Mixed

Method

Dr. Haryanti Mohd Affandi

Mixed Method
Mixed method offers advantage by the combination of quantitative and qualitative
approaches (Creswell, 2009).
Combining qualitative and quantitative research can be as a mechanism for
mentafsirkan
validating survey data; interpreting statistical relationships and deciphering puzzling
response; to help construct scales and indices for survey items; and offering case
study illustration.
Mixed method approach linked back to the pragmatism philosophy which believes
that the truth is what work which quantitative and qualitative method are
compatible and there are lot of similarities in the fundamental values to enable a
partnership, such as belief in the value-laden of inquiry, belief in the theory-laden
of facts, belief that reality is multiple and constructed, belief in the fallibility of
knowledge, and belief in the under termination of theory by fact (Tashakkori, 1998).
Mixed method research is giving the researcher an opportunity in choosing and re-
evaluating the research questions suitable with the research problems.
Typical situations in which mixed
methods is used
To compare results from quantitative and qualitative research
To use qualitative research to help explain quantitative findings
To explore using qualitative research and then to generalize findings to a large
population using quantitative research
To develop an instrument because none are available or useful
To augment an experiment with qualitative data
What is the reason for using
mixed methods?
The insufficient argument either quantitative or qualitative may be insufficient by
itself
Multiple angles argument quantitative and qualitative approaches provide
different pictures
The more-evidence-the-better argument combined quantitative and qualitative
provides more evidence
Community of practice argument mixed methods may be the preferred approach
within a scholarly community
Eager-to-learn argument it is the latest methodology
Its intuitive argument it mirrors real life
Designing a Mixed Methods Study

1. Preliminary considerations
2. Creating a title
3. Posing a general question
4. Listing the types of data collection and analysis
5. Making explicit your worldview
6. Identifying your research design
7. Drawing a figure of your design
8. Writing a purpose statement
9. Writing research questions
10. Completing a research plan
1) Preliminary considerations
(before you begin to design)
Research problem
Content any topics
Fit the problem to mixed methods (arguments)

Access to both qualitative and quantitative data

Background and resources

Receptive audience
2) Create a working title
Writing the title
Short
Topic
Participants
Include the words Mixed methods
Neutral neither quan or qual
3) Pose the general question
to be answered
Write it as a question
Look to see how it is phrased
Make sure that it is specific enough and focused (an answerable question)
Ask yourself, when I end the study, what question would like to have
answered?
 List your types of data collection
(a review)
Quantitative data (closed-ended) Qualitative data (open-ended)
Interviews
Instruments
Observations
Behavioral checklists Documents
Records Audio-visual materials
4) List your approach to data
analysis (a review)
Quantitative analysis Qualitative analysis
Use statistical analysis, Use text and images,
For description For coding
For comparing groups For theme development
For relating variables For relating themes
Design-type Design-type
5) Determine your worldview
Postpositivism Constructivism
Determination Understanding
Reductionism Multiple participant meanings
Empirical observation and Social and historical
measurement construction
Theory verification Theory generation

Advocacy/Participatory Pragmatism
Political Consequences of actions
Empowerment issue-oriented Problem-centered
Collaborative Pluralistic
Change-oriented Real-world practice oriented
Research philosophy

In choosing the research approach and method, there is a need to seriously

consider the research paradigm or philosophy first. This is because the research
philosophy informs the chosen method and has a dominant influence on the
design (Creswell, 2009).
Research approach related with researchers believe in the philosophical view.
Research approach determined the strategies of inquiry and research method
for the study.
For example, mixed method consists of quantitative and qualitative. In
achieving research objective through mixed method, researcher needs to apply
quantitative (survey) and qualitative (grounded theory) design.
 Research philosophy

