DEFENSE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY MIXED METHOD RESEARCH PROBLEMS AND SAMPLE (Volume 2)

Abstract

Mixed methods research offers a practical approach to addressing research problems and questions and the potential for increased applicability because these problems and questions are examined in different ways. After considering the purposes of mixed methods and the characteristics that can be useful in determining which design to use, specific types of designs will be discussed, and selected studies exemplifying these designs will be presented. In mixed methods, the research questions require narrative and numeric information. Two or more questions are generated; at least one question elicits narrative data (QUAL), and at least one question elicits numeric data (QUAN). Along with the QUAN research question, a research hypothesis may be generated to reveal predictions about the phenomenon before the study begins. For a study using the parallel mixed design, research questions will be generated before the study begins; for a study using a sequential mixed design, additional research questions may emerge as the study progresses.