The History of Social Research Methods

Alastalo, Marja

doi:10.4135/9781446212165.n3

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…I believe that these latter conflicts were substantially created by the specific intellectual and social context in which they occurred, and are not intrinsic to the integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches (cf. Alastalo, 2008, pp. 34-38; Bryman, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This listing of earlier studies in the social sciences that clearly qualify as ''mixed methods'' is by no means comprehensive; it has been drawn from a few general sources on the history of research methods in the social sciences (particularly Platt, 1996, andAlastalo, 2008), the few mixed methodology publications listed earlier that discuss this history, and my own rather idiosyncratic knowledge of research in the natural and social sciences. However, it does establish that the intentional and systematic use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches and methods in a single study, and the integration of qualitative and quantitative data in drawing conclusions, were present long before anyone had identified this as a particular type of research.…”

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The combining of qualitative and quantitative approaches in the social sciences also occurred much earlier than is often acknowledged. Small (2011) noted that “one can find mixed methods studies throughout the history of the social sciences” (p. 60), and some of these earlier studies have been discussed by Alastalo (2008), Brewer and Hunter (2006), Johnson and Gray (2010), Irwin (2008), Maxwell and Loomis (2003), and Platt (1996). However, these studies are rarely described in mixed methods textbooks, or cited in articles.…”

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of both quantitative and qualitative methods of investigation can be found in 19th- and early 20th–century research on social problems, such as that of Charles Booth (e.g., 1892-1897; see Alastalo, 2008, p. 28) and Jane Addams (e.g., 1912; see Platt, 1996, pp. 262-263).…”

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Expanding the History and Range of Mixed Methods Research

Maxwell

2015

Journal of Mixed Methods Research

168

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Presentations of the history and range of mixed methods research presented in textbooks, handbooks, and journal articles have typically ignored a great deal of earlier and contemporary research that integrated qualitative and quantitative approaches, but did not explicitly identify itself as ''mixed methods.'' This article reviews earlier research, in both the natural and social sciences, that clearly integrated qualitative and quantitative approaches and methods, and discusses some contemporary research traditions that use such integration without labeling this ''mixed methods.'' Important implications of these studies and traditions for the conceptualization and conduct of mixed methods research are discussed. Keywords mixed methods history, mixed methods definition, qualitative and quantitative A prevalent view of the history of mixed methods research identifies the beginnings of this approach, or of its systematic development, with the work of Campbell and Fiske (1959) on triangulation, with a full flowering of actual mixed method studies in the 1980s. Typical statements are ones by Creswell and Plano Clark (2011): ''The formative period of mixed methods began in the 1950s and continued up until the 1980s. This period saw the initial interest in using more than one method in a study'' (p. 25), and ''During the late 1980s to early 1990s. .. [a number of individuals from different disciplines] were writing. .. on an approach to research that moved beyond simply using qualitative and quantitative methods as distinct, separate strands in a study'' (p. 20). Similarly, Teddlie and Tashakkori (2003), although they mention a ''substantial degree of important mixed methods research'' (p. 5) that took place between 1900 and 1950, say almost nothing about what was ''important'' in these studies, and state that the ''emergence of the first explicit multimethod designs'' did not occur until after 1950 (p. 6). 1 My argument in this article is that the discussion of mixed methods studies in textbooks and methodological publications on mixed methods research has often been narrow and myopic, both historically and in contemporary scope. Early research that clearly involved the joint use and integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches, but that predates the emergence of ''mixed methods research'' as a distinct and self-conscious strategy, is usually ignored or simply mentioned, with no discussion of what these studies might contribute to our understanding

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Expanding the History and Range of Mixed Methods Research

Maxwell

2015

Journal of Mixed Methods Research

168

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“…Pragmatism emphasizes problem solving, practical consequences, research questions over methods, and combining deductive and inductive ressoning (Hanson, Creswell, Plano Clark, Petska, & Creswell, 2005; Morgan, 2007; Reason, 2003; Zimmerman, 2006). The coming together of the two methodological traditions of quanta and qualia can be conceptually challenging, however mixed methods is gaining considerable force in the social sciences (Alastalo, 2008).…”

Section: Research Across Perspectives: Mixed Methods Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide Studies and the Need for Mixed Methods Research

Kral

Links

Bergmans

2011

Journal of Mixed Methods Research

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The research method in suicide studies has been primarily quantitative, and suicide remains without an adequate or accepted general theory that incorporates multiple disciplines and perspectives. Dependence on quantitative research limits an understanding of the complexity of suicide. This article argues for the use of mixed methods for suicide research. Three key topics in suicide research are highlighted: risk factors for suicide, efficacy of suicide prevention, and cultural factors in suicide and suicide prevention. Mixed methods will expand knowledge of suicide by integrating theory-based variables and subjectivity as objects of inquiry. Mixed methods will allow for a broadening of research questions, more substantive understanding, and are necessary for a multidimensional and multidisciplinary suicidology.

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The case for reflexivity in quantitative survey research in leisure studies: lessons from surf research

Usher

2021

Annals of Leisure Research

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The History of Social Research Methods

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Expanding the History and Range of Mixed Methods Research

Expanding the History and Range of Mixed Methods Research

Suicide Studies and the Need for Mixed Methods Research

The case for reflexivity in quantitative survey research in leisure studies: lessons from surf research

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