from you
in the
future
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