Overview of Mixed Methods Research

Mixed methods research involves collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data.
The quantitative data includes closed-end information that undergoes statistical analysis and
results in a numerical representation. Qualitative data, on the other hand, is more subjective and
open-ended. It allows for the “voice” of the participants to be heard and interpretation of
observations. Considering the methods discussed in the quantitative and qualitative modules,
following are a few examples of how the methodologies may be mixed to provide a more thorough
understanding of a research problem.

• A researcher may collect data using a quantitative data instrument. The researcher may
then follow up by interviewing a subset of the participants to learn more detailed information
about some of the survey responses, providing a more thorough understanding of the
results.
• A researcher may conduct interviews to explore how individuals describe or feel about a
particular topic and then use that information to develop a more useful quantitative
survey.
• The researcher may be planning to use quantitative methods to assess the impact of a
particular treatment plan. He or she may conduct interviews to better recruit appropriate
participants for the trial.
• The researcher uses focus groups to collect information regarding a topic and then uses a
quantitative survey with a larger group to validate the responses of the focus group.

Advantages:

• Both quantitative and qualitative research have weaknesses. Quantitative research is weak
in understanding the context or setting in which data is collected. Qualitative research may
include biases and does not lend itself to statistical analysis and generalization. Mixed
method strategies can offset these weaknesses by allowing for both exploration and
analysis in the same study.
• Researchers are able to use all the tools available to them and collect more comprehensive
data. This provides results that have a broader perspective of the overall issue or research
problem.
• The final results may include both observations and statistical analyses. Therefore, the
results are validated within the study. Using both approaches in one study provides
additional evidence and support for the findings.
• Mixed methods combines inductive and deductive thinking and reasoning.
• The researcher can use both words and numbers to communicate the results and findings
and thus, appeal to a wider audience.
• Combining methodologies helps to reduce the personal biases of the researcher.

Challenges:

• It is more time-consuming to collect both quantitative and qualitative data.

• The study may require more resources to collect both types of data.
• The research procedures are more complicated and may be out of the comfort zone of the
researcher. Investigators are often trained in quantitative or qualitative methods and may
need assistance crossing over.
• Methodology requires clear presentation when published or presented so that the
audience can accurately understand the procedures and the findings.
When to Use Mixed Methods

Mixed methods research includes collecting, analyzing and interpreting data using both quantitative
and qualitative methods in a single study or series of studies in order to investigate a phenomenon or
attempt to answer a research question. In successful mixed methods research, the methodologies
chosen will have complementary strengths and nonoverlapping weaknesses. This will result in a
comprehensive look at the research problem from many perspectives and will offer a more complete
picture when analyzing results.
To determine whether or not mixed methods are appropriate for a particular research project, the
researcher needs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of a mixed methods approach.
Following is a list of common strengths and weaknesses to consider:

Strengths:

• Data is more comprehensive. It can include numbers, statistics, words, pictures and narrative.
• Can be used to answer a broader range of research questions because the researcher can
use more than one approach.
• The strengths of one method can be used to overcome the weaknesses of another method.
• The results from the methods may validate each other each and provide stronger
evidence for a conclusion.
• Can add insights and understanding that may be otherwise missed.
• Increases the generalizability of the results.

Weaknesses:

• Researchers may only be trained or familiar with quantitative or qualitative methods.

• Choosing the appropriate methods and creating the overall design of the research
project may be more challenging.
• May be difficult to manage the projects if both methods are being used simultaneously.
• May be more time-consuming and require additional funding.

Choosing a Mixed Methods Design

Developing a mixed methods research design can be challenging. Researchers must choose the
appropriate quantitative and qualitative approaches necessary to answer the research question
and design their mixed methods project using those approaches. There are many ways combine
these approaches and there are no rigid formulas for designing a mixed methods project.
However, the following guidelines may be helpful for a researcher to consider as he or she designs
the overall methodology of the project.

Following is a list of six mixed methods design strategies as developed by Dr. John Creswell
(2003), a leading expert in mixed methods research.

• Sequential Explanatory Design – This method is a two phase design where the
quantitative data is collected first followed by qualitative data collection. The purpose is to
use the qualitative results to further explain and interpret the findings from the quantitative
phase. For example, a survey may be used to collect quantitative data from a larger group.
Members of that group may then later be selected for interviews where they can explain and
offer insights into their survey answers.

• Sequential Exploratory Design – This method is also a two phase design. The qualitative
data is collected first, followed by collection and analysis of quantitative data. The purpose
 of this design is to develop an instrument (such as a survey), to develop a classification for
testing, or to identify variables. Using the information from journals or diaries to develop an
appropriate survey to administer to a larger sample would be an example of this design.

• Sequential Transformative Design – This type of design also has two phases, but allows
the theoretical perspective of the researcher to guide the study and determine the order of
data collection. The results from both methods are integrated together at the end of the
study during the interpretation phase.

