MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

© LOUIS COHEN, LAWRENCE MANION AND

KEITH MORRISON
 STRUCTURE OF THE CHAPTER
• Definitions of mixed methods research
• Why use mixed methods research
• The foundations of mixed methods research
• Paradigms and the commensurability problem in mixed methods
research
• Working with mixed methods approaches
• Mixed methods designs and data
• Reliability and validity in mixed methods research
• Mixed methods research questions
• Sampling in mixed methods research
• Mixed methods data analysis
• Timing and writing up the data analysis in mixed methods
research
• Stages in mixed methods research
WHAT IS MIXED IN MIXED METHODS RESEARCH?

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
FOUR DOMAINS OF MIXED METHODS APPROACHES

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 FOUNDATIONS OF
MIXED METHODS APPROACHES

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 MIXED METHODS

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
CONCERNS IN ‘MIXING’ (BIESTA, 2012)

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
CONCERNS IN ‘MIXING’ (BIESTA, 2012)

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 MIXED METHODS RESEARCH DESIGNS

• Parallel design
• Convergent design
• Sequential/multi-stage/multi-phase design
• Combined sequential design
• Explanatory design
• Exploratory design
• Embedded design
• Transformative design

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 PARALLEL DESIGN

QUAN
ANSWER TO
RESEARCH
QUESTION
QUAL

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 CONVERGENT DESIGN

QUAN
ANSWER TO
RESEARCH
QUESTION
QUAL

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
SEQUENTIAL/MULTI-STAGE/MULTI-PHASE
DESIGN

ANSWER
QUAN QUAL QUAN QUAL TO
RESEARCH
QUESTION

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 COMBINED SEQUENTIAL DESIGN

QUAN QUAL
ANSWER TO
RESEARCH
QUESTION
Qual Qual

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 EXPLANATORY DESIGN

ANSWER
QUAN QUAL TO
RESEARCH
QUESTION

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 EXPLORATORY DESIGN

ANSWER
QUAL QUAN TO
RESEARCH
QUESTION

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 EMBEDDED DESIGN

QUAN and/or QUAL

 
  ANSWER TO
RESEARCH
QUAN and/or QUESTION
QUAL

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 TRANSFORMATIVE DESIGN

ANSWER TO RESEARCH PURPOSE:

RESEARCH IMPROVE SOCIAL
QUAN QUAL QUESTION: JUSTICE, EQUALITY
IDEOLOGY AND EMANCIPATION
CRITIQUE

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY IN MIXED
METHODS RESEARCH

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
MIXED METHODS RESEARCH QUESTIONS

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
SAMPLING IN MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

• What sampling strategies will be used for which

elements of the research?
• Will the same or different samples be used in both the
quantitative and qualitative element?
• How will the quantitative and qualitative samples be
chosen?
• Will the qualitative sample be drawn from the sample
used in the quantitative element?
• Will the qualitative sample include, but add to, the
sample used in the quantitative element?
© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
SAMPLING IN MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

• Will the quantitative sample be drawn from the sample

used in the qualitative element?
• Will the quantitative sample include, but add to, the
sample used in the qualitative element?
• At what point in the research will the samples be drawn,
i.e. when will you decide whom the sample will comprise?
• Will the samples for the quantitative and qualitative
elements be of the same or different sizes?
• Will the same or different samples be used for the same
research question(s) and issues under study?

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 TYPES OF SAMPLE

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 MIXED METHODS DATA ANALYSIS
• The purposes of data analysis during and after the research
process
• How to analyse the quantitative and qualitative data
• How to apply ‘constant comparison’ to compare data
• Whether and why to analyse quantitative and qualitative data
separately, independently or together
• The sequence and timing of the data analysis
• Whether, why and how to use the analysis of one kind of data
to inform subsequent data collection and analysis
• Whether, when, where, why and how to relate, connect,
merge and/or integrate data and data types
© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
 MIXED METHODS DATA ANALYSIS
• Whether, where, how and why to quantitize qualitative data and
to qualitize quantitative data
• How to combine, compare and represent different types of data
in answering a research question
• Which data in the data analysis have greater priority, why, and
how to represent and address this
• What to do if the results from the analysis of one kind of data
contradict, support, refine, qualify, extend those of another kind
of data
• What to do if re-analysis of earlier data is required
• What to do if inadequate, insufficient or weak data are found
• How to combine data if they derive from different sampling
strategies and different, unequal sample sizes, types and people
© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
STAGES IN MIXED METHODS RESEARCH
(MMR)

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors
STAGES IN MIXED METHODS RESEARCH
(MMR)

© 2018 Louis Cohen, Lawrence Manion and Keith Morrison; individual chapters, the contributors