The reliability, validity or trustworthiness of mixed methods research (using a pragmatic paradigm) will usually be better than a single methodology - but it depends on the quality of the original design. The attached chapter may assist.
Creswell and Plano Clark claim:
"Its central premise is that the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches in combination provides a better understanding of research problems than either approach alone".
It implies the design provides more comprehensive evidence and might offset the weaknesses of either approach used by itself.
The reliability, validity or trustworthiness of mixed methods research (using a pragmatic paradigm) will usually be better than a single methodology - but it depends on the quality of the original design. The attached chapter may assist.
The following papers in support of mixed methods by explaining advantages and providing supporting views. Furthermore, attention is drawn to the illustrations/comparison of strengthens and weaknesses of qualitative, quantitative, and fixed method research. (See: Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004, pp. 17-22; Schulze, 2003, p. 12; Libarkin and Kurdziel, 2002, pp. 78-79).
- Gelo, O., Braakmann, D. and Benetka, G. (2008). Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Beyond the Debate. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 42, 3, pp. 266-290.
- Jogulu, U. D. and Pansiri, J. (2011). Mixed methods: A research design for management doctoral dissertations. Management research review, 34, 6, pp. 687-701.
- Johnson, R. B. and Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come. Educational Researcher, 33, 7, pp. 14-26.
- Libarkin, J. C. and Kurdziel, J. P. (2002). Research Methodologies in Science Education: The Qualitative-Quantitative Debate. Journal of Geoscience Education, 50, 1, pp. 78-86.
- McEvoy, P. and Richards, D. (2006). A critical realist rationale for using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Journal of Research in Nursing, 11, 1, pp. 66-78.
- Schulze, S. (2003). Views on the combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Progressio, 25, 2, pp. 8-20.
Reliability usually means consistency or repeatability, so I don’t think mixed methods offers special strengths in this regar. In particular, reliability is usually a property of quantitative measures.
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