![]() ![]() Many researchers are worried to answer the question: What happens if the QUAN and the QUAL components lead to two totally different conclusions? According to Erzberger and Prein (1977 as cited in ), ‘divergent findings are valuable in that they lead to a reexamination of the conceptual frameworks and the assumptions underlying each of the two components” (p.35). Many researchers select mixed method in order to search out the opportunity for a greater assortment of divergent views. In this regard, it would be worth effective to mention Teddlie &Tashakkori as they say mixed method research provides better inferences and minimizes unimethod bias. Īs Tashakkori & Teddlie defined mixed method as ‘a types of research design in which QUAL and QUAN approaches are used in types of questions, research methods, data collection and analysis procedures and inferences’(p. In fact, throughout the 20 th century, social and behavioral scientists frequently employed mixed methods in their studies and they continue to do so in the 21 st century, as described in several sources. Mixed methodologists present an alternative to the QUAN and QUAL traditions by advocating the use of whatever methodological tools are required to answer the research questions under study. The mixed methods research tradition is less well known than QUAN or QUAL traditions because it has emerged as a separate orientation during only the past 20 years. Can positivists or construstivists alone explore the entire reality of phenomenon under educational vicinity? Cannot we combine them into one to claim reality which could be more valid and reliable than single approach? These questions led me towards mixed method tradition to review its tradition. Here every educationist raises a question: Which method is appropriate to claim reality in the educational field? To find the answer of this question, I read several issues in the three communities and found that the answer is still unsolved and left for the future researcher? This gave a new insight into the lane of my mind to further inquire some questions in order to create arguments within the existing body of knowledge. Pragmatism on the other hand, embraces mixed method as the third research community in order to avoid either or view of positivism and constructivism. Based on their knowledge claim, positivists adopted quantitative method to state reality in the world whereas constructivists espouse qualitative method to construct the meaning of the phenomena under investigation. The positivist believes that the knowledge is universal and absolute whereas the later believe that there may be more than a fixed knowledge and it is fallible in the universe by non-positivism thought. Based on their knowledge claim they are constructivists, positivists and pragmatists respectively. In this context, Denzin and Lincoln, Geven, Tashakkori & Teddlie, Bryman, Ritchie and Lewis and Klenke state that there are three communities of researchers in the educational field: qualitative oriented methodologists, quantitative oriented methodologists and mixed methodologists. This confusing state has been created sometimes because of conflicting situations in paradigm. They often find difficulties to choose possible alternative methods to carry out their research work. The Educational researchers are still in dilemma to choose a particular methodological stand point to approach a research problem. This article is expected to be useful to novice researchers who are in quandary to adopt explanatory sequential mixed method as a research method and it also creates a roadmap in educational research indicating methodological possibilities for new knowledge claim. This article highlights on the growing interest of educational researchers on sequential mixed method design in order to collect and analyze data for legitimize knowledge claim. In this connection, this article aims at explaining the holistic ideas of mixed method design focusing particularly on philosophical premises, generating research questions, data collection and analysis process, potential ethical issues, quality of inference and teaching mixed methodology. ![]() In this confounding situation, this article guides them to fuse both qualitative and quantitative stand points to explore reality from another perspective which is known as pragmatic paradigm. Many novice educational researchers are in dilemma to adopt research design in order to explore reality through their research endeavor because of a tag of war on ontological epistemological and axiological perspectives among qualitative and quantitative researchers. Educational fraternity is moving towards research based practices to improve educational standards. ![]()
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