A Primer About Mixed Methods Research in an Educational Context

Elizabeth G. Creamer

Abstract


Changes in the academic enterprise, including the growth of large-scale, team-based research, likely account for the growing presence of projects that are framed to involve mixed methods. This methodological essay provides a non-technical introduction to mixed method approaches. It is directed toward an audience motivated primarily by content area, rather than methodological, interests. Different methodological constructs are illustrated by using a single mixed methods study about promoting active play in school playground (e.g. Willinberg et al., 2010). A distinction is made between mixed and multi-method research, with the recommendation that the mixed method label is most appropriate when there is the intent to communicate that the interface between qualitative and quantitative strands is key to understanding the way the research was executed and the conclusions that are drawn.


Keywords


mixed methods, visual methods, school playgrounds

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References


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