Emerging Advances in Mixed Methods

Abstract

Mixed methods researchers are extending our understandings of how to understand complex social phenomenon, as well as how to use research to develop effective interventions to address complex social problems. This was evident in many of the presentations that were made at the International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry that was held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 15-18, 2013. Researchers from many different countries raised questions and provided solutions to challenges they face in many different contexts. I highlight a few of these presentations as a way for us to see the progress that is being made in the use of mixed methods to enhance social justice and create better living conditions for marginalized members of society. The examples give us pause to think about the use of mixed methods to reach hard-to-reach populations, uncover inequities in access to education and health services, improve services that are provided to members of marginalized communities so that they are more culturally and linguistically appropriate, and use research results for social activism. The first example is taken from the health sciences. Cancer is an insidious disease that is being better understood as a result of genetic research. Medical research has revealed that cancer can be the result of an inherited genetic mutation that greatly increases the probability of developing either breast or prostate cancer. The BRCA gene is found in both women and men, yet the majority of attention in the media and the medical profession is focused on women and breast cancer. Hesse Biber (2013) used a mixed methods study first to investigate women with the BRCA gene; she conducted online surveys and personal interviews. The results of this study revealed that women with the BRCA gene expressed concern for the men in their families, brothers and sons, who had not been tested for the mutation. She then conducted a second sequential explanatory mixed methods study to determine how men’s and women’s experiences differ in terms of why they get tested, what they do with the information about their status, and what kinds of support networks they use. Given the lack of visibility and the stigma attached to men with the BRCA gene, Hesse Biber found it very challenging to find men who were willing to talk to her. She posted an online survey on various websites that ended with a pop-up that invited men who wanted to talk to her to send her an e-mail. This resulted in quantitative data from the survey that indicated that men got tested because of encouragement from their families and because they wanted to ensure that they would be able to fulfill their responsibilities to their children. In the phone interviews, the men explained that their doctors seemed uncomfortable talking about breast cancer and some even discouraged them from getting tested. Thus,