Fully Integrated Mixed Method Research Approaches

This interactive workshop introduces fully integrated mixed method research (FIMM) as a methodology for integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches throughout the research process from its initial inception through its execution. Led by a faculty member with more than fifteen years of experience teaching mixed research courses, this workshop is targeted toward graduate students and early career researchers with little or no prior knowledge of mixed methods research practice. Learning goals for the course include to (a) review the distinctions between multi-method, mixed method, and fully integrated mixed method research; (b) distinguish major reasons for using a mixed method approach; (c) present dialectical pluralism as a paradigmatic grounding for mixed method research; and (d) describe strategies for mixing at all phases of the research process. Over the course of the workshop, participants will create a flow chart that identifies potential opportunities for integrating multiple sources of data in their own research projects. Participants who bring an idea about a mixed methods research project will find the workshop most useful.

Dr. Elizabeth G. Creamer is Professor Emerita of Educational Research in the School of Education and an affiliate faculty member in Engineering Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the U.S. She received a BA in English at Northwestern University, a masters in English and Reading Instruction at Colorado State University, and a doctorate from Virginia Tech. An interest in women’s recruitment and success in science and engineering spans Creamer’s career and is reflected in her on-going engagement as an external evaluator on funded projects at multiple universities. She has taught graduate level research methods courses in qualitative and mixed method research, including in an on-line format, since the mid 1990s. She is the author of the recently released textbook, An Introduction to Fully Integrated Mixed Methods Research, which foregrounds strategies for integrating qualitative and quantitative data and analytical procedures throughout all phases of the research process. She is co-editor of an up-coming volume, Methodological Innovation in Mixed Methods Research. Creamer is incoming president of the Mixed Methods International Research Association (MMIRA). Creamer maintains a blog, Mixed Methods Research in the News, which offers a playful looked at how mixed method mindset fuels much of scientific research today.