Multimethodology
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Multimethodology, or "mixed methods research", is an approach to professional research in the social sciences. It attempts to synthesize a diverse range of methods in order to get an adequate view of the social world. In broad terms, the methods that are mixed in this type of research are quantitative and qualitative approaches.
The term 'multimethodology' appears to be more widely used in operations research than in other branches of social science.
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Desirability
The case for multimethodology as a strategy for intervention and/or research is based on four observations:
- Narrow views of the world are often misleading, so approaching a subject from different perspectives or paradigms may help to gain a holistic perspective
- There are different levels of social research (ie: biological, cognitive, social, etc), and different methodologies may have particular strengths with respect to one of these levels. Using more than one should help to get a clearer picture of the social world and make for more adequate explanations
- Many existing practices already combine methodologies to solve particular problems, yet they have not been theorised sufficiently
- Multimethodology fits well with postmodernism
Feasibility
But there are also some hazards to multimethodological approaches. Some of these problems include:
- Many paradigms are at odds with each other. This can pose a problem. However, once the understanding of the difference or dichotomy is present, it can be an advantage to see many sides, and possible solutions may present themselves.
- Cultural issues affect our view of the world and our ability to analyse it. Our backgounds tend to dictate and bias our views. Knowledge of the new paradigm is not enough to overcome these biases, it must be learned through practice and experienced.
- People have cognitive abilities that predispose them to particular paradigms. The logical thinker can more easily understand and use quantitative methodologies. It is easier to move from quantitative to qualitative, and not the reverse.
Conclusion
Multimethodology is desirable and feasible because it gives a more complete view, and because the requirement during the different phases of the intervention (or research project) make very specific demands on a general methodology. While it is demanding, it is more effective to choose the right tool for the job at hand.
This was a summary of the seminal paper of the same title by Mingers and Brocklesby (1997).
External links:
Mixed Methods Network for Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences (http://www.fiu.edu/~bridges)