Mixed Research Methods....

The first paper, Mixed Research and Online learning, talks about qualitative and quantitative research and how those two research methods can be brought together to form what they are calling a third paradigm: that of pragmatism where both research methods are combined.

Most purists: strictly quantitative or qualitative researchers argue that their methods are the best and that the two cannot be blended, saying that, “paradigms and research methodologies cannot be separated or mixed”.

There are both advantages and limitations to adopting mixed research methods. One of the greatest advantages is that it helps understanding of research problems much better than either quantitative or qualitative methods would on their own. It facilitates the richness of data. The limitations to this methods, is that applying it can be a very complicated and time consuming process. One requires to examine the objectives and hypothesis of the research separately for the two different methods because their application would be different.

In the paper, thirteen steps were outlined to give researchers guidelines on how to carry out mixed research. These are:

1. determine the goal of the study

1. formulate the research objective 

1. determine the rationale behind mixing methods in the research

1. determine the purpose of doing (3) above

1. work out the research question

1. select the sample design 

1. select the mixed research design

1. collect the data

1. analyze the data 

1. validate the data

1. interpret the data

1. write the report for the mixed research carried out

1. reformulate the research questions.

Of the steps mentioned above, a lot of attention ought to be given to formulating the research design, the questions and determining the rationale behind the research being carried out.

In the second paper, Emotional presence, learning and the online learning environment, the authors highlight that emotion plays a key role in learning. They say it shapes student engagement in learning. In this paper, both quantitative and qualitative methods of research were used to gather and analyze data [mixed research methods]. It was noted that while it is very difficult to measure emotion, there were similar emotional responses exhibited by the respondents which were common to certain learning environments. While emotion may inhibit learning, if it is managed well, it can be a support for thinking, stimulation and decision-making. Emotions are part of a human being and form part of their everyday experiences and how they act or react towards them. This study therefore makes sense when it suggests that emotion ought to be considered as a prevalent and influential part of learning, if not a central part of it.