Using Mixed Methods to Optimise Efficacy Measurement in Experimental Interventions Involving Human Subjects

Abstract

Experimental mixed research remains low in library and information science (LIS) despite being embraced in other disciplines. That might be due to limited simple research exemplars to replicate. This chapter showcases mixed methods research (MMR) in an empirical, experimental study involving the multidisciplinary area of academic reading development. A quasi-experimental test design demonstrated in the hybrid inquiry sought to discover how 1st-year university students in South Africa can utilise translanguaging practices—compared to traditional monolingual ones—to scaffold academic reading and establish efficacy. The researcher applied the experimental MMR design within a sequential exploratory scheme in the reading intervention study to understand the usefulness of ‘new' translanguaging techniques in developing academic reading in higher education. The chapter is intended as an initial reference source for LIS scholars for whom it may be beneficial to use mixed methods to assess the efficacy of phenomenon on human subjects in experimental interventions.