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Research questions and mixed methods
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Research questions and mixed methods
In Chapter 2 of this volume, Peter Francis explains the key principles involved in creating a clear, researchable question. When creating a mixed methods research pro- ject, the type of question(s) that you pose will influence the decisions you make about philosophy, design, combining the data and components. These decisions will ulti- mately shape what the overall mixed methods project looks like. The philosophical pragmatism that underpins mixed methods research, and the idea of using the best tools for the job at hand, will drive the decisions you make about which question(s) to pose in each component of your study. Ultimately, to a large extent, the central research question(s) can demand the selection of a mixed methods project, which, in turn, influences the sampling and data collection techniques (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2006). These interconnections highlight the complex and dynamic nature of mixed methods research questions (Plano Clark and Badiee, 2010).
For example, when considering how to combine the data, if you only have one central research question, you will likely employ triangulation (where two or more methods are used to investigate the same phenomenon). In your develop- ment stage, you will need to ensure that the research question is broad enough to cover both research strategies without privileging one above another (for exam- ple, ensuring the question is not too deductive or inductive in approach, allowing for the inclusion of both the quantitative and qualitative components). If your research warrants an overall central research question that is supplemented by subsidiary questions for each research component, the remaining four mixed meth- ods approaches to combination (complementarity, development, initiation and expansion) will be appropriate. This is because the different components of the research will seek to answer different questions. The subsidiary questions can then reflect the quantitative component(s) and the qualitative component(s), with the freedom to decide whether to pose descriptive or explanatory questions (De Vaus, 2002). Subsequently, you will use the meta-inferences generated by the inferences produced by each component to answer the overarching central research question(s). In the end, if you focus on what you want to find out and how you plan to combine the data, creating a mixed methods central research question (or a set of research questions) should not prove to be too daunting a task.
Mixed methods methodology
Once you have created a suitable mixed methods central research question(s), the next step is to design the project. With a certain topic or research question in mind,
and a commitment to pragmatism, it is useful to divide the topic up into its compo- nent parts. When undertaking a mixed methods research project for the first time, it might be difficult to think about all of these different elements at once. You may therefore find it useful to work through the following four areas of decision making:
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Area 1:
· Central research question(s)
· Philosophical rationale Area 2:
· Proposed method of combining the data
· Mixed methods design (sequencing and priority decisions)
· Research design Area 3:
· Data collection methods
· Sampling
· Methods of data analysis Area 4:
· Evaluative terminology decisions
· Ethical approval
However, once the philosophical rationale and central research question(s) have been settled on, consideration of the remaining issues is not necessarily a linear pro- cess and it does not have to occur in any particular order. In other words, the decisions made on each of the above points are not independent of each other, and decisions in one area will influence those in another, and vice versa. As you work through each area of decision making, you will see your project begin to ‘build’. For example, if you intend to combine your data for the purposes of development (an ‘Area 2’ decision), you will need to undertake the data analysis sequentially (an ‘Area 3’ decision). Or, if you decide your data collection will consist of a questionnaire to uncover themes that will feed into a series of in-depth interviews (an ‘Area 3’ decision), then in terms of sequencing and priority (an ‘Area 2’ decision) you will be adopting a ‘quant→ QUAL’ approach. The key is to come up with a robust and defensible overall methodology, where each decision makes sense in terms of the others, and in terms of the project as a whole.
Presenting mixed methods research
It goes without saying that it is important to present your research in a manner that reflects your research process and makes logical sense. Many mixed methods
research projects utilize a fairly complex research methodology. Therefore, presenta- tion often requires a little more thought. For sequential mixed methods designs, report the research components in the order that they were conducted. If you used a simultaneous design where one component was considered to have a higher prior- ity, report the findings with the higher priority first. If, however, the components had equal status, you need to make a decision about which component to report first. This could be based on similar previous studies and their mode of presentation, or perhaps how each component relates to the literature. A suggested format for pre- senting your work can be seen in Box 5. 3.
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The final stage of presenting your work is to thoroughly check each section to ensure that you are using the correct quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods terminol- ogy, as well as to uncover other errors such as typographical ones. Proofread carefully and ensure that the process you have reported is accurate and transparent.
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