Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research

About the Book

Combining the latest thinking about mixed methods research designs with practical, step-by-step guidance, the Fourth Edition of Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research now covers seven mixed methods designs in depth, with accompanying journal articles in the back of the book illustrating the three core mixed methods designs. Authors John W. Creswell and Vicki L. Plano Clark walk readers through the entire research process, from formulating research questions to sampling and collecting data, analyzing and integrating data, and drawing metainferences from the integrated results. This edition provides enhanced discussion of integration, joint displays, and metainferences and includes updated examples from published mixed methods studies drawn from the social, behavioral, health, and education disciplines.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures List of Tables Preface About the Authors Chapter 1: The Nature of Mixed Methods Research Defining Mixed Methods Research Examples of Mixed Methods Studies What Research Problems Call for Mixed Methods? What Are the Advantages of Using Mixed Methods? What Are the Challenges in Using Mixed Methods? Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Chapter 2: The Foundations of Mixed Methods Research Historical Foundations Philosophical Foundations Theoretical Foundations Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Chapter 3: Core Mixed Methods Designs Key Concepts That Inform Mixed Methods Designs Typology-Based and Interactive Approaches to Mixed Methods Design The Three Core Mixed Methods Designs Considerations in Choosing a Core Design Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Chapter 4: Hybrid Mixed Methods Designs Defining Hybrid Mixed Methods Designs Approaches for Conceptualizing Hybrid Mixed Methods Designs Four Prominent Types of Hybrid Mixed Methods Designs Drawing Procedural Diagrams of Hybrid Designs Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Chapter 5: Introducing a Mixed Methods Study Writing a Mixed Methods Title Stating the Research Problem in the Introduction Developing the Purpose Statement Writing Research Questions, Aims, and Hypotheses Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Chapter 6: Sampling and Collecting Data in a Mixed Methods Study Qualitative and Quantitative Sampling and Data Collection Procedures General Considerations for Sampling and Data Collection in Mixed Methods Ethical Considerations Within Mixed Methods Designs Sampling Within Mixed Methods Designs Data Collection Within the Mixed Methods Designs Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Chapter 7: Analyzing Data in a Mixed Methods Study Quantitative and Qualitative Data Analysis Procedures General Procedures for Mixed Methods Data Analysis Integration Analysis Within the Mixed Methods Designs Software Applications and Mixed Methods Data Analysis Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Chapter 8: Creating Joint Displays and Drawing Metainferences in a Mixed Methods Study Quantitative and Qualitative Procedures to Represent, Interpret, and Validate Results General Procedures to Represent, Interpret, and Validate Mixed Methods Integration Results Creating a Template to Design a Joint Display Joint Displays and Metainferences Within the Types of Mixed Methods Designs Validity Threats and the Types of Mixed Methods Designs Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Chapter 9: Writing and Evaluating Mixed Methods Research General Guidelines for Writing about Mixed Methods Studies Mixed Methods Writing Structures for a Plan or Report Evaluating a Mixed Methods Study Summary Activities Additional Resources to Examine Appendix A: Example of a Mixed Methods Study that Applied a Convergent Design Appendix B: Example of a Mixed Methods Study that Applied an Explanatory Sequential Design Appendix C: Example of a Mixed Methods Study that Applied an Exploratory Sequential Design Glossary References Index

About the Author :
John W. Creswell, PhD, is a Professor of Family Medicine and Senior Research Scientist of the Michigan Mixed Methods Program. He has authored numerous articles and 34 books on mixed methods research, qualitative research, and research design. While at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he held the Clifton Endowed Professor Chair, served as Director of the Mixed Methods Research Office, co-founded SAGE’s Journal of Mixed Methods Research, and was an Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan and a consultant to the Veterans Administration Health Services Research Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to South Africa in 2008 and to Thailand in 2012. In 2011, he co-led a National Institutes of Health working group on the “best practices of mixed methods research in the health sciences,” served as a Visiting Professor at Harvard’s School of Public Health and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In 2014, he was the founding President of the Mixed Methods International Research Association. In 2015, he joined the staff of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan to Co-Direct the Michigan Mixed Methods Program. In 2017, he coauthored the American Psychological Association “standards” on qualitative and mixed methods research. The fourth edition of this book on Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design won the 2018 McGuffey Longevity Award from the U.S. Textbook & Academic Authors Association. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he gave virtual keynote presentations to many countries from his office in Osaka, Japan. Updates on his work can be found on his website at johnwcreswell.com. Vicki L. Plano Clark, Ph.D., is professor of research methods in the School of Education at the University of Cincinnati, U.S.A.  She is an applied research methodologist who studies, applies, teaches, mentors, consults, and writes about the adoption and use of mixed methods research. Her scholarship focuses on resolving methodological issues associated with mixed methods designs and understanding larger contexts that influence the application of mixed methods research. Her writings include Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research (2018, coauthored with John W. Creswell) and Mixed Methods Research: A Guide to the Field (2016, coauthored with Nataliya V. Ivankova). She serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Mixed Methods Research and Editor of the Mixed Methods Research Series with Sage Publishing. She has held leadership roles for the Mixed Methods Research Special Interest Group and the Professors of Educational Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She is dedicated to advancing opportunities for students and scholars across disciplines to understand and apply diverse research methods to address important real-world problems.

Review :
The level of depth provided in this book is the exact level that we need for our introductory course to mixed methods research. The ways methods are conveyed have direct impact on how students can conceptualize the content and directly impacts their understanding and confidence in being able to apply what they learn.
The students find this text readable, useful, and refer to it as they develop their research proposal for this course. Students who conduct mixed methods research for their dissertation have found this text to be a useful guide.