Philosophical Selected Strategies of This figure showed a relationship and

Worldviews Inquiry
Postpositive Qualitative interconnection between philosophical
Interpretive (e.g., ethnography)
Pragmatic
Research Approach
Qualitative
Quantitative worldviews, strategies of inquires and research
(e.g., experiments)
Quantitative
Mixed methods
Mixed methods method.
(e.g., sequential)
The chosen philosophical worldviews will
Research Methods
determine the research approach and help in
Questions
Data collection
confining the strategies of inquires and
Data analysis
Interpretation
research methods.
Write-up
Validation
 Research philosophy
Quantitative research carried out under the positivist
paradigm depend on the objectivity of the researchers and
object of the study, while knowledge is generated through
direct measurement that are used to test relationships
between variables (Clark & Creswell, 2008).
The constructivist paradigm follows an alternative viewpoint.
Postpositive Interpretive Qualitative researcher believes that to understand the whole
phenomenon it is necessary to know the context and to
explore the participants multiple realities (Krauss, 2005).
They acquire data by interacting with the participants of the
Pragmatic study and knowledge is constructed through learning to
understand the meaning of phenomenon.
Meanwhile, the pragmatic paradigm combines quantitative
and qualitative approaches in one study (Morgan, 2007).
Pragmatic paradigm uses various approaches in objective and
subjective values to obtain answers for research questions
(Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003).
6) Identifying your research
design
Procedures for handling your qualitative and quantitative data
Sequence concurrent or sequential or both
Emphasis emphasis on qualitative or quantitative
Sometimes both concurrent and sequential phases are used
Designs may include more than two phases
Think about using a simple, elegant design
Research Method
Quantitative Methods
Pre-determined
Instrument based
questions
Performance data,
attitude data,
observational data and
census data
Statistical analysis
Statistical interpretation
Mixed Method
Both pre-determined and
emerging methods
Both open and closed-
ended questions
Multiple forms of data
drawing on all possibilities
Statistical and text
analysis
Across databases
interpretation
Qualitative Method
Emerging methods
Open-ended questions
Interview data,
observation data,
document data and
audio-visual data
Text and image analysis
Themes, patterns
interpretation
 Research Approach
Tend to or typically.. Qualitative Approaches Quantitative Approaches Mixed methods Approaches
Use these philosophical Constructivist/ Advocacy/ Participatory Post-positivist knowledge claims Pragmatic knowledge claims
assumptions knowledge claims
Employ these strategies of Phenomenology, Survey Sequential
inquiry Grounded theory Experiments Concurrent
Ethnography Embedded
Case study
Narrative
Employ these methods Open-ended questions, Closed-ended questions Both open and closed-ended questions
Emerging approaches Predetermined approaches Both emerging and predetermined
Text or image data Numeric data approaches
Both quantitative and qualitative data
analysis
Use these practices of Positions him- or herself Tests or verifies theories or explanations Collects both quantitative and qualitative
research as the researcher Collect participant meanings Identifies variables to study data
Focuses on a single concept or phenomenon Relates variables in questions or Develops a rationale for mixing
Brings personal values into the study hypotheses\uses standards of validity and Integrates the data of different stage of
Studies the context or setting of participants reliability inquiry
Validates the accuracy of findings Observes and measures information Presents visual pictures of the procedures
Make interpretations of the data numerically in the study
Creates an agenda or change or reform Uses unbiased approaches Employs the practices of both qualitative
Collaborates with the participants Employs statistical procedures and quantitative research
 7) Drawing a figure of your design

Design Name Equal priority QUAN emphasis QUAL emphasis

Concurrent, triangulation QUAL+QUAN QUAN+qual QUAL+quan

Concurrent, embedded n/a QUAN(qual) QUAL(quan)

Explanatory, sequential, quan first QUAN QUAL QUAN qual Quan QUAL

Exploratory sequential, qual first QUAL QUAN Qual QUAN QUAL quan

Sequential, embedded n/a (qual) QUAN (quan) QUAL

QUAN (qual) QUAL (quan)

 The Sequential Exploratory Design
(Instrument Development)

QUAL QUAN

QUAL QUAL QUAL QUAN QUAN QUAN Interpretation

Instrument
Data Data Findings Data Data Result QUAL to QUAN
Development
Collection Analysis Collection Analysis results
Procedures Procedures
Developed survey instrument Discuss and interpret
based on qualitative findings what was learned
Pilot-tested survey instrument overall
Use qualitative
quotes to validate
and illustrate
quantitative result
 The Sequential Exploratory Design
(to Generate and Test a Model)
QUAL QUAN

QUAL QUAL QUAL Use model to QUAN QUAN Interpretation

Data Data Results generate Data Result QUAL to QUAN
Collection Analysis hypotheses Analysis results
Procedures
Procedures Procedures Procedures
Develop discrete
Multivariate Report Discuss and interpret
choice models based
analysis statistic what was learned
on qualitative
(multinomial logit al result overall
conceptual model
models) to test Use qualitative
hypotheses quotes to validate
QUAN
and illustrate
Data quantitative result
Collection
 The Sequential Explanatory Design

