In order to answer complex research questions, different methods can be
combined in different ways. In this course, several methods have been
introduced and discussed, i.e. quantitative research, design research, qualitative
research and case study research. In this blog, each
method studied during this course will be briefly reviewed at first, and then
followed by a discussion on designing and conducting mixed methods research to
answer complex research questions.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research method is a common methodology to conduct
systematic empirical investigation, which is very useful in preliminary
research to collect and sort empirical data for further analysis, and it is thus
often used to answer ‘what’ questions. Quantitative data is often based on meaning derived from numbers,
and analyzed with help of diagrams and statistics. Since quantitative analysis
are more objective, its results are often seen as more reliable.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research method is also a common and useful
methodology, but quite different from quantitative research. It aims to explore
‘why’ and ‘how’ questions by looking into unknown territory. Qualitative data
is often based on meaning expressed through words, and analyzed through the use
of conceptualization. For its limitation, subjectivity is a quite common
'issue' for qualitative research, although it may be also unavoidable for other
research too.
Design Research
Design research fills a niche where large-scale studies,
laboratory experiments, and ethnographies methodologies do not address [1]. It provides
another ‘lens’ or set of analytical techniques and perspectives for performing
research [2], which is very useful to applied in technology research area. It
is common to see a prototype in design research, as it is helpful for research
idea implementation and evaluation. In particular for an abstract or a novel research
idea, proposing a framework or developing a prototype in a design research will
help readers better understand the research. To further analyze the design or
evaluating the prototype, quantitative and qualitative methods might be used in
design research to analyze the data collected in design studies.
Case Study Research
It is stated that case study is a popular method for qualitative
research [3], however it will be reviewed independently from another
perspective in this blog. First and foremost, what makes case study different
from other methods is that case study concerns a ‘case’, which can be ‘a specific
situation’ or ‘a subject’. Since each case exists in a specific time and space
with different situations, it is common that previous knowledge regarding the
case is not enough to formulate a hypothesis for research. As a result, an
up-close, in-depth and detailed examination of the case will be conducted in
the case study. As case study is cyclical, it is not necessary to be replicable
like other methods. In a case study, researchers can employ different methods
to conduct the study, such as quantitative and qualitative methods. The results
of a case study are often useful to help researchers create or build new
theories.
Different Methods Combinations
In practice, there are many scenarios in which different methods
are needed at the same time to answer complex research questions, i.e. a need
exists when one data source is insufficient; a need exists when initial
results needs explanation; a need exists when the study needs enhanced; a need
exists to generalize exploratory findings; and so on [4].
According to the research questions, the type of needed data
determines what kind of methods will be used. For example, if descriptive data
is expected, quantitative methods should be used; if exploratory data is
required, qualitative methods should be employed. If multiple data are needed to
answer complex research questions, mixed methods will be mostly helpful. As
quantitative research is able to provide a wide picture with numbers to
generalize research data for deductive reasoning, qualitative research can be a
very good complementary method to delve research data with a focus on word analysis
for inductive reasoning. Therefore, integrating these two different methods
will allow analysis conducted from multiple perspective to achieve a more
completed understanding to the research question.
On the other hand, if the research question is too complex to
formulate a hypothesis, case study might be a useful method to approach the
research question if the research subject is single and quite different. For
example, media technology is fast developing nowadays, which enables the media
landscape changing all the time. Some media research topics are thus hard to
conduct without specifying a limited time and space. In these cases, case study
allows researchers to explore the unknown theoretical territory. Case study
provides an analysis approach, which may also include a combination of
quantitative and qualitative research methods to help collect and analyze the
data.
In addition, design research methodology is needed if the research
question involved with new theories or models proposed in the research. With
the help of prototype illustration, analysis can be carried out based on the
data collected from the design research. This is a useful strategy in
technology research domains.
The advantages of mixed methods is obvious. By using a combination
of different methods, different types of data and analysis can be carried out
from multiple perspectives, hence providing a more robust overall measure [5]. For
example, qualitative methods are useful to measure variables and interpreting
the results for quantitative research, and quantitative methods are also
helpful to sort out and compare data collected from qualitative analysis. However,
it is also worth to be noted that there are also challenges of using mixed
methods. Sometimes, results from different methods do not support each other
but reveal problems existed in the research instead. With the help of method
testing or pilot study, the potential problems can be identified and modified.
But in some cases, it will not be found out until the last phrase of the
research. In addition, there are also other conditions may be the challenges in
using mixed methods, such as time and resource, researcher’s sills, etc. which
should be considered when making decisions on research methods.
It is the research question that determines what kind of methods should
be used in the research, and it is the analysis that turns something into research.
Sometimes the methods are only used to help collect data, while sometimes
different methods provide different perspectives to approach the research
question. It will be good to compare the potential pros and cons of different
methods for the research question. A combination of different methods is often
a good choice to maximize the advantages of each method.
References:
[1] Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design
research: Theoretical and methodological issues. The Journal of the
learning sciences, 13(1), 15-42.
[2] Vaishnavi, V., & Kuechler, W. (2004). Design research in
information systems.
[3] Yin, R. K. (2013). Case study research: Design and methods. Sage publications.
[4] Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2007). Designing and
conducting mixed methods research.
[5] Schutt, R. K. (2014). Investigating the social world. Sage Publications.
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