Conducting Mixed-Methods Research: From Classical Social Sciences to the Age of Big Data and Analytics

Guide to the reviewed opening

The opening defines mixed-methods inquiry through the deliberate combination of qualitative and quantitative elements within a study or related research programme. Its significance lies in the relationship between those elements, not simply their coexistence. A researcher needs to understand what each approach contributes and how they can work together.

The authors describe continuing philosophical and practical challenges even as mixed-methods research has gained recognition. Familiarity with one tradition does not automatically equip a researcher to combine it convincingly with another. The preface consequently places purpose, design, and integrated inference at the centre of the learning route.

The contents extend that route from research questions and collection strategies to analysis, big-data applications, meta-inferences, and publication. Those headings indicate the book’s scope, but they are not detailed chapter summaries on this page. The reviewed opening is most useful for deciding what must be justified before choosing a mixed-methods design.

How to study this book

Write your research question before choosing methods. Under it, list what a qualitative strand could clarify and what a quantitative strand could establish. Then explain why one strand alone would leave an important gap. If you cannot state that gap, return to the question and purpose.

As you read the design chapters, draw a timeline showing collection, analysis, and the points where findings are connected. Keep the authors’ examples separate from your own proposed design. When reviewing a study, ask whether its final claims actually use evidence from both strands, and identify any disagreement that remains unresolved.

Questions for reflection

• What makes a project integrated rather than simply multi-method?
• What question would be left unanswered by one strand alone?
• At what point would the two strands inform a shared conclusion?

The study suggestions and questions are independent Academic Master editorial material.