Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research

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Examples: data available via the internet, non-government and government agencies, public libraries, educational institutions, commercial/business information Fetters, M. (2020). The mixed methods research workbook. (Vols. 1-0). SAGE Publications, Inc., https:// doi. org/10.4135/9781071909713 Provideevidence that you incorporatedrigorinto your research. This is the quality of being thorough andaccurateand considers the logic behind your research design. When undertakingmixed-methodsresearch you can collect the qualitative and quantitative data either concurrently or sequentially. If sequentially, you can for example,start with a few semi-structured interviews, providing qualitative insights, and then design a questionnaire to obtain quantitative evidence that your qualitative findings can also apply to a wider population (Specht, 2019, p138).

Quantitative methods can be difficult, expensive and time consuming (especially if using primary data, rather than secondary data). The study can be undertaken on a broader scale, generating large amounts of data that contribute to generalisation of results Secondary data are data (primary sources) that were originally collected by someone else (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill 2015, p316).Experiments are useful to investigate cause and effect, when the variables can be tightly controlled. They can test a theory or hypothesis in controlled conditions. Experiments donotproveordisproveanhypothesis, instead theysupportornot supportanhypothesis. When using the empirical and inductive method it is not possible to achieve conclusive results. The results may only be valid untilfalsifiedby other experiments and observations.

There is some confusion on the use of thetermsprimary and secondary sources, and primary and secondary data. The confusion is also due to disciplinary differences (Lombard 2010). Whilst you are advised to consult the research methods literature in your field, we can generalise as follows: Observational methods are useful for in-depth analyses of behaviours in people, animals, organisations, events or phenomena. They can test a theory or products in real life or simulated settings.Theygenerally a qualitative research method. Winner of the 2020 Most Promising New Textbook Award from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association.

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Interviews are useful to gain rich, qualitative information about individuals' experiences, attitudes or perspectives. With interviews you can follow up immediately on responses for clarification or further details. There are three main types of interviews:structured(following a strict pattern of questions, which expect short answers),semi-structured(following a list of questions, with the opportunity to follow up the answers with improvised questions), andunstructured(following a short list of broad questions, where the respondent can lead more the conversation) (Specht, 2019, p142).

why did you choose one technique over another? What were the advantages and disadvantages of the technique you chose? Whatsources anddata you are using and why(how are they going to help you answer the research question and/ortest the hypothesis. Identifying a Topic, Rationale, and Potential Feasibility Issues for Conducting a Mixed Methods Research or Evaluation ProjectDescribe all materials used for the study, including equipment, written materials and testing instruments. Qualitative methods are good for in-depth analysis of individual people, businesses, organisations, events. An example of a mixed method dissertation outline is now included in the set of guidelines for reporting mixed methods research in a proposal, dissertation, or journal article. Indicate what participants were asked to do, how measurements weretakenand any calculations made to raw data collected.