Triangulation and Mixed Methods Research

Mixed methods research (the combined use of quantitative and qualitative methods within a single study) has developed rapidly in the last few years. This methodological approach is becoming increasingly articulated, attached to research practice and recognized, along with qualitative research and quantitative research, as the third major research approach (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie, & Turner, 2007).The scientific fields with more tradition in using and developing mixed methods research are Education, Sociology, Psychology and Health Sciences. This methodological approach is championed by methodologists from these fields such as John Creswell, Abbas Tashakkori, Burke Johnson, Anthony Onwuegbuzie, Jennifer Greene, Charles Teddlie and David Morgan (Denscombe, 2008). Books specifically focused on mixed methods research are being published in these fields (Andrew & Halcomb, 2009; Bergman, 2008; Brewer & Hunter, 2006; Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007, 2011; Greene, 2007; Morse & Niehaus, 2009; Niglas, 2004; Ridenour & Newman, 2008; Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003, 2010; Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009).In January 2007 the first issue of a journal solely devoted to mixed methods research (Journal of Mixed Methods Research, Sage Publications) was published. The two founding co-editors, John Creswell and Abbas Tashakkori, are researchers in the field of Education. Other methodological journals that publish mixed methods studies include this journal (International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, also launched in 2007), along with Quality and Quantity, Field Methods and the International Journal of Social Research Methodology. Empirical articles that employ a mixed methods approach using this distinct name in the title are also published in Education, Sociology, Psychology and Health Sciences, and literature reviews that analyze the prevalence and application of mixed methods are carried out. An annual conference devoted to mixed methods is organized by schools and researchers from these fields (in 2011 the 7th International Mixed Methods Conference was hosted by the School of Healthcare in the University of Leeds, UK). Moreover, a Special Interest Group on Mixed Methods Research was formed in the American Educational Research Association in 2005. In summary, as noted by Creswell and Plano Clark (2007), mixed methods research has only been carefully used and examined in a handful of disciplines.In the case of Business and Management, our fields of inquiry have not embraced this methodological approach as enthusiastically as the fields described. Although there are calls for using mixed methods research in Business and Management fields (Cameron, 2011, Currall & Towler, 2003; Jick, 1979; Molina-Azorin, 2007), the acceptance and attention devoted to mixed methods research is very low in relation to other fields. There is not any specific book on mixed methods research in Business and Management. To date and to the best knowledge of the two special issue editors, a special issue on mixed methods has not yet been published in any Business and Management journal. Moreover, Creswell and Tashakkori (2007) make the pertinent point that the literature base about mixed methods research may not be well known to individuals in specific fields. Cameron and Molina-Azorin (2011) and Molina-Azorin (2011) confirm this issue in the case of Business and Management studies.In addition, in contrast to studies in the fields of Education, Sociology, Psychology and Health Sciences, the term 'mixed methods' is not usually used in the title of mixed methods studies in Business and Management. Furthermore, in the journal Organizational Research Methods, the main methodological journal in our field, the term 'mixed methods' is not a listed keyword. This issue also occurs in other business and management discipline journals.On the basis of such broad scanning evidence it seems likely that the advantages, possibilities, purposes, designs and potential of mixed methods research may be yet still unknown to many researchers in Business and Management. …

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the adoption of mixed methods in voluntary environmental reporting research.Design/methodology/approach – The costs and benefits of mixed methods are outlined, and the use of mixed methods in prior voluntary environmental reporting research is discussed. A reflection of the author's experience and the practical issues of adopting a QUAN→qual sequential mixed methods research design to examine voluntary environmental reporting practices and processes are presented.Findings – Adopting mixed methods research involves costs to the researcher and the research, including the extra time and energy needed to collect, analyse, interpret, integrate and write up the data, and the need to consider potential biases and trade‐offs affecting design choices. However, these costs are outweighed by the opportunity mixed methods research presents to develop greater research skills and provide a fuller and richer picture of voluntary environmental reporting.Research limita...

Mixed methods research (MMR) has gained traction among scholars owing to its ability to allow researchers to investigate a phenomenon with the lens of both qualitative and quantitative strands. However, the mixed methods field has been grappling with the challenge of demonstrating its foundation in philosophical or paradigmatic terms. To interrogate this subject of the MMR foundation, this chapter begins by tracing the evolution of MMR and then discusses why researchers find it attractive to use. The chapter moves to present the paradigmatic dilemma associated with the use of MMR. It also debates pragmatism as a philosophical position and questions whether pragmatism is an opportunistic paradigm for MMR. It produces a picture that shows the resultant logical challenge associated with MMR in practice. The chapter concludes by taking the position that it is not logically possible to carry out a study from the standpoint of a fence sitter. A researcher needs a stable disposition from which to think logically. The chapter adds weight to the growing body of MMR literature.