QUAN QUAL

Identify
QUAN QUAN QUAN result that QUAL QUAL QUAL Interpretation
Data Data Results needs to be Data Data Result QUAN to QUAL
Collection Analysis further Collection Analysis results
explained
Procedures
Procedures Synthesize two set
Identify major quantitative of findings in one
finding as context for discussion section
qualitative study
Generate research questions
Identify participants
 Concurrent Mixed Method
Design with Merged Results
QUAN QUAL
Data Collection Data Collection

QUAN QUAL
Data Analysis Data Analysis

QUAN QUAL
Result Result

MERGE
Procedures Products
QUAN+QUAL Discussion of QUAN and QUAL
Compare QUAN and QUAL results
and interpret results
 Concurrent Mixed Methods design
with Data Transformation
QUAN QUAN
Data Collection Data Analysis

Analysed QUAN + INTERPRET

Quantified QUAL QUAN+QUAL
Combined Analysis Procedures
QUAL Statistically Discuss and interpret
QUAL QUAL significant differences
compare
Data Collection Data Analysis transformation in the quantified data
quantitative
groups in terms of Evaluate procedures
Transform QUAL Data and methods
scores from
Develop
quantified
theoretical model
qualitative results
of responses
Apply model to
score each
responses
 Embedded Experimental Before-
Intervention

QUAL Implement revised QUAN

Before Intervention recruitment procedures experiment
 Embedded Experimental
During Intervention
QUANTITATIVE EXPERIMENT Interpret
Control Group QUAN (qual)
Baseline Waiting List 1 3 6 12 findings
Months Timeline
Intervention Group (example)

Baseline 4-weeks intervention 1 3 6 12

Months

Baseline 4-weeks intervention Timeline

(example)
QUALITATIVE STUDY
 Embedded Experimental After-
Intervention Design

Identify
Interpret QUAN
QUAN EXPERIMENT ambiguous and QUAL after
and QUAL
Pre test Program Intervention Post test unexpected Intervention
result
QUAN result
 Mixing the QUAN and QUAL data
Type of Mixing Type of Design Why Mixing Occurs Where Mixing Occurs in
Research Process

Connecting Sequential One phase builds on the Between data analysis

other (Phase 1) and data
collection (Phase 2)
Merging Concurrent Bring results together After analysis of both
quan and qual
typically in discussion
Embedding Sequential or Either building or Either between phases
Concurrent bringing results together or in discussion after
analysis
 Methodological issues
Concurrent Designs
Use strategies to explore contradictory
findings
Use parallel questions
Select sub-sample of quantitative for
qualitative
Be sensitive to bias from one data
collection to the other
Sequential designs
In Explanatory Design, select qual sub-
sample from quan sample
In Explanatory Design, consider alternatives
for follow up qual sampling
In Exploratory Design, samples can differ
In Exploratory Instrument Design, consider
qual data analysis approaches for
developing instrument
8) Writing a purpose statement

Write a purpose statement for a triangulation design

This mixed methods study will address _________________ (overall content-aim of the study).
A triangulation mixed methods design will be used, and it is a type of design in which different
but complementary data will be collected on the same topic. In this study, _________________
(quantitative instruments) will be used to test the theory of _____________ (the theory) that
predicts that __________________ (independent variables) will influence ________________
(positively, negatively) the __________ (dependent variables or outcomes) for ____________
(participants) at __________ (the research site). Concurrent with this data collection,
qualitative _______________ (type of qualitative data, such as interviews) will explore
____________ (the central phenomenon) for _________________ (participants) at
_____________(site). The reason for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data are to
bring together the strengths of both forms of research to ___________________ (e.g., compare
results, validate results, corroborate results).
Write a purpose statement for a embedded
design

This mixed methods study will address _________________ (overall content aim
of the study). An embedded mixed method design will be used, and it is a design
in which one data set provides a supportive, secondary role in a study based
primarily on the other data set. The primary purpose of this study will use
________________ (quantitative instruments) to test the theory of
_____________ (the theory) that predicts that __________________
(independent variables) will influence ________________ (positively, negatively)
the __________ (dependent variables or outcomes) for ____________
(participants) at __________ (the research site). A secondary purpose will be to
gather qualitative data _______________ (type of qualitative data, such as
interviews) that will explore ____________ (the central phenomenon) for
_________________ (participants) at _____________(site). The reason for
collecting the secondary database is ________________ (e.g., to address
different question, to provide support for the primary purpose).
Write a purpose statement for an
explanatory design