• Concurrent Triangulation Design – In this design, qualitative and quantitative data are
collected concurrently in one phase. The data is analyzed separately and then compared
and/or combined. An example would be if a researcher collected survey data and interview
data at the same time and compared the results. This method is used to confirm, cross-
validate or corroborate findings. It is often used to overcome a weakness in one method with
the strengths of another. It can also be useful in expanding quantitative data through
collection of open-ended qualitative data.

• Concurrent Nested (Embedded) Design – This design includes one phase of data
collection in which priority is given to one approach that guides the project, while the other
approach is embedded or nested into the project and provides a supporting role. The
embedded approach is often addressing a different question then the primary research
question.

• Concurrent Transformative Design – This method involves concurrent data collection of

both quantitative and qualitative data. It is guided by a theoretical perspective in the
purpose or research question of the study. This perspective guides all methodological
choices and the purpose is to evaluate that perspective at different levels of analysis.

Mixed Methods Data Collection

The overall data collection methods will depend on the specific mixed methods design chosen for a
particular research project. In general, both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected in all
mixed methods research. The researcher will need to determine two key factors – When will the
data be collected? How will the data be collected? In regards to when it will be collected, the actual
data collection will either occur concurrently or sequentially depending on the design. When data
are collected concurrently within a particular design, the qualitative and quantitative data are
obtained simultaneously and are independent of each other. For designs where the data is
collected sequentially in phases, the two forms of data are related or connected. For a list and
descriptions of mixed methods designs, please see the previous module in this series, Choosing a
Mixed Methods Design.

After considering the research question and determining a mixed methods design, the researcher
will need to determine how the data will be collected. To do this, he or she will need to determine
which qualitative and quantitative approaches will be appropriate. The data quality may vary, as
may the amount of potential researcher bias. Following is a list of some of the most common types
of data collection methods and the key characteristics of each method.

• Surveys – high level of structure and standardization, commonly used to collect data
from large numbers of people, researcher involvement with the participants is low
• Interviews – less structured, researcher involvement may be high as interviewer, more
difficult to collect information from large numbers
• Focus Groups - less structured, researcher involvement may be high as interviewer, more
difficult to collect information from large numbers
 • Observation – less structured, requires involvement of the researcher, smaller data
sample, most subjective of data collection methods, researcher bias may be higher
• Historical or Archival Methods – may not include study participants, may only involve fact-
finding by researcher, may have less bias since more objective data collected

As with any research design, there are several steps in the data collection process. Sampling
procedures and the sample size must be determined and the necessary permissions obtained from
both participants and the Institutional Review Board if necessary. The sampling instrument(s) must
be determined and developed.
Finally, data is then collected, recorded and analyzed and conclusions are made. The main
difference with mixed methods research is that the researcher is collecting data using more than
one approach and procedure to answer the question.

Analyzing Mixed Methods Data

Mixed methods data analysis will involve analyzing the data from both the qualitative and
quantitative approaches used in the study. The strategy for data analysis and the timing of the
analysis may be driven by the overall rationale or purpose for using mixed methods such as
triangulation, complementarity, development, initiation, and expansion. These rationales were
explained in more detail in a previous module. The rationale behind the mixed methods approach
typically drives the design of the research study and therefore, determines at what point in the
project data is collected and analyzed. In general, the qualitative and quantitative data will either be
analyzed concurrently or sequentially. For example, if the purpose of using mixed methods is
triangulation, then data will likely be collected and analyzed concurrently. If the purpose is for
development, the study will be designed to occur in phases and data from the first phase will be
collected, analyzed and used to develop the second phase.

Regardless of when the data is collected and analyzed within the study, there are general
procedures for data analysis for both qualitative and quantitative data. The chart below outlines
the basic processes. The exact methods for qualitative and quantitative data analysis were
discussed in detail in those Research Ready units.

Once the data from the qualitative and quantitative portions of the study have been analyzed, the
data will need to be integrated in an appropriate way depending on the purpose of the study. The
integration of the data will maximize the strengths of each approach, while minimizing the
weaknesses. Effective integration of the data is the key to utilizing the mixed methods approach to
draw more comprehensive conclusions from a project. Three common methods for data integration
are discussed below:
• Data Consolidation or Merging – This can be achieved by jointly reviewed both types of
data and consolidating them through the use of numeric codes or narrative. It typically
requires transforming one dataset so that it can be compared to the other data set. For
example, perhaps numeric codes are assigned to the narrative data collected in a
qualitative study so that the results can be compare to the quantitative results.

• Connecting Data – When connecting data, one set of data is analyzed and the results are
used to guide the subsequent data collection, thus make a connection between data sets,
but not directly comparing results. This is used in two-phase projects where data is
collected and analyzed sequentially.

• Embedding the Data – One set of data is considered to the primary source and the
second set of data is embedded in the first one. For example, the primary data in a project
may relate to quantitative data in a drug therapy trial. However, within the project, a
smaller set of qualitative narrative responses may be collected from participants and used
to supplement the results collected from the trial.