Jhon W.

Creswell

Quantitative and qualitative research

According to the Journal of Mixed Methods Research (JMMR), quantitative and qualitative
data can be mixed for the purpose of illustrating a more complete understanding of the
phenomenon being studied.

Analysis on triangulation in mixed methods

Flick et al. describe those research issues that support the use of mixed methods as those that
require a triangulation of perspectives to understand a complex problem. In their study, the
authors acknowledge that a constructivist paradigm precedes the framing of the research
issue.
Once there might be antecedent conditions that demand to be explored in the formulation of
the research questions. Hence, a different basis for the choice of mixed methods would need
to be established, more than the addressing of a complex problem.
Also Torrance draws on the literature from sociology, program evaluation, and qualitative
methods to support his argument that mixed methods research could benefit from increased
use of triangulation in the form of the involvement of respondents in the interpretation of
quantitative and qualitative data, especially as a means to address issues of power.
If the power for interpretation rests solely with the researcher, without input from the
community, then this brings up questions of accurate representation and ethics. He notes that
qualitative researchers recommend the use of member checks or respondent validation to
ensure the accuracy of the data collected.
LG/2017