Review and Comparison of Multi-Method and Mixed Method Application in Research Studies
Abstract
Purpose: To explore the feasibility of using the multi-method and mixed-method in research studies by reviewing and comparing both methods.
Design / Method / Approach: Using the literature, historical background on mixed-methods and multiple-methods design principles are collected and applied in this paper in a systematic review format.
Findings: The major finding from this research is that incorporating quantitative and qualitative data in the form of a mixed or multi-method study has the potential to dramatically increase the accuracy and quality of any research's analysis and conclusions.
Theoretical Implications: The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of how mixed and multi-method studies have distinct and distinguishable characteristics; it encourages researchers to conduct investigations appropriately to accomplish their research goals. The authors of this article introduce different designs (e.g., embedded design, explanatory design) which combine a mixed-method approach with a multi-method one.
Practical Implications: This study concludes that both mixed methods and multi methods are reliable and have unique characteristics that increase the validity (i.e., external validity, generalizability) and reliability of study findings.
Originality / Value: The authors of this paper present a taxonomy how to combine mixed methods with multi methods.
Research Limitations / Future Research: Research should be directed at defining the appropriate design for a multi-method approach to help researchers conduct multi method studies scientifically.
Paper Type: Conceptual.
Downloads
References
Abro, M. M. Q., Khurshid, M. A., & Aamir, A. (2015). The use of mixed methods in management research. Journal of Applied Finance and Banking, 5(2), 1-8. Retrieved from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spt/apfiba/v5y2015i2f5_2_8.html
Abowitz, D. A., & Toole, T. M. (2010). Mixed Method Research: Fundamental Issues of Design, Validity, and Reliability in Construction Research. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 136(1), 108–116. http://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0000026
Archibald, M. M. (2015). Investigator Triangulation. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 10(3), 228–250. http://doi.org/10.1177/1558689815570092
Archibald, M. M., Radil, A. I., Zhang, X., & Hanson, W. E. (2015). Current Mixed Methods Practices in Qualitative Research: A Content Analysis of Leading Journals. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 14(2), 5–33. http://doi.org/10.1177/160940691501400205
Arora, R., & Stoner, C. (2009). A mixed method approach to understanding brand personality. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 18(4), 272–283. http://doi.org/10.1108/10610420910972792
Brewer, J., & Hunter, A. (2006). Foundations of Multimethod Research: Synthesizing styles. Sage. http://doi.org/10.4135/9781412984294
Caracelli, V. J., & Greene, J. C. (1993). Data Analysis Strategies for Mixed-Method Evaluation Designs. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 15(2), 195–207. http://doi.org/10.3102/01623737015002195
Caracelli, V. J., & Greene, J. C. (1997). Crafting mixed-method evaluation designs. New Directions for Evaluation, 1997 (74), 19–32. http://doi.org/10.1002/ev.1069
Cram, F., & Mertens, D. M. (2015). Transformative and Indigenous Frameworks for Multimethod and Mixed Methods Research. In The Oxford handbook of multimethod and mixed methods research inquiry. http://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199933624.013.7
Clauss, T., & Tangpong, C. (2019). Perception‐based Supplier Attributes and Performance Implications: A Multimethod Exploratory Study. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 55(4), 34–66. http://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12211
Creswell, J. W. (1999). Mixed-Method Research. Handbook of Educational Policy, 455–472. http://doi.org/10.1016/b978-012174698-8/50045-x
Creswell, J. W. (2004). Designing A Mixed Methods Study In Primary Care. The Annals of Family Medicine, 2(1), 7–12. http://doi.org/10.1370/afm.104
Creswell, J. W. (2011). Controversies in mixed methods research. The Sage handbook of qualitative research, 4, 269-284. Retrieved from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/40426_Chapter15.pdf
Creswell, J. W. (2015). Revisiting mixed methods and advancing scientific practices. The Oxford handbook of multimethod and mixed methods research inquiry. http://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199933624.013.39
Creswell, J., & Plano Clark, V. (2007). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Creswell, J.W, Plano Clark, V., Gutmann, M., and Hanson, W (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In A. Tashakkori and C Teddle (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 209-240). Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage.
Denzin, N. K. (2012). Triangulation 2.0. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 6(2), 80–88. http://doi.org/10.1177/1558689812437186
Greene, J. C. (2015). Preserving Distinctions Within the Multimethod and Mixed Methods Research Merger. Oxford Handbooks Online. http://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199933624.013.37
Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1988). Do inquiry paradigms imply inquiry methodologies? Qualitative Approaches to Evaluation in Education, 1(1), 89-115.
