It depends on what your goal is in triangulating. If it is the classic version of comparing two different methods to see if they produce the same results, then it doesn't matter which order they are in, as long as they are conducted independently. In other words, you can't allow one to influence the other.

FYI triangulation only requires two methods, since the analogy refers to the intersection at the point of a triangle. So, if you using three methods because you think that is a requirement for triangulation, you can avoid such a complicated design.

You can do both - the focus group to help identify the survey questions and  then you can do another to explore emerging findings from the survey. It depends how much time you have but we have used both and found doing two focus groups to be very useful especially if you have a diverse group of participants.

It depends on what your goal is in triangulating. If it is the classic version of comparing two different methods to see if they produce the same results, then it doesn't matter which order they are in, as long as they are conducted independently. In other words, you can't allow one to influence the other.

FYI triangulation only requires two methods, since the analogy refers to the intersection at the point of a triangle. So, if you using three methods because you think that is a requirement for triangulation, you can avoid such a complicated design.

Thank you both - Robyn and David - well appreciated!

Our pleasure - I think it is getting clear the research design and being clear about triangulation as David points out.

Good luck with your research.

Hi,

I did a similar research using mixed-methods wherein I started with interviews to elaborate on items identified with literature and then did focus group discussions with stratified sampling to garner mutiple facets to the items. This was followed with item reduction using experts and then finally a survey for validation. The whole approach really helped me in interpreting the final survey results.

regards

It depends on the goals. However, focus group can be used to clarify survey items and questions. Furthermore, I suggest to refer to literature on: mixed methods and merged methods, best regards 

Generally in sequential mixed methods, there are two general types:

Exploratory = Qual then Quant; Confirmatory = Quant then Qual.

Creswell's book mentioned by Emre is a good starting point for understanding the differences between these two types.

Your feedbacks are well appreciated - Uliano, Emre and Faith - thank you for coming through.

First survey will help in getting overall view followed by focus group to get  detailed insighta and account of an issue raised during the survey. 

Great discussion here.  I would add to consider your discipline in the plan as well.  For example as a social worker doing community engagement work I have done individual  interviews and/or focus groups to learn more about the problem before collecting data from a representative sample of the community's population.  As Dr. Ong clarified this then is to explore the issue.  On another project we did quantitative studies of an intervention group, then developed questions as to why the criminal justice providers were so engaged, when other communities reported this was unusual.  I did individual interviews to learn more about their values and motivations for participation to confirm our survey finding.

A sage colleague of mine is known to say, your research question will determine your methods.  Of course we all need to know what our choices are.  I like to consider the worldview I am working from and the analytical framework for the project as well (e.g., gap analysis).  Within your discipline you may be picking up an approach that seems to be a good fit for your work and valued as rigorous by your peers.

Wishing you every success ahead!. It is a wonderful that you will move our understanding forward in your area of study!

Dear Adria, thank you for your very helpful feedback. And for the best wishes - so kind!

I think focus group must be first to get deep discussion about the phenomenon, then interview is needed to explore and develop your understanding for the topic issues, and questionnaire can be developed based on what you reached in initial results of interviews  

From my understanding of the use of triangulation, it will be helpful to use the focus group to get a deeper understanding of what potential participants think about what you are studying. The interviews can come second as a narrowing/individualizing process because your survey will be completed individually. The survey can then follow. Since it is a methodological triangulation, the initial results you get from focus groups and interviews will be helpful in creating different dimensional scales to measure the concept.

Thank you both - Ghazi and Pechulano

here some classical references about triangulation in social research:

Campbell, D.T., Fiske, D.W., “Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitraitmultimethod matrix”, Psychological Bulletin, 56, 2: pp. 81-105, 1959; Cronbach, L.J., “Beyond the two disciplines of scientific psychology”, American Psychologist, 30, pp. 671-684, 1975; Diesing, P.R., Patterns of Discovery in the Social Sciences, Chicago, IL.: Aldine-Atherton, 1971; Jick, T.D., “Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods: triangulation in action”, in Administrative Science Quarterly, 24, 4: 602-611, 1979; Sieber, S.D., “The integration of fieldwork and survey methods”, in American Journal of Sociology, 78, 6: 1335-1359, 1973; Smith, H.W., Strategies of Social Research: The Methodological Imagination, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1975; Vidich, A.J. Shapiro, G., “A comparison of participant observation and survey data”, in American Sociological Review, 20, 1: 28-33, 1955; Webb, E.J., Campbell, D.T., Schwartz, R.D., Sechrest, L., Unobtrusive Measures. Nonreactive Research in the Social Sciences, Chicago, IL.: Rand McNally, 1966.

There are few ways to do it. But If you want to have a richer and more in depth study, I suggest that you conduct a focus group discusion first to see whether any new elements will emerge from the focus group that you may use fto amend and review your questionnaire. Once this is done, you may then administer the questionnaire and once you have your finding, you may complement it with your qualitative study. The focus group discussion will also contirbute for you to have a more information that you may also use to design your qualitative questionnaire.

It depend of your research questions.

But usually, focus group is used in first, for deeply exploring the research area and validate with interviews . But focus group are not necessarily exploratory . 

I agree with most of the comments that the methodology or approach is dependent on your key research questions.

I found the article "A critique of the use of triangulation in social research by NORMAN W. H. BLAIKIE" found in Quality & Quantity 23: 115-135, 1991 rather enlightening when I decided to embark on a qualitative case study.

The best for your study.

Hi.

In my view, focus groups should be conducted first, followed by interviews. Finally, the surveys should be carried out to acquire the necessary information.

With Regards

Ashu

Thank you, Ashu.

Triangulation methodology depends on the main goals, the type of research questions and hypotheses of the project. For example, in research we have done on collective representations, with an emphasis on the qualitative perspective, the following has worked very well for us: first, in depth interviews, which lead us to detect certain questions that merit deepening and we have gone in deep by Focus Groups. Finally, we added questions in the survey questionnaire to see how widespread the trends found by the most qualitative methods are in the population. The first techniques serve in turn to interpret the quantitative results. In this case triangulation serves not only to compare results but mainly to deep study the observed phenomenon.

One difficulty with this sequence is that it is not always easy to translate qualitative questions into survey questions that will be treated quantitatively. There are ways to do it, however, through proxies, and key words with high semantic charge.

I wish you success in your methodological design!