Research and Evaluation: The Practices, Politics, and Possibilities of Mixed Methods Social Inquiry

2021 ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
Jennifer Greene
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Formal Language ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Social Inquiry ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Common

For several decades now, researchers and evaluators around the globe have turned to a mixed methods approach to social inquiry as a strategy for "better understanding" the important social phenomena be-ing studied. One accomplishment of this time period is the elaboration of varied methodological framework(s) and approaches for mixed methods practice by many theorists and practitioners. It is now im-portant to turn our attention to the politics of mixed methods social in-quiry, which can also enlighten our thinking about mixed methods pos-sibilities, including the contributions that mixed methods social inquiry can make to our increasingly troubled world. Within social science, politics generally refers to the values that are advanced by a given study. Values are most commonly conveyed through our designated inquiry purpose and audience, key inquiry questions, and accompany-ing methodological design. This presentation will engage this important topic using the formal language of methodology and the common lan-guage of storytelling.

scholarly journals Translating basic behavioral and social science research to clinical application: The EVOLVE mixed methods approach.

2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janey C. Peterson ◽  
Susan Czajkowski ◽  
Mary E. Charlson ◽  
Alissa R. Link ◽  
Martin T. Wells ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Clinical Application ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach

Publishing research in the international context

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 910-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Maher khafaga Shehata ◽  
Metwaly Ali Mohamed Eldakar
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Publishing Research ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
International Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
International Publishing ◽  
Publishing Practices

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study to explore the Egyptian social science scholars’ academic writing behaviour in local and international context. Understanding the challenges that scholars in social science and humanities face while publishing in the international outlets would help to suggest strategies to improve academic writing in non-Arabic journals. Design/methodology/approach This study deployed mixed methods approach. The quantitative data were collected using an online questionnaire. Interviews were conducted with a group of scholars in the five faculties to elucidate the publishing behaviour of the sample. Findings The interviews and the questionnaire showed that social science scholars in Egypt prefer local publishing outlets. The number of scholars who publish internationally is very low compared to scholars who publish locally. Scholars who tried to publish internationally faced many challenges, such as language barriers, lack of academic writing skills and lack of appropriate training. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted in one university in Egypt. While the results can be generalised to Egyptian and Middle East universities, it cannot be generalised to non-Arab communities because of the differences in culture and education system. Originality/value This study provides insight on publishing practices in the international context among social science scholars in Egypt using a mixed methods approach. This helped to capture the scholarly publishing practices and the attitude toward international publishing and the main challenges that scholars face who attempt to publish in international outlets.

scholarly journals Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches to the Study of Poverty: Taming the Tensions and Appreciating the Complementarities

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulaiman Balarabe Kura
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Reliable Data ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Quantitative Approaches

There is a germane relationship between qualitative and quantitative approaches to social science research. The relationship is empirically and theoretically demonstrated by poverty researchers. The study of poverty, as argued in this article, is a study of both numbers and contextualities. This article provides a general overview of qualitative and quantitative approaches to poverty studies and argues that only a combination of the two approaches, where necessary, would provide a robust, rich and reliable data for researching issues of poverty. Hence, the contemporary drive towards a mixed methods approach in poverty research is not only welcomed but certainly timely as well. Thus, understanding ontological and epistemological paradigms about social sciences is imperative in dousing such tensions.

Explicating metatheory for mixed methods research in educational leadership

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 888-903
Author(s):  
Rodney S Whiteman
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Communicative Action ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Social Inquiry ◽  
Truth Claims

Purpose – Mixed methods research can provide a fruitful line of inquiry for educational leadership, program evaluation, and policy analysis; however, mixed methods research requires a metatheory that allows for mixing what have traditionally been considered incompatible qualitative and quantitative inquiry. The purpose of this paper is to apply Jürgen Habermas’s Theory of Communicative Action as that metatheoretical justification. Design/methodology/approach – After reviewing the traditional quantitative/qualitative divide based on incompatible ontologies, the author argues for a pragmatist stance toward educational leadership inquiry. Such a stance allows for mixing methods because it privileges methodology and epistemology in social inquiry, rather than ontological theories of reality. Using Habermas’s metatheory, the author shows how truth claims are linguistically mediated; how they make reference to objective, subjective, and normative formal worlds; and how they are always fallible and revisable. Findings – The author argues that Habermas’s metatheory allows (and requires) integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches to fully understand social phenomena. Such integration is possible if researchers attempt to make methodological decisions explicit by linking methodology (and thus methodical decisions) to all three formal worlds, and articulating the rationale for doing so. The author also argues that making the entire corpus of claims bound within a line of social inquiry subject to critical examination promotes the validity of inquiry. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the discussion on mixed methods research by applying a particular strand of pragmatism. This is an advance in the extant literature, which argues for a pragmatist stance on mixed methods research, but has not yet conceptualized a metatheoretical position supporting this stance.

Exploring Social Identity Among People with Disabilities: A Mixed-Methods Approach

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adena T. Rottenstein ◽  
Ryan J. Dougherty ◽  
Alexis Strouse ◽  
Lily Hashemi ◽  
Hilary Baruch
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach
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