Halverson, S. L. (2017). Multimethod Approaches. The Handbook of Translation and Cognition, 193–212. http://doi.org/10.1002/9781119241485.ch11
Harrison, R., & Reilly, T. (2011). Mixed methods designs in marketing research. Qualitative Market Research, 14(1), 7-26. http://doi.org/10.1108/13522751111099300
Hanson, W.E., Creswell, J.W., Clark, V.L.P., Petska, K.S., & Creswell, J.D. (2005). Mixed methods research designs in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 224–235. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.224
Hirsch, B. J. (1979). Psychological dimensions of social networks: A multimethod analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 7(3), 263–277. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF00890691
Ivankova, N. V., Creswell, J. W., & Stick, S. L. (2006). Using Mixed-Methods Sequential Explanatory Design: From Theory to Practice. Field Methods, 18(1), 3-20. http://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05282260
Johnson, R. B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), 14-26. http://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X033007014
Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a Definition of Mixed Methods Research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(2), 112-133. http://doi.org/10.1177/1558689806298224
Kettles, A. M., Creswell, J. W., & Zhang, W. (2011). Mixed Methods Research in Mental Health Nursing. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 18(6), 535-542. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2850.2011.01701.x
Knappertsbusch, F., Langfeldt, B., & Kelle, U. (2021). Mixed-Methods and Multimethod Research. Soziologie - Sociology in the German-Speaking World, 261–272. http://doi.org/10.1515/9783110627275-018
Krauss, S. (2005). Research Paradigms and Meaning Making: A Primer. The Qualitative Report, 10(4), 758-770. http://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2005.1831
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (2000). Paradigmatic Controversies, Contradictions, and Emerging Confluences, 163-188. In: Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln, eds., The Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2000. Retrieved from https://sabinemendesmoura.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/gubaelincoln_novo.pdf
Mackey A., Bryfonski L. (2018) Mixed Methodology. In: Phakiti A., De Costa P., Plonsky L., Starfield S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Applied Linguistics Research Methodology. Palgrave Macmillan, London. http://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59900-1_5
McKendrick, J.H. (1999). Multi‐Method Research: An Introduction to Its Application in Population Geography. The Professional Geographer, 51(1), 40-50. http://doi.org/10.1111/0033-0124.00143
McKendrick, J.H. (2020). Mixed and Multiple Methods. In International encyclopedia of human geography (pp. 125-131). Elsevier. http://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102295-5.10291-4
Morse, J.M. (2003). Principles of mixed methods and multimethod research design. Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research, 1, 189-208.
Morse, J.M. (2010). Simultaneous and Sequential Qualitative Mixed Method Designs. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(6), 483-491. http://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410364741
Okpotor, F.I. (2021). We All Need Philosophy of Science: Analyticism as a Vehicle for Explanatory Understanding in Multi-method Research. African Affairs, 120(479), 277-296. http://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adab002
Onwuegbuzie, A.J. (2007). Methods, Mixed. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology. http://doi.org/10.1002/9781405165518
Östlund, U., Kidd, L., Wengström, Y., & Rowa-Dewar, N. (2011). Combining qualitative and quantitative research within mixed method research designs: a methodological review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 48(3), 369-383. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.10.005
Palinkas, L.A., Aarons, G.A., Horwitz, S., Chamberlain, P., Hurlburt, M., & Landsverk, J. (2011). Mixed Method Designs in Implementation Research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 38(1), 44-53. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-010-0314-z
Pigram, D., & McGee, W. (2011). Formation Embedded Design: A methodology for the integration of fabrication constraints into architectural design. Retrieved from http://cumincad.scix.net/data/works/att/acadia11_122.content.pdf
Pole, K. (2007). Mixed Methods Designs: A Review of Strategies for Blending Quantitative and Qualitative Methodologies. Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 20(4), 35-38. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/603360/Mixed_Method_Designs_A_Review_of_Strategies_for_Blending_Quantitative_and_Qualitative_Methodologies
Rocco, T., Bliss, L., Gallagher, S. & Pérez-Prado, A. (2003). Taking the Next Step: Mixed Methods Research in Organizational Systems. Information Technology, Learning and Performance Journal, 21(1), 19-29. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/2688702/Taking_the_Next_Step_Mixed_Methods_Taking_the_Next_Step_Mixed_Methods_Research_in_Organizational_Systems_Research_in_Organizational_Systems
Skirton, H., O’Connor, A., & Humphreys, A. (2012). Nurses’ competence in genetics: A mixed method systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68(11), 2387-2398. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06034
Small, M.L. (2009). ‘How many cases do I need?’: On science and the logic of case selection in field-based research. Ethnography, 10(1), 5–38. http://doi.org/10.1177/1466138108099586
Small, M.L. (2011). How to Conduct a Mixed Methods Study: Recent Trends in a Rapidly Growing Literature. Annual review of sociology, 37, 57-86. http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102657
Subedi, D. (2016). Explanatory Sequential Mixed Method Design as the Third Research Community of Knowledge Claim. American Journal of Educational Research, 4(7), 570-577. http://doi.org/10.12691/education-4-7-10
Tashakkori, A., Teddlie, C., & Teddlie, C.B. (1998). Mixed methodology: Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches (Vol. 46). Sage.
Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2003). Handbook of Mixed Methods in the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Sage.
Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2010). Putting the Human Back in ‘“Human Research Methodology”’: The Researcher in Mixed Methods Research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 4(4), 271–277. http://doi.org/10.1177/1558689810382532
Vivek, R., & Nanthagopan, Y. (2020). Evolution from operations project management to strategic project management: a systematic review. Journal of Business Studies, 7(2), 7(2), 96–115. http://doi.org/10.4038/jbs.v7i2.63
Zhang, W. (2011). Mixed methods embedded design in medical education, mental health and health services research: A methodological analysis. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI3487306/
The authors agree with the following conditions:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication (Download agreement) with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. Authors have the right to complete individual additional agreements for the non-exclusive spreading of the journal’s published version of the work (for example, to post work in the electronic repository of the institution or to publish it as part of a monograph), with the reference to the first publication of the work in this journal.
3. Journal’s politics allows and encourages the placement on the Internet (for example, in the repositories of institutions, personal websites, SSRN, ResearchGate, MPRA, SSOAR, etc.) manuscript of the work by the authors, before and during the process of viewing it by this journal, because it can lead to a productive research discussion and positively affect the efficiency and dynamics of citing the published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
ISSN 
ISSN 
