Pros and Cons of a Mixed Method

1 Pros and Cons of a Mixed Method

Mixed methods research refers to an approach to research and inquiry which combines both qualitative and quantitative methods into a single study. The aim is to obtain a research method which can offer a broader perspective than using either qualitative or quantitative method. The use of mixed method allows researchers to emphasize on the research problem and utilize all available approaches to gain a better understanding. Therefore, this paper highlights the pros and cons when using mixed methods for a research project.

Pros for using a mixed method for a research project

Mixed methods form the most preferred approach because it is associated with the following advantages. First, the combined pros of both qualitative and quantitative methods are found in a mixed method. Consequently, a mixed research method enables a researcher to use narratives, pictures, and terms to add connotation to figures or numbers. Also, by using mixed methods in research projects, researchers can achieve desired precision to narratives, words, and pictures. This way, a researcher can tackle a more complete range of research questions.

Cons for using a mixed method for a research project

Unfortunately, despite having gained an overwhelming support from most researchers, the mixed method has a few weaknesses. Firstly, because of the duplicity content, the use of mixed method in a research project in a particular could be difficult to handle especially when one researcher is involved I the study Palinkas et al., (2015). In addition, it is complex; one needs to learn multiple methods like qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the best way to mix them appropriately.

Thank you for the descriptions of mixed methods in research ( no more than 100 words)

How would you create a project that follows your descriptions here as applied to your topic in sports and health sciences?

2 Respond to discussion (no more than 100 words)

According to Creswell and Creswell (2018)   mixed methods is a form of research that involves collecting and both qualitative and quantitative data and combines the two forms of data into one study to provide a broader perspective of a phenomenon. Instead of focusing on a single form of research, the mixed methods research highlights the phenomenon being studied and uses the forms of research available to create a better understanding of that phenomenon (Hughes, 2016) .

As I just mentioned mixed methods research consists of collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. By now we all know that qualitative data is subjective and consists of open-ended questions. It is a means to get the full understanding of the participants interpretations, perspectives, and views. While quantitative data is comprised of closed-end questions that are statistically analyzed through the means of applying a numerical value to the factors given to the participants for their answers.

Cons:

In an effort to successfully apply the mixed methods approach in one study it can be difficult to handle two different research methods by one researcher. Due to having to collect, interpret and combine both qualitative and quantitative data, mixed methods research is also more time consuming than the other research methods. Hughes (2016)   says a researcher choosing to conduct a mixed methods research must be well versed in multiple methods and approaches and how to integrate them properly. I think those that do not fully understand what mixed methods research is may simply think they can conduct a survey open-ended questions in the survey. I do not believe this to be mixed methods. I believe more often than not when given an open-ended question during a survey short responses from the participants are always given and I believe these short answers can be quantified.

Pros:

The best aspect about mixed methods is that it uses multiple research methods to conduct in depth research and provide a more meaningful interpretation of data and the phenomenon being studied. No research method is without its limitation. I imagine if conducted appropriately the finding gathered from the qualitative and quantitative data collection should either mirror each other or the information obtained from both methods should compliment each other. So where one method has shortcomings the other should make up for it.

I believe examples of mixed methods is the following:

A researcher conducts an interview to gain an understanding of the participants perspective and views about a specific phenomenon. Once completed the researcher uses that data to create a quantitative survey.

A researcher collects quantitative data through a survey. The researcher then conducts an in-depth interview with the participants to gain detailed insight on some of the survey responses, which in turn provides the researcher with a better understanding of the results.

3. Respond to discussion question ( no more than 100 words)

Mixed methods research combines the tactics of quantitative style research and qualitative style research.  When those methods of research are failing to capture the entirety of a particular study, and are leaving too many questions unanswered, a mixed methods style of research is most likely the way to tackle the problem.  This approach also allows for a deeper interpretation and more thorough understanding of the data being collected (Hughes, 2016).  That being said, not every research study requires a mixed methods approach.  The style of research is really dependent on the questions that are being asked and the hypotheses being posed.  Mixed methods research is most appropriate when a need exists to obtain more complete and corroborated results