Common “Core” Characteristics of Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

A controversy in the mixed methods community concerns the existence of core characteristics of the field. The authors believe that contemporary characteristics exist, which will evolve as advances in the research field emerge. The authors discuss four characteristics and issues related to them. Methodological eclecticism describes mixed methodologists as connoisseurs of methods who expertly employ qualitative/quantitative techniques in their toolbox. Pedagogical and practical issues are considered in terms of how mixed methodologists are trained to conduct research. The second characteristic, paradigm pluralism, rejects the “incompatibility thesis” that had linked theoretical with methodological traditions. The authors contend that more than one paradigm can underlie mixed methods and discuss this further. The section on an integrative, cyclical approach to research discusses the contexts of justification and discovery and their interrelationship. The final characteristic is a set of research designs and analytical processes that were developed by mixed methodologists and distinguish it from other traditions.