Moving from collision to integration

Abstract

Combining research approaches, commonly referred to as ‘mixed methods’, has the potential to lead to greater insights than would be gained by one approach alone. The discussion in this paper draws on the personal experience of conducting interrelated studies that adopted different methods, underpinned by different methodological positions. In the conduct of the research, several roles were occupied by members of the research team and, together with the mixed methods, gave rise to a number of issues in the conduct and implementation of research. The particular tensions identified are likely to be transferable to other contexts. Key to working with mixed methods is the need for researchers to acknowledge the alternative conceptions of knowledge and reflect on their position in relation to the range of possibilities. It is suggested that continued conflation of particular concepts, i.e. method and paradigm, acts as a barrier to meaningful interdisciplinary working and true integration of insights gained from combined approaches.