Mixed Methods Strategies Design Methods
A researcher aiming at using the mixed method strategy to research faces a number of challenges. One major challenge is that the field or topic under study may have scarce data that may be difficult to collect. According to Onwuegbuzie and Leech (200%), such a circumstance would deter the attempt. Even if the data were available, comparability would be a problem in the social and behavioral sciences. Due to the complexity of a mixed method strategy, it demands profound skills and command on the part of the researcher in order to be able to determine the level of interchange between the two.
A wide range of research questions in the social and behavioral studies would be served by a mixed method approach. Social and behavioral sciences, according to Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2005), share standards and therefore a single method approach may not be sufficient in many cases. In addition, the adoption of experimental and statistical methods in social and behavioral sciences and changes in their scope have necessitated the use of mixed method strategies (Tewksbury, 2009).
The purist approach to research is becoming less popular as the mixed strategy methods gains momentum mainly due to the reason that each of the two purists approaches, quantitative or qualitative, has some limitations. Combining the two strategies helps complement the deficiencies associated with a single strategy.
The mixed methods strategy is widely used in management. This discipline uses statistical methods in many areas and therefore the use of mixed methods strategy has become commonplace. The need for a deep understanding of various variables and subjects of study in this discipline necessitate the use of this strategy.
References
Onwuegbuzie, J. A. & Leech, L. N. (2005). On Becoming a Pragmatic Researcher: The Importance of
Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methodologies. Int. J. Social Research Methodology, 8(5): 375-387.
Tewksbury, R. (2009). Qualitative versus Quantitative Methods: Understanding Why Qualitative
Methods are Superior for Criminology and Criminal Justice. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology, (1): 38-58.
