Re-Search the Research Method
This beautiful world is full of many novel and exciting surprises. There are many ways to explore the unknown.
In the development of human civilization, research is the procedure or process of investigating, recording and analyzing the evidence obtained for establishing a knowledge system.
It can be said that scientific research is the activity of human beings to pursue knowledge or solve problems. Through this activity, the field of human knowledge has been expanded and the quality of human life has been greatly improved.
In a nutshell, the methods of scientific research can be divided into two levels, namely the methodology level and the research method level.
The research method adopted by the researchers is based on the researcher’s ontology of the existence of knowledge and the methodology of knowledge acquisition. This means that the research model shows beliefs and philosophical speculation about the way of acquiring knowledge.
The three main research paradigms used in academic research are qualitative and quantitative methods and mixed-method research.These three methods differ in philosophical tradition. Besides, they are also different in the form of using reasoning and the way of acquiring knowledge.
Qualitative research tends to use exploratory scientific methods to form hypotheses and deepen the understanding of specific people, places, and groups.
Quantitative research aims to establish universal patterns of thought and behavior.
Mixed-method research involves mixing and combining qualitative and quantitative research into one study.
First, I will provide an overview of the mixed method research.
Regarding the activity, lifestyle and impact of the research subjects on others, these variables in a study are used to illustrate how to combine these two methods.
Qualitative and quantitative research methods are fundamentally affected by different assumptions. How to combine these two methods to avoid conflict and complement each other is a challenging test for researchers.
Combining qualitative and quantitative research in educational research, the focus of the research is to explore the feasibility of mixed method research in the academic field, and explore the possibility of contextual practice consistent with contemporary academic ethics.
In other words, the central goal of this combined research method is that mixed method research can contribute to the development of a strong theoretical framework for professional practice in academia.
The following is an analysis of different perspectives of mixed methods in educational research.
Based on the article by Klein and Myers, a set of principles for conducting and evaluating explanatory field research in information systems. MIS Quarterly 23 №1, pages 67–94, and another article by Hammersley, Martyn. Disturbing standards: Critical comments on Furlong and Oancea’s evaluation of educational research frameworks. Among these papers, the first volume of the British Journal of Educational Research has developed the 34th issue, p747–762, to improve the rigor and credibility of the mixed method research.
However, due to the diversity of research inquiry, research cannot always be evaluated by the same standard. Therefore, I use some of the guiding principles in these two articles as a reference, and I will further develop other views on the nature of educational research.
Reference List
Lincoln, Y., Guba, E. (1985 ) Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, California, Sage.
Depoy, E., Gitlin, L. (1994 ) Introduction to research: Multiple strategies for health and human services. Toronto, Mosby.
Originally published at http://poeticmindfulness.wordpress.com on March 27, 2021.
