The clear division between quantitative and qualitative research methods becomes problematic when students begin conducting extensive research for the first time, often as part of a master’s thesis or dissertation. In order to handle such complexities in the selection of research methods, a Mixed Methods Research (MMR) approach is one proposed solution. Mixed Methods Research for Improved Scientific Study seeks to demonstrate how mixed methods research designs can address a wide array of scientific questions across disciplines. Focusing on essential concepts and methods for a hybrid approach to quantitative and qualitative research methods for real-world implementation, this publication is ideally designed for students and researchers interested in refining their research skills as well as educators seeking to integrate research methods coursework into the graduate curriculum.
An Introduction to Fully Integrated Mixed Methods Research by Elizabeth G. Creamer provides the tools needed to design, execute, and evaluate fully integrated mixed methods research studies. A uniting metaphor of the architectural arch helps students understand the benefits of a mixed methods approach as they consider ways to integrate the qualitative and quantitative strands at all stages of design and execution. With use of examples from popular media and published research, this text also includes a detailed discussion of ways to accomplish mixing methods during data collection and analysis and a separate chapter on designing and executing a realistic mixed methods dissertation.
Authors Abbas Tashakkori and Charles Teddlie explore the most resourceful way to combine qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Researchers wanting to learn how to think about and utilize mixed methods in their studies will find this an indispensable guide for their work.
Mixed Methods in Health Sciences Research: A Practical Primer, by Leslie Curry and Marcella Nunez-Smith, presents key theories, concepts, and approaches in an accessible way. Packed with illustrations from the health sciences literature, this ready-to-use guidebook shows readers how to design, conduct, review, and use mixed methods research findings. Helpful checklists, figures, tables, templates, and much more give readers examples that will elevate the quality of their research, facilitate communication about their methods, and improve efficiency over the course of their projects. Real-world examples and insights from mixed methods researchers provide unique perspectives on every aspect of mixed methods research. This book successfully pulls together foundational mixed methods principles, synthesizes the knowledge base in the field, and translates it for a health science researcher audience. “The content is highly applicable to real life research teams in the areas of clinical research, health services research, and implementation science, providing sound content and practical advice. The authors have synthesized and pull key concepts from a variety of sources to provide a concise resource.” —Linda M. Herrick, South Dakota State University “Everything from the references, to the topics, checklists, conceptual graphic representations, and organizers, interviews, and resources, all contribute to the content and aid with understanding and/or application. … It addresses specific MM research as it pertains to health sciences in a way that other texts just do not even attempt.” —Denise L. Winsor, University of Memphis “[This text is] a very pragmatic approach to mixed methods research; excellent resources, tables, and figures [are] provided, along with cases and examples of value to researchers and grant reviewers. Its relevance to practice, education, and research, as well as to potential policy implications, is a strong focus that would make this a valued textbook for any researcher!” ? —Karen Devereaux Melillo, University of Massachusetts Lowell “The text is cutting edge. It leads the way with its focus on team dynamics. [The authors] succeed in making the book relevant and practical. They also articulate a number of key insights in the area of mixed methods that rarely get addressed, such as teams and conflict. Great read with a lot of good, practical information for mixed methods researchers at all levels. The practical approach of this text makes it an innovative and valuable resource.” —John G. Schumacher, University of Maryland
Mixed Methods Research: A Guide to the Field by Vicki L. Plano Clark and Nataliya V. Ivankova is a practical book that introduces a unique socio-ecological framework for understanding the field of mixed methods research and its different perspectives. Based on the framework, it addresses basic questions including: What is the mixed methods research process? How is mixed methods research defined? Why is it used? What designs are available? How does mixed methods research intersect with other research approaches? What is mixed methods research quality? How is mixed methods shaped by personal, interpersonal, and social contexts? By focusing on the topics, perspectives, and debates occurring in the field of mixed methods research, the book helps students, scholars, and researchers identify, understand, and participate in these conversations to inform their own research practice. Mixed Methods Research is Volume 3 in the SAGE Mixed Methods Research Series.
Offering a variety of innovative methods and tools, this book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date presentation on multi and mixed methods research.
Research that has been presented primarily by quantitative research can benefit from the voice of the participants and the added value of the different perspective that qualitative research can provide. The purpose of mixed methods research is to draw from the positive aspects of both research paradigms to better answer the research question. This type of research is often used in schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations as they strive to address and resolve questions that will impact their organizations. Applied Social Science Approaches to Mixed Methods Research is an academic research publication that examines more traditional and common research methods and how they can be complimented through qualitative counterparts. The content within this publication covers an array of topics such as entrepreneurship, social media, and marginalization. It is essential for researchers, academicians, non-profit professionals, business professionals, and higher education faculty, and specifically targets master or doctoral students committed to writing their theses, dissertations, or scholarly articles, who may not have had the benefit of working on a traditional research team.
The Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social & Behavioral Research contains a gold mine of articles by leading scholars on what has come to be known as the third methodological movement in social research. Aimed at surveying the differing viewpoints and disciplinary approaches of mixed methods, this breakthrough book examines mixed methods from the research enterprise to paradigmatic issues to application. The book also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of mixed methods designs, and provides an array of specific examples in a variety of disciplines, from psychology to nursing. The book closes with a brief section on how to teach and perform collaborative research using a mixed methods research design. Written so that it can be used either as a pedagogical tool or as a reference for researchers, the book is rich in examples and includes a glossary, easy-to-follow diagrams, and tables to help readers become more familiar with the language and controversies in this evolving area.
Understanding and Evaluating Research: A Critical Guide shows students how to be critical consumers of research and to appreciate the power of methodology as it shapes the research question, the use of theory in the study, the methods used, and how the outcomes are reported. The book starts with what it means to be a critical and uncritical reader of research, followed by a detailed chapter on methodology, and then proceeds to a discussion of each component of a research article as it is informed by the methodology. The book encourages readers to select an article from their discipline, learning along the way how to assess each component of the article and come to a judgment of its rigor or quality as a scholarly report.
Many resources exist to help new doctoral investigators to understand and engage with the tenets and philosophies that underpin doctoral-level research to allow for a sample of self-as-subject research. Every day, new forms of researcher-participant data collection and analysis protocols and contributions to the respective discipline in the use of these methods are designed by doctoral researchers and other scholars for heuristic inquiry and autoethnography. Autoethnography and Heuristic Inquiry for Doctoral-Level Researchers: Emerging Research and Opportunities is an essential research publication that explores the conventions of autoethnography or heuristic research within the specific context of doctoral-level research. In contrast to similar resources, this book presents various and unique systematic methods and procedures used within current research for data collection, analysis, interpretation and representations of data, and study contributions to illustrate the varied nuances and many choices doctoral-level researchers have when their research design is founded on the principles and tenets of autoethnography or heuristic inquiry. Thus, this book is ideal for doctoral research supervisors, doctoral students, independent researchers, and academicians.
