Research Methods and Education

Mixed methods research design is popular in many research settings because it offers a set of advantages as well as a flexibility that cannot be matched by other available methods. This method combines some of the features from both quantitative and qualitative research methods to create unique methods that can integrate many theoretical or conceptual frameworks. This analysis will use a case study form of a mixed methods approach from studies that were performed in different academic fields to illustrate this form of research. The case study approach is popular in various environments due to the fact that it has more flexibility to explore and explain complex social phenomenon that are difficult to account for in strict quantitative approaches. Furthermore, it also allows room for the social constructivist approach that allows participants some freedom to add information that is relevant to their particular perspective to be added to the data.

Case Study-Based Mixed Methods Approaches

Complex social phenomena can be difficult to study through rigid quantitative approaches. The quantitative approach is a research tool that is typically geared towards studying a narrow range of observable data with a limited set of factors to determine how different factors influence each other. However, from an exploratory perspective, such tools can be too narrowly-based to capture broad generalizations that might be at play in an organization for example. Since people are complex creatures in many regards, other research methods must be used to garner more generalized insights.

There are many qualitative research options are available to that can better handle the unstructured nature of exploratory research in the social sciences. For example, the narrative design can allow a person, or group of people, to tell their stories in a range of different ways. For example, some interviews can be completely unstructured and people can simply respond freely. However, if the research is looking to narrow down on certain factors, then the interview sessions can be completely structured, or semi-structured to fit the research objectives. Furthermore, in semi-structured or fully structured interview or survey research methods, data can often be collected by categorizing and coding answers and this data can then be integrated with quantitative methods, which then is considered a mixed methods approach.

For example, one study set out to try to understand the experience of a population of students who attended school on a part time basis. Since the researchers were attempting to better understand the experiences of students who work and also attend school at the same time. The researchers describe their selection of these methods as (O'Connor & Cordova, 2010):

"Because we wanted to understand the lives of these part-time students from their own perspectives, we used a modified phenomenological research approach. Used more frequently in nursing than education, phenomenology helps researchers explore experiences that cannot be captured quantitatively and helps to make sense of a phenomenon"

The study used a literature review to identify the relevant factors that then appear in the interview protocol.

Another study conducted in Europe sought to identify some of the best practices and relevant factors that have associated with corporate community involvement (CCI). Many companies are donating a significant portion of their revenues to charitable causes and there are significant research opportunities to help provide insights related to these investments. The researchers used a population of employees in a Dutch financial conglomerate that has been identified as a leader in community involvement efforts and designed a case study approach to attempt to explain some of the complexities that are inherent in the research efforts (van der Voot, Glac, & Meijs, 2009). The researchers justify the use of their particular methodology because the semi-structured approach allows for the participants in the sample to contribute their own experiences which can provide rich data from the social constructivist approach.

Since the field is still developing research on this topic, the research conducted needed to create a data collection method that was flexible in order to ensure that they could collect a large amount of responses in a dynamic nature so that they do not exclude any insightful data that could otherwise be lost. For example, if the research focused on one specific factor, they could have missed opportunities to capture more effective insights about the state of CCI. Furthermore, since the data collected from the Dutch company required a significant amount of resources, it is reasonable to suspect that the researchers wanted to maximize the information that would result from their efforts and this required a methodology that allowed them to do that.

Another version of the mixed methods research approach can be illustrated by the case-based pedagogy approach which places individuals in a setting that is controlled, but still allows them to process their own decision making and choose their own behaviors. One form of this has been adapted to be used in schools in a case-based instruction (CBI) and these have been identified to be important tools in learning (Mayo, 2002). Furthermore, as a means of teaching reasoning skills that link theory to practice, CBI has been used across many disciplines, including business, law, medicine, teacher education, and the natural and behavioral sciences (Mayo, 2002).

One researcher used a mixed methods approach to research to collect data relative to CBI instruction modules that could be used to refine their use in order to make these exercises more effective. The study used a Likert-based scale to measure the attitudes towards CBI, but used a narrative approach using small group instruction which could be recorded and analyzed after the sessions were conducted. The discussions were able to provide the study many insightful comments that helped to describe their experience that the Likert-based questionnaire would be able to capture. In some cases, such informal discussions can also be categorized and coded to create a more structured data set that can then be subjected to quantitative research measures and tools.