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(17.1). This is a frequently cited article in an important educational research journal.

Journal Article 1: Johnson, R. B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 33, 14–26.

Abstract: The purposes of this article are to position mixed methods research (mixed research is a synonym) as the natural complement to traditional qualitative and quantitative research, to present pragmatism as offering an attractive philosophical partner for mixed methods research, and to provide a framework for designing and conducting mixed methods research. In doing this, we briefly review the paradigm "wars" and incompatibility thesis, we show some commonalities between quantitative and qualitative research, we explain the tenets of pragmatism, we explain the fundamental principle of mixed research and how to apply it, we provide specific sets of designs for the two major types of mixed methods research (mixed-model designs and mixed-method designs), and, finally, we explain mixed methods research as following (recursively) an eight-step process. A key feature of mixed methods research is its methodological pluralism or eclecticism, which frequently results in superior research (compared to monomethod research). Mixed methods research will be successful as more investigators study and help advance its concepts and as they regularly practice it.

(17.2). This is an example of mixed methods research.

Journal Article 2: Buck, G., Cook, K., Quigley, C., Eastwood, J., & Lucas, Y. (2009). Profiles of urban, low SES, African American girls’ attitudes toward science: A sequential explanatory Mixed Methods Study. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 3, 386–410.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to increase the science education community’s understanding of the experiences and needs of girls who cross the traditional categorical boundaries of gender, race and socioeconomic status in a manner that has left their needs and experience largely invisible. A first of several in a series, this study sought to explore how African American girls from low SES communities position themselves in science learning. We followed a mixed methods sequential explanatory strategy, in which two data collection phases, qualitative following the quantitative, were employed to investigate 89 African-American girls’ personal orientations towards science learning. By using quantitative data from the Modified Attitudes toward Science Inventory to organize students into attitude profiles and then sequentially integrating the profile scores with year-long interview data, we found that the girls’ orientations towards science were best described in terms of definitions of science, importance of science, experiences with science, and success in science. Therefore, our mixed method analysis provided four personality orientations which linked success in school and experiences with science to confidence and importance of science and definitions of science to value/desire. In our efforts to decrease the achievement gap, we concluded there should be more emphasis on conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills, while still being cognizant of the danger of losing the connection between science and society which so often plagues achievement-focused efforts. Our continued efforts with this group of girls will center on these instructional techniques with the goal of addressing the needs of all science learners

(17.3). This is an example of mixed methods research.

Journal Article 3: Cooper, J. N., & Hall, J. (2014). Understanding black student athletes’ experiences at a historically black college/university: A mixed methods approach. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1–18. doi:10.1177/1558689814558451.

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to describe how a mixed methods approach was employed to acquire a better understanding of Black male student athletes’ experiences at a historically Black college/university in the southeastern United States. A concurrent triangulation design was incorporated to allow different data sources to be collected and analyzed simultaneously to identify areas of convergence. Quantitative findings served as complementary data to corroborate the emergent qualitative themes. Legitimation strategies were applied in identifying meta-inferences from the analysis of findings, which enabled a more comprehensive understanding of key institutional characteristics that contributed to Black male student athletes’ academic achievement and positive college experiences at a historically Black college/university

(17.4). This is a nice article on writing up mixed methods reports.

Journal Article 4: Leech, N. L. (2012). Writing mixed research reports. American Behavioral Scientist, 56, 866–881.

Abstract: For many researchers, writing the research report is among the most difficult steps. When writing about a mixed methods research study, researchers have had little guidance for how to structure the manuscript. Thus, the purpose of this article is to present multiple approaches to reporting information from a mixed research study. Recommendations for mixed research writing from the extant literature are delineated, and 12 themes that were identified across these texts are presented. The multitude of approaches and organizational possibilities for the mixed research report are explored. Emphasis is placed on allowing the researcher to be creative in her or his presentation of a mixed methods research report.