Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: A Pragmatic Approach

About the Book

This is a book about research design. In particular, it is about research designs for projects that collect both qualitative and quantitative data, so that their combined strengths will accomplish more than would have been possible with any one method. The approach presented here is broadly interdisciplinary, because Mixed Methods Research has interested social scientists from a great many fields, including: Anthropology, Communication, Criminal Justice, Education, Evaluation, Nursing, Organizational Behavior, Psychology, Political Science, Public Administration, Public Health, Sociology, Social Work, and Urban Studies. Because this book emphasizes practical research designs, it will be most useful to practicing researchers -- including both students who intend to pursue such a career and those who already devote their energy to collecting and analyzing data. Whether you are a student or a more experienced researcher, you will learn how Mixed Methods Research gets done in the real world.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. An Introduction and Overview Chapter 2. Pragmatism as a Paradigm for Mixed Methods Research Chapter 3. Research Design and Research Methods Chapter 4. Motivations for Using Mixed Methods Research Chapter 5. The Sequential Priorities Model Chapter 6. Preliminary Qualitative Inputs in Quantitative Research Projects Chapter 7. Preliminary Quantitative Inputs in Core Qualitative Research Projects Chapter 8. Follow-up Qualitative Extensions in Quantitative Research Projects Chapter 9. Follow-up Quantitative Extensions in Qualitative Research Projects Chapter 10. Multipart Sequential Designs Chapter 11. Finding the Expertise to Combine Multiple Methods Chapter 12. Conclusions: Further Thoughts About Research Design

About the Author :
David L. Morgan received his PhD in sociology from the University of Michigan, and is currently an emeritus professor in the Department of Sociology at Portland State University. He is an inter-disciplinary research methodologist, working in both qualitative research and mixed methods research. In addition to artificial intelligence, his research interests include focus groups and mixed methods research. He is the author of more than fifty peer-reviewed articles and author or editor of nine books on research methods; he is currently the series editor for the Qualitative Research Methods Series from Sage (the “little blue books”).

Review :
"Key strengths are clarity of presentation, functional focus, limited technical treatment, practical examples, compact length, emphasis on research design, and the chapter on Pragmatism, which is [a] great way around the paradigm debates that often color the use [of] mixed methods." "The research examples are very clear and will help students scope and develop their dissertation designs. . . . A second major strength is the emphasis on examples from program interventions and policy evaluation. This alone makes this text a good alternative textbook in program evaluation." "Figures are very clear, discussion of pragmatism is thorough, and the writing style is clear and accessible." Although I found some interesting ideas within this book I thought it would not engaging enough for students and that some of the terminology was unfortunately not accessible enough for the level of learning. Committee decision An interesting and welcome outline of practical approaches to making use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. It is nice to see an integrative approach. This would be well suited to masters level study of methods. Again, I have not had the time to digest this, but superficially it looks good. This is an excellent book that gives a very clear discussion on what mixed-method research is, drawing upon leading authors works on this subject. I found this book a little complex for undergraduate students but it is a sound supplementary resource for students studying mixed methods research at Masters level. The text is clearly laid out with good use of diagrams and examples. However, more emphasis could be made early on, of the importance of the research question/aim in the research design and justification. Although in the conclusions of chapters 1 & 2, the requirment of a meaningful question is mentioned, it was not dealt with in sufficient depth. The risk is that students will continue to select a method before developing a clear question/aim. Nevertheless providing this is addressed elsewhere, it is a useful ′how to′ text. a must book for postgraduate taught and research students Not written at the appropriate level. The book discusses different aspects of using quantitative and qualitative methods in researches. I would recommend it for those who want to use mixed methods in their researches, especially PHD students and researchers An absolutely timely text in the growing field of practice based research which is invaluable for mature professionals as well as more standard postgraduate students. A good, clear book that for those students who are considering mixed research methods we recommend as reading. This is a very helpful text indeed but it′s vital but narrower focus make it a very useful supplemental or reference text but not an essential core text for those in this stream of study. For some it will be well worth the purchase investment though. Particularly those needing extra insight and assistance with shaping investigative data gathering for their dissertation and the underlying research required for applied theology at master′s level. This is a very interesting book, which will be useful reading for the small amount of MSc dissertation students who engage in mixed methods research, such as a mixed methods case study strategy. Good book, however might be to advanced for basic course level at Swedish university. However, potential for other courses (advanced level) Very good read, with lots of key elements we are looking to involve within the course Very informative and easy to read coverage of pragmatice approach to research. Both BSc & MSc students as well as current researchers will find this a valuable addition to their resources for understanding research methods. Well written and easy for students to understand An very informative text. Will be of great use to undergrad research projects as a supplement to the given reading list. Allows the student to explore methods in more depth if required This is a very good resource I have sent my feedback some time ago Whereas many books focus solely on qualitative or quantitative research, this book is very useful for those who want to combine both types of research. It not only clearly discusses the strengths of combining specific methods, but pays also attention to the steps to be taken in the research process. This is a text that will offer a great alternative to students studying at doctoral level. The practical examples offered add to the clarity of this book which deals cmprehensively with issues of mixed methods research. This is a text that will offer a great alternative to students studying at doctoral level. The practical examples offered add to the clarity of this book which deals comprehensively with issues of mixed methods research. This is a book I have been waiting for! Most literature covers either qualitative OR quantitative research, even though in reality they go hand in hand. I particularly like the section on the 4 options how the two approaches can be linked. I will use it in guiding my master students and have recommended the book to the library, Ph.D. students at my institute as well as colleagues. Mixed methods research is increasingly important in health and social care research and this book is a useful overview of the synthesis of quantitative and qualitative elements, both for research design and in arriving at conclusions from the data. Waiting to long for the book because course is closed.