Guidelines for Conducting Mixed-methods Research: An Extension and Illustration

TLDR

The paper extends Venkatesh et al.’s (2013) mixed‑methods guidelines by identifying and integrating variations in mixed‑methods research. The authors develop a decision tree and illustrate a detailed information‑systems example to operationalize the guidelines, mapping design strategies and demonstrating how to identify and address variations in mixed‑methods research. The guidelines enable researchers to flexibly identify existing variations, design studies that suit their needs, and develop and validate meta‑inferences as study outcomes.

Abstract

In this paper, we extend the guidelines of Venkatesh et al. (2013) for mixed-methods research by identifying and integrating variations in mixed-methods research. By considering 14 properties of mixed-methods research (e.g., purposes, research questions, epistemological assumptions), our guidelines demonstrate how researchers can flexibly identify the existing variations in mixed-methods research and proceed accordingly with a study design that suits their needs. To make the guidelines actionable for various situations and issues that researchers could encounter, we develop a decision tree to map the flow and relationship among the design strategies. We also illustrate one possible type of mixed-methods research in information systems in depth and discuss how to develop and validate meta-inferences as the outcomes of such a study.