A Step-by-step Example of Mixed Methods

A Step-by-step Example of Mixed Methods

A teacher of Grade 6 mathematics wants to study whether a think-pair-share strategy improves participation in word problem solving.

Quantitative side

Before the intervention, she counts hands raised in each class for two weeks. Average: 4 hands per question.

After two weeks of think-pair-share, she counts again. Average: 11 hands per question.

The number went up. By itself, the number proves participation increased. But it does not tell her why.

Qualitative side

She also keeps a teacher journal. She notes who participates. She runs a short focus group with eight students.

The journal shows that two normally silent students started raising hands every day. The focus group reveals that students felt safer answering because they had already “tested” their answer with a partner. One quiet student said, “Earlier I was scared of being wrong.”

The combined finding

The number tells her: participation rose from 4 to 11. The words tell her: it rose because the pair conversation removed the fear of being publicly wrong.

That combined finding is far stronger than either alone. It also tells her exactly why the strategy works, which means she can replicate it in other classes.

Flashcard

What does a mixed methods design typically combine?

Tap to reveal

Answer

Numbers (quantitative) plus words (qualitative). Tests, scores, and counts on one side. Interviews, observation notes, and journals on the other. The two together explain what happened and why.

Here is the same idea pinned to this specific case so the example sticks.

Flashcard

Mixed methods finding in this example.

Tap to reveal

Answer

Hand raises increased, and student comments explained that pair talk reduced fear of being wrong. The number shows participation rose in the observed questions. The words explain the cause, which is what lets the teacher repeat the strategy elsewhere.