Janice M. Morse

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EXPANDING THEORY USING MIXED METHODS

                A comparison of apples and oranges occurs when two items or groups of items are compared that cannot be practically compared.

                The idiom, comparing apples and oranges, refers to the apparent differences between items, which are popularly thought to be incomparable or incommensurable, such as apples and oranges. The idiom may also be used to indicate that a false analogy has been made between two items, such as where an apple is faulted for not being a good orange.

—Wikipedia (n.d.)

So far in this book, we have focused our discussion on the advantages of developing theory—inductively, using qualitative methods; and deductively, using quantitative measures. By now it should be clear that there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. The advantage of developing qualitative theory from data is that the theory is relatively valid, but because these theories are so close to the data, they may not be generalizable. The deductive quantitative theory has the advantage of being verifiable and generalizable (at least, in a way that most understand). The problem is that when working deductively, it is a circular process of developing—conducting the research—testing the research—modifying the theory—testing research—modifying theory—testing research—modifying research, and so forth.

In the past 20 years, a movement of using both qualitative and quantitative research in the same project has developed with the intent of overcoming the limitations of both qualitative and quantitative research for theory/knowledge development. This movement is called mixed-method design and it is most frequently the utilization of both qualitative and quantitative methods with the same project (Morse & Niehaus, 2009). Here we will not discuss how to “do” mixed-method research but rather discuss its role in theory development.

MIXED-METHOD APPROACHES

There are three approaches to mixed-method research. The first two designs, qualitatively driven mixed-method design and quantitatively driven mixed-method design, use a core (main project) of either qualitative or quantitative methods and attach a supplementary strategy of either qualitative or quantitative research to obtain data that could not be elicited by the core method alone. Note that the supplemental project cannot stand alone, nor is it publishable with the core component. Therefore, mixed methods may be conceived as “one-and-a-half projects.”

Multiple-Method Design

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