Mixed methods research is a way of performing research that entails collecting, examining, and evaluating both qualitative and quantitative research. It is an approach to research that is applied when the combination of the methods facilitates a more comprehensive viewpoint of the research problem than the use of each method alone. Also, it can be used to provide a better understanding of the research problem.
The value of mixed methods research over the other methods lies in its comprehensive nature. By combining both qualitative and quantitative data and research, the researcher is able to gain depth and breadth of rationale and understanding, while overcoming the inherent weaknesses of each approach ( Creswell & Creswell , 2018). One of the standout benefits of performing mixed methods research is the chance of triangulation; this is the application of several methods to study a similar phenomenon. Triangulation enables the researcher to determine features of a phenomenon more precisely by approaching it from discrete vantage points applying different techniques and methods ( Shannon-Baker, 2016) . Effective triangulation needs careful examination of the kind of information facilitated by each method, and this includes the weaknesses and strengths.
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As previously mentioned, using mixed methods research enables a researcher to overcome the limitations of both quantitative and qualitative research. For example, quantitative research is limited in articulating the setting or context in which the population behavior, which the qualitative method is able to compensate ( McKim, 2017) . On the other hand, qualitative study can lead to biased interpretations and there can be difficulties in generalizing results to a large population ( Schoonenboom & Johnson, 2017) . Quantitative research does not have such limitations. Therefore, by applying forms of research, the strengths of one approach can compensate for the weakness of the other.
The mixed methods research involves the use of both the qualitative and quantitative approaches. By interweaving the approaches, a researcher is able to gain a better view of the research problem. Also each method is able to compensate for the inherent weakness of the other method.
References
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks.CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
McKim, C. A. (2017). The value of mixed methods research: A mixed methods study. Journal of Mixed Methods Research , 11 (2), 202-222.
Schoonenboom, J., & Johnson, R. B. (2017). How to construct a mixed methods research design. KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie , 69 (2), 107-131.
Shannon-Baker, P. (2016). Making paradigms meaningful in mixed methods research. Journal of mixed methods research , 10 (4), 319-334.
