Section 4: Using Mixed Methodologies

To expand the evidence-base as far as possible on any type of phased research and evaluation component of an intervention or programme TEC Cymru recommends adopting a mixed methods approach.

Stakeholders and research funders strive to ensure high quality and safety for the public (and within the NHS, more specific to their patients, families and professionals). A mixed methods approach can do this – it can explore all types of trends and practices across participant groups and context and provide stakeholders a more rounded analysis and understanding of the problems and solutions.

Mixed methods is an approach used to collect and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data within the same study (e.g., the intervention or programme).

A mixed methods approach is appropriate for answering questions that neither quantitative nor qualitative could answer alone. Mixed methods approaches require a focused mixing of methods in data collection, analysis and interpretation of the evidence.

The key word here is mixed.

The important step in the mixed approach is the data ‘linkage’ or ‘integration’ at each appropriate stage of the Research & Evaluation process. Data linkage/integration enables the research team to seek out a more ‘inclusive (or panoramic) view and understanding’ of the context and perspectives through different types of lenses.

For example, in a mixed methods study, the quantitative data may provide knowledge on decisions, choices, change and outcomes, whereas the qualitative data provides the contextualised experiences attached to these measures, thus providing more in-depth information on the influential factors, triggers and true meaning associated to each of the measures. This type of mixed methods study can therefore provide an all-rounded understanding across the context and perspectives to answer a certain research question.

In other words, using one method alone (e.g., a survey) can only partly answer a research question. But by using mixed methods a fuller understanding is more likely to be captured and therefore more likely to answer the research question. If you fail to answer the research question that you set out to answer there will be a very high chance of producing significant gaps and misinterpretations in the data set but also there will be a need for more research in that area – ultimately creating a waste of time and resources as well as requiring potential additional external funding. 

In addition a mixed methods approach strengthens both the quantitative and qualitative methods allowing the research team to explore and compare diverse perspectives, uncovering relationships that exist between the multifaceted key or research questions.