Systematic Mixed-Methods Research for Social Scientists / Progress in Mathematics (PDF)

"This book is an authoritative introduction to systematic mixed-methods research by a leading author in the field. It brings together a wide range of important methods and transcends the now outdated qualitative-quantitative divide. The author explains these methods in clear language using ample examples and embeds them in explicitly critical ontological and epistemological foundations. This is a well-written and long-overdue book."

- Dr Theo Papadopoulos, Director, Centre for the Analysis of Social Policy, University of Bath, UK

This textbook provides clear and accessible guidance on the importance and practical application of mixed-methods research. Professor Olsen presents a range of multiple mixed-methods techniques using quantified data. Critical realism underpins key arguments. She offers detailed examples based on wide experience with international applied social-science projects.

The book shows readers how to join quantitative and qualitative data together. Detailed methods include: using multiple-level data; constructing new indices based on mixing survey responses and personal interviews; and using focus groups alongside a large survey. The book provides readers with linkages of data between different software packages. It explains the analysis stage in mixed-methods research, interprets complex causality, shows how to transform data, and helps with interpreting social structures, institutions, and discourses. Finally, the book covers some epistemological issues. These include the nature and value of data. The author discusses validity and techniques for ensuring relevant, innovative conclusions. The book also touches on action research as an overarching participatory method.

This book is based on clear and explicit definitions, is accessible to students and researchers across disciplines, and shows the appeal of mixed-methods research to those trained in quantitative methods.

Wendy Olsen is Professorof Socio-Economics at the University of Manchester, UK. She researches employment, informal work, gender, norms, and labour markets. Her books include Rural Indian Social Relations (1996), Realist Methodology (ed., 4 volumes, 2010), and Data Collection (2012).