Linking Research Questions to Mixed Methods Data Analysis Procedures 1

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ways that the goal of the study, the research objective, and the research purpose shape the formation of research questions, and to provide a framework for linking research questions to mixed methods data analysis techniques.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of research questions in mixed methods studies. First, we discuss the ways that the goal of the study, the research objective(s), and the research purpose shape the formation of research questions. Second, we compare and contrast quantitative research questions and qualitative research questions. Third, we describe how to write mixed methods research questions, which we define as questions that embed quantitative and qualitative research questions. Finally, we provide a framework for linking research questions to mixed methods data analysis techniques. A major goal of our framework is to illustrate that the development of research questions and data analysis procedures in mixed method studies should occur logically and sequentially.