Mixed methods research questions combine qualitative methods and quantitative methods to answer a research question. Examples of mixed methods research questions include the following:
- How does the proximity of student housing to college campuses (quantitative) relate to student perceptions of school culture (qualitative)?
- To what extent do air pollution levels (quantitative) correspond to residents’ perception of air quality (qualitative) in urban areas?
- What barriers do community members describe to accessing mental health services (qualitative), and how do these barriers correlate with use of these services within this community (quantitative)?
Continue reading: What are some mixed methods research questions?
Data collection is the process of gathering data (measurements, observations, and other information) to answer a research question. Though many different methods of data collection exist, all are systemic and follow a procedure defined before data collection begins. Data can be qualitative or quantitative.
Continue reading: What is data collection?
Operationalization is when you define how a variable will be measured. Operationalization is especially important in fields like psychology that involve the study of more abstract ideas (e.g., “fear”).
Because fear is a construct that cannot be directly measured, a researcher must define how they will represent it. For example, in studies involving mice, fear is often operationalized as “”how often a mouse freezes (i.e., stops moving) during an experiment.”
Operationalization can be used to turn an abstract concept into a numerical form for use in quantitative research.
Some operationalizations are better than others. It is important to consider both reliability and validity (how consistent and accurate a measurement is, respectively) when operationalizing a construct.
Continue reading: What is operationalization?
Qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to investigate different types of research questions.
Quantitative methods are best if:
- The topic you’re studying can easily be expressed using numbers
- You want to use statistics to test a hypothesis
Qualitative methods are best if:
- The topic you’re studying cannot be expressed numerically
- You’re studying a new research area with limited existing theories
- You want to gain deep insight into a nuanced issue
Continue reading: How do I decide between qualitative and quantitative research?
There are many types of qualitative research. The following are five common approaches:
- Ethnography: the researcher immerses themself in a group to understand its culture
- Grounded theory: data are collected to create new theories that may guide additional data collection
- Phenomenology: the experiences of individuals are used to study a phenomenon
- Narrative research: the way stories are told is studied to understand human experiences
- Action research: a problem is studied and solutions are generated simultaneously
Choosing the right approach depends on the research question you are studying.
Continue reading: What are the types of qualitative research?
Member checking is when participants are allowed to review their data or results to confirm accuracy. This process can happen during or after data collection.
In qualitative research, data are often collected through interviews or observations. Allowing a participant to review their data can help build trust and ensure that their thoughts and experiences are being accurately expressed.
Continue reading: What is member checking in qualitative research?
Qualitative data are generally narrative in nature. They may include interview transcripts or experimenter observations. Different approaches exist to analyze qualitative data, but common steps are as follows:
- Organize the data
- Code the data, sorting it into relevant categories
- Extract and interpret key ideas
Common qualitative data analysis techniques include content analysis, thematic analysis, and discourse analysis.
Continue reading: How do I analyze qualitative data?
Grounded theory is a systematic approach that can be applied in qualitative research. Its goal is to create new theories that are grounded in data.
With a grounded theory approach, data collection and analysis occur at the same time (this is called theoretical sampling). This approach can be helpful when you are conducting research in a new area and do not have a hypothesis related to study outcomes.
Continue reading: What is grounded theory?
Triangulation involves using a combination of data or techniques to answer a research question. Triangulation can help you confirm the validity of your findings. This can be helpful in qualitative research, which is often subjective and vulnerable to bias.
Types of triangulation include the following:
- Data triangulation: uses data from different sources
- Investigator triangulation: has multiple people analyze data
- Theory triangulation: uses different theoretical frameworks to analyze data
- Methodological triangulation: uses different approaches to study the same phenomenon
Continue reading: What is triangulation in qualitative research?
Anonymity and confidentiality are both important aspects of research ethics.
Anonymity means that researchers do not collect personal information that can be used to identify a participant or that someone’s responses cannot be linked to their identity.
Confidentiality means that only the researchers conducting a study can link study responses or data to individual participants.
If you run a study and do not know who your participants are (i.e., you collect no identifying information), your data are anonymous. If you know who your participants are but no one else does (i.e., you collect identifying information but don’t publish it), your data are confidential.
Continue reading: What’s the difference between anonymity and confidentiality?
