Psychology has been a highly quantitative field since its conception as a science. However, a qualitative approach to psychological research has gained increasing importance in the last decades, and an enduring debate between quantitative and qualitative approaches has arisen. The recently developed Mixed Methods Research (MMR) addresses this debate by aiming to integrate quantitative and qualitative approaches. This article outlines and discusses quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research approaches with specific reference to their (1) philosophical foundations (i.e. basic sets of beliefs that ground inquiry), (2) methodological assumptions (i.e. principles and formal conditions which guide scientific investigation), and (3) research methods (i.e. concrete procedures for data collection, analysis and interpretation). We conclude that MMR may reasonably overcome the limitation of purely quantitative and purely qualitative approaches at each of these levels, providing a fruitful context for a more comprehensive psychological research.
Triangulation design), the arrow does not proceed from the middle (interpretation of QUAN + QUAL results) to the right (QUAL) box, but from the right to the middle box.(2) In the second line of figures (One-phase approach: Embed the data: Embedded design), the arrow does not proceed from the last box on the right side to the second box from the right side, but from the second box from the right to the left one on the right side.Correct Fig. 1 is given here.
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