Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research

A practical, how-to guide to designing mixed methods studies

Combining the latest thinking about mixed methods research designs with practical, step-by-step guidance, the Second Edition of Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research now covers six major mixed methods designs. Authors John W. Creswell and Vicki L. Plano Clark walk readers through the entire research process, from formulating questions to designing, collecting data, and interpreting results and include updated examples from published mixed methods studies drawn from the social, behavioral, health, and education disciplines.

Intended Audience

This text is intended for use in Intermediate/Advanced Research Methods, Mixed Methods, Research Design, and Social Research Methods courses across the social and behavioral sciences.

Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research combines the latest thinking about mixed methods research designs with practical, step-by-step guidelines for the decisions that must be made in designing a mixed methods research study. "Mixed methods research" is defined as a procedure for collecting, analyzing, and mixing both quantitative and qualitative data in a single case study or series of studies and is becoming more common in studies across the social, behavioral, and health sciences as well as education.

The book offers advice tailored to negotiating the demands and issues that arise when designing a mixed methods project. The recommendations offered focus on how to keep the project manageable for the beginning researcher while still ensuring quality research.

Key Features:

• Offers a practical, how-to guide for designing a mixed methods study
• Presents examples from actual, published mixed methods studies drawn across the social, behavioral, health, and education disciplines
• Incorporates activities and exercises for classroom use or for use by the researcher in preparing designs
• Contains a full glossary of terms for quick reference or as a study tool
• Illustrates designs using visual diagrams and flowcharts
• Goes through the entire research process (formulating questions, designing, collecting, interpreting, etc.) using four major types of mixed methods designs

While much has been written about mixed methods from a conceptual and theoretical approach, this is the first book to deliver practical guidance about how to design a mixed method study.

John W. Creswell is a Professor of Educational Psychology at Teachers College, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  He is affiliated with a graduate program in educational psychology that specializes in quantitative and qualitative methods in education.  In this program, he specializes in qualitative and quantitative research designs and methods, multimethod research, and faculty and academic leadership issues in colleges and universities.