This study will address _______________ (content-aim of the study). An explanatory

mixed methods design will be used, and it will involve collecting qualitative data after
a quantitative phase in order to explain or follow up on the quantitative data in more
depth. In the first quantitative phase of the study, ______________ instrument data to
be collected from _______________ (participants) at ___________ (research site) to
test _______ (the theory) that explains why ______________ independent variables)
relate to the ____________ (dependent variables). The second qualitative phase will
be conducted because ______________ (intent of the qualitative phase). In this
exploratory follow-up, the ______________ (central phenomenon) will be tentatively
explored with ___________ (participants) at _____________ (the research site). The
reason for the exploratory follow-up is to _______________ (e.g., to help explain or
build upon initial quantitative results).
Write a purpose statement for an exploratory
design

This study addresses _________________ (content-area of the study). The purpose of

this exploratory sequential design will be to __________________ (e.g., develop an test
an instrument, generate a taxonomy). The first phase of the study will be a qualitative
exploration of ________________ (the central phenomenon) by collecting
___________________ (types of data) from _________________ (participants) at
_____________ (the research site). The second quantitative phase will follow up on the
qualitative phase for the purpose of __________(intent of this followup). In the
quantitative phase, ___________ (instrument data) will be collected from ____________
(participants) at ______________ (research site). Quantitative research
questions/hypotheses will be formulated after the completion of the initial qualitative
phase. The reason for collecting qualitative data initially is that _____________________
(e.g., instruments are not available, variables are not known, there is little guiding
theory).
9) Writing research questions/hypotheses in
mixed methods research

Write qualitative research questions and write quantitative research

questions/hypotheses
Also write a mixed methods research question
Write these questions separately
 A new type of research question: A
mixed methods question
Three ways to write this question:
Methodologically-focused:
To what extent do the qualitative results confirm the quantitative
results?

Content-focused:
How do the interviews with adolescent boys support the quantitative results
that their self-esteem changes during the middle school years?

Hybrid of quantitative and qualitative elements:

What results emerge from comparing the exploratory qualitative data about
boys self-esteem with outcome quantitative instrument data measured on a
self-esteem instrument?
10) Order the topics for your plan
Title
Introduction
(Problem)
Worldview/theoretical lens
Audience
Purpose Statement
Research Questions
(Literature Review)
Methods
Type of Mixed Methods Design (also add definition of mixed methods)
Types of Data Collection
Types of Data Analysis
Sequence/Emphasis/ Mixing Procedures
Figure of procedures
Anticipated methodological issues
Ethical issues anticipated
Validity issues
Researcher resources and skills
References, Appendices
 References

Books:

Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Creswell, J. W. (2008). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Greene, J. C. (2007). Mixed methods in social inquiry. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Mertens, D. M. (2005). Research methods in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with
quantitative and qualitative approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Plano Clark, V. L., & Creswell, J. W. (2008). The mixed methods reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Tashakkori, A. & Teddlie, C. (1998). Mixed methodology: Combining qualitative and quantitative
approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Tashakkori, A. & Teddlie, C. (Eds.) (2003). Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral
research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Articles and Chapters:

Caracelli, V. J., & Greene, J. C. (1993). Data analysis strategies for mixed-method evaluation designs. Educational Evaluation
and Policy Analysis, 15 (2), 195-207.
Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., Gutmann, M., & Hanson, W. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In: A.
Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 209-240). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., & Garrett, A. L. (2008). Methodological issues in conducting mixed methods research. In
M.M. Bergman (Ed.), Advances in mixed methods research. London: Sage.
Greene, J. C., Caracelli, V. J., & Graham, W. F. (1989). Toward a conceptual framework for mixed-method evaluation designs.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 11 (3), 255-274.
Ivankova, N. V., Creswell, J. W., & Stick, S. (2006). Using mixed methods sequential explanatory design: From theory to
practice. Field Methods, 18(1), 3-20.
Morgan, D. L. (2007). Paradigms lost and pragmatism regained. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1, 48-76.
Morse, J. M. (1991). Approaches to qualitative-quantitative methodological triangulation. Nursing Research, 40, 120-123.