Change Is the Only Constant

Abstract

The adoption of mixed methods research is expanding into many different fields, including my own of entomology. Creswell and Plano Clark (2018) have described mixed methods as being in a reflection and refinement period. This developmental state was noted by the authors several years ago as well (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011), with discussions focused on philosophical issues, procedures, and the adoption and use of mixed methods. A decade ago, the first volume of this very journal celebrated the new era of evolution and refinement of mixed methods (Tashakkori & Creswell, 2007). This text provides researchers with a novel path for continued refinement as it is a guide to acknowledge and harness, rather than circumvent, complex, dynamic, and emergent research conditions. This text is divided into three sections, with appendices following. Part I, ''Getting Started with Essential Foundations,'' speaks to the practical dilemmas faced by mixed methods researchers, posits complexity science as a lens for approaching mixed methods research, and introduces conditions of complexity (chapters 1-3). Integrative thinking is proposed as a launch pad for transcending traditional mixed methods practice and allowing innovation in research. The opportunities afforded by complexity science principles are described within a mixed methods setting. The bulk of the text resides in Part II, ''Realizing Innovation in Guiding Practices,'' where six adaptive mixed methods research practices to navigate mixed methods research with a complexity-sensitive approach are presented. Adaptive research is a set of approaches influenced by complexity science and integrative thinking that concede the unpredictable and evolving context of some systems where traditional mixed methods cannot. The first practice, which helps avoid the hazards of assuming stable study conditions, is assessing complexity conditions using five dimensions of complexity as a framework (chapter 4). The second practice considers the implications of framing effects on research problems (chapter 5). It offers an iterative framing process focused on mixing purposes and outlines several strategies for framing and communicating the significance of a research problem. The third practice provides space to consider how a study might be influenced by social, interpersonal, and personal contexts and how to describe and adjust within such a research system (chapter 6). The fourth practice encourages a descriptive design approach to convey framing, logic, ethical, and procedural considerations taken by a researcher, and considers the hazards of trying to fit a study into an existing design typology (chapter 7). The fifth practice focuses on creating conditions that allow a mixed methods research team to achieve integrative interactions, critical for addressing complex research questions (chapter 8). The sixth, and final, practice is a generative evidence approach. Chapter 9 examines six sources of evidence of methodological rigor across qualitative, quantitative, and mixed (integrated) st...

In This Issue: Mixed Methods and Interventional Evaluations, Multilevel Mixed Methods Designs, Full Integration in Case Study Research, Mixed Methods-Grounded Theory, Mixed Methods Evaluation Through Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, and Action Research in Mixed Methods Research

“…Finally, in the media review, Lynch-O’Brien (2020) reviews the book Innovation in Mixed Methods Research: A Practical Guide to Integrative Thinking With Complexity by Poth (2018). Lynch-O’Brien concludes that in situations where mixed methods typologies might stunt the growth of a research pursuit, this text provides guidance on how to embrace complexity and continue exploration of difficult and complicated situations.…”