Week 5 class work
| When Should Mixed Methods Be Used? |
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapters 1 and 2 of the Hesse-Biber e-book, Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory with Practice, and the two required articles for this week. Mixed methods is a current popular methodology. While this type of methodology is useful for some studies, because of its dual nature as both quantitative and qualitative, it is not effective or appropriate for all research.
For this discussion, you will consider the use of mixed methods for the topic you have chosen for your Research Proposal. In your initial post, apply the scientific method to your research topic by defining your research question and determining the method(s) necessary to answer that question. Compare the characteristics and appropriate uses of the different methods and explain if your research question could best be answered through qualitative or quantitative methods, or a mix of both. Identify the dominant method (quantitative or qualitative) for your proposed study. Explain whether or not a mixed methods approach is the best way to study the topic, demonstrating that the second method is not added as an afterthought or merely to impress journal editors who favor mixed methods. If you have decided not to use mixed methods, explain why the study is best completed with either a quantitative or qualitative focus. Justify your design choice and support your position with scholarly sources. Include a discussion explaining how you would apply ethical principles to your design to address concerns which may impact your research.
Mixed Method in Research
Mixed method is a form of research method where the researcher collects and analyse quantitative and qualitative statistics in one study. Mixed method approach in research devises potential benefit of qualitative and quantitative techniques enabling researchers to discover diverse viewpoints and expose associations existing between complicated multifaceted research problems. It’s important to select the appropriate type of research since single-method research and mixed method research approaches have different effectiveness and appropriateness in researches. Mixed methods approaches are suitable for responding to research problems that quantitative and qualitative methods cannot answer.