Geographic research on livelihoods often requires the use of mixed methods. While many research projects state their intent to use ‘mixed methods,’ in reality they use ‘multiple’ methods based solidly on either quantitative methods or qualitative methods, adding some of the other to be called ‘mixed methods.’ This paper presents a case study of mixed-methods research on livelihoods and urban agriculture in Nairobi, Kenya as an example of how to apply key principles of research design and analysis. Our study used qualitative interviews, household surveys, focus groups, biophysical sampling, and feedback workshops, integrating not only qualitatively and quantitatively derived data, but also social and biophysical data. We argue that effective mixed-methods research requires adaptability in terms of integrating qualitative and quantitative data sources as well as use of the time in the field.

Qualitative and mixed methods research in trials

This paper presents a case study on the use of mixed methods in research into practice to inform policy. The study was undertaken as part of a review of oral healthcare for older people in residential and nursing care homes in County Durham, North East England. The findings highlighted challenges in the provision of good quality oral healthcare to older people in residential and nursing care homes and informed the county's oral health strategy (Durham County Council DCC, 2016). Key recommendations include the need to develop and implement a minimum set of best practice oral health standards within care home contracts and train care home staff in oral healthcare. The paper relates to two key dental public health competencies: (i) designing and using mixed method studies to address gaps in evidence and triangulating the findings from quantitative and qualitative methods; (ii) the development of evidence based policies. The research is relevant to: care home staff; commissioners in local authority adult and social care; public health practitioners; oral health improvement teams; domiciliary and special care dentists, dental commissioners, researchers and academics.

Green supply chain management enablers: Mixed methods research

Quantitative research artifacts as qualitative data collection techniques in a mixed methods research study

Mixed method research designs can be extremely useful in extending knowledge in the sales domain. A bevy of mixed method designs are at the disposal of sales researchers seeking to reap the benefits of this combination of research approaches. However, application of mixed methods in sales research has been rather limited, focusing primarily on exploratory sequential designs. The purpose of this article is to provide an exposition of mixed method research in the sales domain and offer avenues of extension that employ underutilized mixed methodological approaches. Accordingly, a definition of mixed methods along with its benefits and drawbacks is espoused followed by guidance in conducting mixed method research. A review of sales-related mixed method studies is then provided and articles containing both quantitative and qualitative methods are analyzed to glean insight on the state of mixed methods research in sales. Future avenues for mixed method research are then provided focusing on best practices and techniques that have yet to be embraced by sales researchers. This article aims to be a resource for sales scholars in expanding the mixed method research paradigm.

Quantitative and qualitative methods have a role to play in understanding problems and issues in any society. However, combining these two approaches in examining phenomena gives a more comprehensive understanding and produces more insights than the individual approaches. This paper summarizes the development of a mixed methods research (MMR) community in the Caribbean, from the initiation of a graduate course in MMR to being accepted as a Caribbean Chapter by the Mixed Methods International Research Association and implementing the Caribbean Journal of Mixed Methods Research. In highlighting the various stages in the development, several individuals are identified without whom the MMR community would not exist. The article offers selected illustrations of the application of MMR in Caribbean research.

Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research in Cross-Cultural Psychology

Quality in mixed methods research has become one of the most debated topics in the mixed methods community. In the past two decades, researchers have published numerous articles, book chapters and reports on the conceptualisation and operationalisation of quality in mixed methods. This chapter provides an overview of the literature on quality in mixed methods research, with a specific focus on criteria for assessing mixed methods studies. We describe several relevant concepts and provide an overview of the existing mixed methods quality frameworks. We then describe a parsimonious set of mixed methods quality criteria and explain how it could be applied in a mixed methods study in the field of business and management. We finish the chapter by outlining key current issues related to this topic in the social and behavioural sciences and offering some recommendations.

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine two management doctoral research projects to highlight the advantages in mixed methods as the primary research design.Design/methodology/approachThis paper summarises the methods of data collection and analysis which were used by two doctoral students in their management research. The researchers used mixed methods approaches (quantitative and qualitative) to explore different areas of management.FindingsThe paper supports the view that triangulation of research methods strengthens the findings and inferences made for understanding social phenomena in more depth, compared to using a single method.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper relies excessively on two doctoral research projects which utilise sequential mixed methods. Therefore, arguments made in the paper are specific because other doctoral projects that have used different methods from those employed in the two projects were not considered.Practical implicationsEarly researchers, in particular students commencing doctorate studies, should apply mixed methods research because it develops skills in the two most dominant data collection methods used in management research. This paper is a practical guide on how this could be done effectively.Originality/valueThe paper is drawn from two unique doctoral research projects. The paper's originality and value is in providing experiences and practical insights on how mixed methods research is undertaken.

The planning and reporting of mixed methods studies on the built environment and health

We discuss possible uses of multilevel mixed methods (M3) research in educational psychology. To begin, we describe M3 research and how such research can enable researchers to investigate potential variation at the group level and at the subgroup/individual level. We discuss why M3 research designs are well-suited to investigate contextualized, nested phenomenon in education. Then, we describe the five purposes for conducting mixed methods research and provide examples of how M3 designs can address these purposes. Next, we discuss our inquiry worldviews and how they inform our research. We describe three key assumptions (ontological realism, epistemic pluralism, and methodological eclecticism) and provide an example to illustrate how these assumptions can shape one’s research. Finally, we discuss how M3 research can be used to address equity and share several lessons we have learned as researchers who use mixed methods research.