A MIXED METHODS PRIMER A GRADUATE STUDENT INTRODUCTION TO MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

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A MIXED METHODS PRIMERA GRADUATE STUDENT
INTRODUCTION TO MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

• Schiralli Research Series
• Dr. Lyn M. Shulha
• October 16, 2009

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A FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODOLOGY

• How does knowledge get constructed?
• Positivitst/Post positivist quantitative
  methods
• Interpretivist/Constructivist qualitative
  methods
• Neither traditionalist nor revolutionary
  Pragmatist mixed methods

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UNIQUE CONSIDERATIONS

• Methods do they drive or serve the inquiry?
• Will the methods
• be independent or interactive?
• have parity or is one dominant?
• occur sequentially or concurrently?
• offset differences in biases, perspective, stance
  in the methods being mixed?

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UNIQUE CONSIDERATIONS

• Data Preparation
• Will one type of data be transformed to the
  other?
• Will data be merged?
• Data Analysis
• Will one type of data inform the analysis of the
  other set
• Is there iterative interactive dynamic review
  of data to develop warranted inferences

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UNIQUE CONSIDERATIONS

• Write up
• How will findings be represented?
• Will findings communicate across entrenched
  divides (researchers/users, writers/readers,
  qualitative/quantitative and pragmatic
  interpreters.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY (POSTED)

• Greene, J. (2008). Is mixed methods social
  inquiry a distinctive method? Journal of Mixed
  Methods, 2(1) 7-22.
• Green, J.C., Caracelli, V.J., Graham, W.F.
  (1989). Toward a conceptual framework for
  mixed-method evaluation designs. Educational
  Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 11(3). 255-274.
• Johnson, B.R.(2004).Mixed methods research A
  research Paradigm whose time has come.
  Educational Researcher, 33(7) 14-26.
• Shulha, L. M., Wilson, R. J., Anderson, J. O.
  (1999). Exploratory, non-foundationalist
  mixed-method research. The Alberta Journal of
  Educational Research, XLV(3), 304-314. (not
  on-line)
• Shulha, L. Wilson, R. J. (2003). Collaborative
  mixed-methods research. In A. Tashakkori and C.
  Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methodology.
  Newbury Park Sage Publications. (See the
  Handbook in the library)