How can researchers effectively integrate qualitative and quantitative methods in a mixed-methods research design to enhance the validity and reliability of their findings?
Hello, in my opinion, based on my personal experience and studies, the best thing a researcher can do in studying any phenomenon is to master the methodological research tools and understand research methods, such as mastering the interrogation of the studied phenomenon, by approaching the researched sample with notes (through observation), or through open interviews with general questions about the phenomenon without directing them to different interviews and then ending with the analysis of the content of those interviews, to extract from them as a preliminary stage a set of key concepts and meanings about the dimensions of the phenomenon to form testable hypotheses. Here begins the quantification stage, after the researcher has followed the research method by analyzing the content. Here, the researcher has integrated the work between the two types of quantitative research on the one hand and qualitative research on the other hand... I hope I have clarified some of what I wanted to inquire about, feel free to ask as I am at your service, thank you.
Rather than thinking in broad terms like reliability and validity, I would suggest finding a mixed methods research design that that matches your needs and goals. At present, there are three widely used mixed methods research designs: exploratory sequential (qual --> QUAN), expianatory sequential (QUAN --> qual), and convergent (QUAL + QUAN).
A good introduction to these designs is Creswell & Plano-Clark (2017) Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research.
Agreeing with David L Morgan, you should first ensure that your research questions or objectives are well-defined and can benefit from both qualitative and quantitative approaches. You should then determine the purpose of integrating both methods and how they complement each other in answering the research questions. In that venue, you could get insights by going through the following concise introductory textbook.
Creswell, J. W. (2021). A concise introduction to mixed methods research (2nd ed.). SAGE. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/a-concise-introduction-to-mixed-methods-research/book266037
Good luck,
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Methodology
- Research Methodology