Hi all,
Kindly seeking clarification. When writing a PhD thesis, following a mixed method approach and quan-qual convergent design with regard to objectives, hypothesis and research questions, what is acceptable? Can one only have objectives and corresponding hypotheses or is it ok to have both hypotheses and a research question covering the qualitative data.
Will appreciate your feedback
Joshua Weru
Assistant Lecturer,
Chuka University, Kenya
My postgraduate students generally use both for mixed method research!
Yes, both hypotheses and research questions are used in a mixed method research.
Hypotheses are generally not recommended for qualitative methods, so I would suggest having having research questions that could guide both portions of your research.
One of the key issues with convergent designs is how you will Integrate the two sets of results. Hence, you should should plan for this in advance. One technique for integration is to create a "Joint Display," so you might start by thinking about what that would look like in your case.
Also keep in mind that some researchers view mixed methods as incompatible (not me) because of different (in general) philosophy of science underpinnings. Knowing the arguments (pro and con) should help you in defending your work if a committee member or journal reviewer challenges you. Best!
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