1. Chapter 12
Multimethod Designs

2. Mixing Methods: The Value Of
Triangulation
• Most well-designed studies use more than
one method
• Using different methods improves the
researcher’s understanding of contexts;
– And introduces triangulation into the study
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Reasons and Strategies For
Bringing Methods Together
• Small-n analysis
• Qualitative methods such as interviewing
and observation
• Qualitative analysis software such as
NVIVO and ATLAS.TI
• Exploratory research
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. Reasons and Strategies For
Bringing Methods Together
• Probability samples and statistical analysis
• Using Qualitative Research to Understand
Forces That:
– Produce Patterns of Variable Relationships
– The link between the predictors and the
outcomes
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. Reasons and Strategies For
Bringing Methods Together
• Including Quantitative Analysis within an
Overall Qualitative or Ethnographic Design
– Qualitative and quantitative research do not
need to be arranged in a sequence;
• With one necessarily coming before or after the
other
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Reasons and Strategies For
Bringing Methods Together
• Using Quantitative Methods to Analyze
Qualitative Materials
– Qualitative materials are now often converted:
• Into a quantitative database in content and
discourse analysis
– The approach to analyzing the data can be
inductive or deductive
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Reasons and Strategies For
Bringing Methods Together
• Using Qualitative Data to Contextualize
Quantitative Data
– Qualitative methods can be used to provide a
context for quantitative data
• Using Quantitative Tools in Comparative
Research
– Relationships among variables
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. Reasons and Strategies For
Bringing Methods Together
– Level of measurement
– Dichotomous variables
– Interval-ratio level
– Causal factor
• Using Multimethod Research to
Understand Contemporary Issues
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. Reasons and Strategies For
Bringing Methods Together
– The Example of Youth Crime and
Homelessness
• In these fields where the “public good” tends to
motivate much of the scholarly work:
– Researchers have begun to adopt multimethod designs
out of necessity if nothing else
• Comparative analysis
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. Reasons and Strategies For
Bringing Methods Together
– The Example of Youth Crime and
Homelessness
• In these fields where the “public good” tends to
motivate much of the scholarly work:
– Researchers have begun to adopt multimethod designs
out of necessity if nothing else
• Comparative analysis
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.