Donna M. Mertens, Professor Emeritus at Gallaudet University, specializes in research and evaluation methodologies designed to support social, economic, and environmental transformation. Her recent books related to social, economic and environmental justice and human rights include Program Evaluation Theory and Practice (2nd ed.); Mixed Methods Design in Evaluation; and Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology (5th ed.).

The Future of Mixed Methods: An Embarrassment of Riches and Fraught with Challenges

Increasing disparities in wealth between rich and poor, more devastating and frequent natural disasters, immigration crises, violations of the rights of women and people with disabilities, and a global pandemic demand our attention and leave us with the question, what can we do as a community of researchers to be part of the solution? Mixed methods do not provide a panacea to these problems; however, they do provide researchers with an opportunity to engage in critical reflection on the challenges of conducting research as a means of supporting transformative change. The advancements in mixed methods toward increasing research impact are recognized, along with the need to continue creative thinking as a means to increased social, economic, and environmental justice in the future.

Workshop programme:

Workshop 1

Tim Guetterman

Associate Director, Mixed Methods Program, University of Michigan

Developing joint displays to facilitate and represent mixed methods integrative analysis

Joint displays are a visual means of integrating qualitative and quantitative research. Developing joint displays is a promising method that relies on visuals including tables, matrices, and figures represent integration in manuscripts, theses, dissertations, and other mixed methods reports. This workshop will focus on selecting the joint display that is most appropriate to address your research questions in a mixed methods study. We will review templates to assist with the process of developing a joint display. The workshop will encourage participants to work on their own projects and apply concepts to their own joint displays. Participants will exit with at least one draft joint display to use in their proposal or manuscript. The instructor will provide feedback as well.

Workshop 2

Pat Bazeley

Adjunct Professor, Western Sydney and Torrens Universities

Core integration strategies for mixed methods research

Integration, seen as interdependence of varied data, methods, and analyses within a project, is a core feature of mixed methods research.  This workshop will review and illustrate strategies for constructing, combining, comparing, and converting data and analyses in ways that foster integration. The principles, tools, and techniques involved in these core strategies also provide foundation elements for more complex designs.

Oral Papers

Stream A: Advancing mixed methods research

Doing better, doing more: Provocations for mixed methods research in the 21st century (Winner MAXQDA prize for best paper in Stream A)

Researching Catechetical Ministry (CM): Implementation strategies, challenges, and learnings from a mixed-methods study amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Teaching Mixed Methods Research: Effective course design elements and impactful teaching strategies

Stream B: Using mixed methods for intervention and evaluation

Application of Mixed Methods Research in the Onshore Oil and Gas Drilling Environment (Winner MAXQDA prize for best paper in Stream B)

Designing and Delivering an Online Learning Program for Female Entrepreneurs in Regional Indonesia using an exploratory sequential MMR design

Collective Knowledge Exchange Enhances Australian Farmer Climate Change Adaptation: Integrating Methodological Approaches