Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research

A practical, how-to guide to designing mixed methods studies.

Combining the latest thinking about mixed methods research designs with practical, step-by-step guidance, the Second Edition of Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research now covers six major mixed methods designs. Authors John W. Creswell and Vicki L. Plano Clark walk readers through the entire research process, from formulating questions to designing, collecting data, and interpreting results and include updated examples from published mixed methods studies drawn from the social, behavioral, health, and education disciplines.

New to This Edition:

• Two new mixed methods designs―transformative and multiphase―are now covered.

• New flowcharts detail the steps involved in conducting each of the six major mixed methods designs.

• More detailed coverage of data collection decisions for each of the six major designs.

• New topic coverage

- The use of joint displays

- Emerging discussion about validity

- Newest thinking about the use of software in the process of mixed methods analysis

• An example of a mixed method dissertation outline is now included in the set of guidelines for reporting mixed methods research in a proposal, dissertation, or journal article.

• New and revised activities and exercises conclude each chapter.

This text is intended for use in Intermediate/Advanced Research Methods, Mixed Methods, Research Design, and Social Research Methods courses across the social sciences.

John W. Creswell, PhD, is a Professor of Family Medicine and Senior Research Scientist of

the Michigan Mixed Methods Program. He has authored numerous articles and 34 books on

mixed methods research, qualitative research, and research design. While at the University of

Nebraska–Lincoln, he held the Clifton Endowed Professor Chair, served as Director of the

Mixed Methods Research Office, co-founded SAGE’s Journal of Mixed Methods Research, and

was an Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan and a consultant to

the Veterans Administration Health Services Research Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was

a Senior Fulbright Scholar to South Africa in 2008 and to Thailand in 2012. In 2011, he co-led

a National Institutes of Health working group on the “best practices of mixed methods research

in the health sciences,” served as a Visiting Professor at Harvard’s School of Public Health and

received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In 2014, he was

the founding President of the Mixed Methods International Research Association. In 2015, he

joined the staff of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan to Co-Direct the Michigan

Mixed Methods Program. In 2017, he coauthored the American Psychological Association

“standards” on qualitative and mixed methods research. The fourth edition of this book on

Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design won the 2018 McGuffey Longevity Award from the U.S.

Textbook & Academic Authors Association. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he gave virtual

keynote presentations to many countries from his office in Osaka, Japan. Updates on his work

can be found on his website at johnwcreswell.com.

Vicki L. Plano Clark, Ph.D., is professor of research methods in the School of Education at the University of Cincinnati, U.S.A.  She is an applied research methodologist who studies, applies, teaches, mentors, consults, and writes about the adoption and use of mixed methods research. Her scholarship focuses on resolving methodological issues associated with mixed methods designs and understanding larger contexts that influence the application of mixed methods research. Her writings include Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research (2018, coauthored with John W. Creswell) and Mixed Methods Research: A Guide to the Field (2016, coauthored with Nataliya V. Ivankova). She serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Mixed Methods Research and Editor of the Mixed Methods Research Series with Sage Publishing. She has held leadership roles for the Mixed Methods Research Special Interest Group and the Professors of Educational Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She is dedicated to advancing opportunities for students and scholars across disciplines to understand and apply diverse research methods to address important real-world problems.