Reflecting on Mixed Methods Research
Order Instructions:
They are 5 critical questions hear that the writer must clearly respond to them in detail. It is important that the writer use proper grammar and in text citations as he write this paper.
Reflecting on Mixed Methods Research
Consider how qualitative and quantitative research methods complement one another, and consider the role of mixed methods designs.
– Would it ever be viable to consider only quantitative or only qualitative methods for a research study?
– How can mixed methods vs. single (qual-quan) methods extend our understanding of a research problem?
– Why would it be important for a researcher to be conversant in both quantitative and qualitative methods?
– How do your thoughts on these questions relate to your worldview?
– What strategies might you use to help you become more comfortable with or develop further expertise in mixed methods research—as a consumer and/or producer of research?
SAMPLE ANSWER
Introduction
Mixed research is a paradigm where both the quantitative and qualitative research methods are mixed into one study. Mixed method research utilizes qualitative research methods in one face of the project while in another phase quantitative research method is applied (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2003). For example, one research can be conducted using quantitative experimental system and later conduct an intensive interview session with the respondent(qualitative) to analyze his view on the experiment then later evaluate both experiments to analyze if the results are similar. The mixed method research is practically like conducting two series of mini-studies that are within the same research study. On the other hand the mixed model is entirely different from the mixed method. In this model, the researcher combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches within the same stage of the research study. For example, one may conduct a survey using a questionnaire that has a series closed ended questions (quantitative) as well as open ended questions (qualitative). The researcher may also collect qualitative data and eventually quantify the data (A publication Journal, 2013).
Mixed research method and the single approaches have very different methods of research processes and final conclusions. In mixed research methods, the report is Eclectic and pragmatic while in quantitative report, it’s outlined as a statistical report that’s complete with correlations, comparisons and also includes statistical significance, degrees of freedom and error margins of the research findings. Qualitative reports are narrative and contextual. They include direct quotes from the respondents. The major contents in quantitative reports are variables while in mixed reports both variables, images and words appear. In qualitative reports only images and words appear (Migiro & Magangi, 2011).
Mixed research methods draw a lot of positive aspects of both approaches hence it adds more value to adopt the mixed research method where it’s feasible. The mixed method brings out more understanding of the research problem that the single methods. The mixed research method attempts to analyze data both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Quantitative data analysis attempts to identify statistical relationships while qualitative research method tries to identify the patterns, themes or other holistic features that form part of the research results (Mills, 2011).
The use of mixed research should be applied only when it’s feasible. According to the key principle of mixed research, a researcher should utilize both qualitative as well as quantitative research methods by complimenting the strengths of both methods and not duplicating their weaknesses. Most researchers conduct mixed research and its interesting to note that most research activities engage mixed research at the aggregate research level even if the mixed method was not the method adopted initially. The reason being that there is always some quantitative and qualitative mixed research studies at the research literature level. Hence it would not be viable to consider only qualitative or quantitative research study (Onwuegbuzie & Teddlie, 2003).
It’s important for a researcher to be conversant with both the methods. The reason being that there is always some quantitative and qualitative mixed research studies at research literature level (Hair et al, 2015). When interpreting the data in a mixed research study there is always need to be more inclusive and apply the reflexivity principle which literally involves self awareness together with self reflection in order to provide a bias free report (Mills, 2011).
These thoughts make it mandatory to be aware and learn all the modern development in research activities globally as most of the research methods applicable at the moment may be bypassed by other modern and dynamic methods of research activities or models (Klein & Olbrecht, 2011). The researcher must also consider if one of the research methods would be dominant in the research paradigm. Mix research methods aims at providing a research study that has complementary strengths in both quantitative and qualitative studies and non-overlapping weaknesses in both cases.
When different approaches in research methods are applied to focus on similar phenomenon and both methods produce similar results it makes it imperative for the producer of such information to be knowledgeable in both concepts of research methods. The strategy is to learn and be conversant with both research methods. The use of experimental and non-experimental designs in quantitative research would be a good strategy to improve and be comfortable with quantitative research while ethnography, narratives and grounded theory and case studies would be a great strategy to understand qualitative research methods (Naquin, Cole, Bowers & Walkwitz, 2010). Sequential, concurrent and transformative methods may also be the best strategy to understand the mixed research methods.
References
A publication Journal, (2013) Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, February, Vol. 4/10
Hair Jr, J. F., Wolfinbarger, M., Money, A. H., Samouel, P., & Page, M. J. (2015). Essentials of business research methods, Routledge.
Klein, T. & Olbrecht, M. (2011) Triangulation of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Panel Peer Review Research, International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education(IJCDSE), Volume 2, Issue 2, June. Retrieved August 12, 2015 from http://www.infonomics-society.org/IJCDSE/Triangulation%20of%20Qualitative%20and%20Quantitative%20Methods%20in%20Panel%20Peer%20Review%20Research.pdf
Migiro, S.O., Magangi, B.A. (2011). Mixed methods: A review of literature and the future of the
new research paradigm. African Journal of Business Management, Academic Journals Review.
5(10), 3757-3764. Retrieved from: http://www.academicjournals.org/AJBM
Mills, G. E. (2011). Action research – A guide for the teacher researcher. Boston, MA:
>Pearson Education, Inc.
Naquin, M., Cole, D., Bowers, A., & Walkwitz, E. (2010). Environmental health knowledge, attitudes, and practices of students in grades four through eight, Journal of Research, 6(2), 45-50.
Onwuegbuzie, A.J. & Teddlie, C. (2003). A framework for analyzing data in mixed methods research. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 351-383). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Retrieved August 11, 2015 from http://www.southalabama.edu/coe/bset/johnson/lectures/lec14.htm
Tashakkori and Teddlie (2003) Handbook of Mixed Research Methods in Social and behavior Research Retrieved August 11, 2015 from http://www.southalabama.edu/coe/bset/johnson/lectures/lec2.pdf
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