Mixed-methods research (MMR) holds promise for investigating several empirical questions within special education, capitalizing on the strengths of quantitative and qualitative traditions. We present an overview of MMR in special education and quality indicators for conducting and reporting such studies. We look to the future for how MMR may…

I dedicate this paper to my friend and colleague, Mike Fetters, who served as senior co-editor of the "Journal of Mixed Methods Research" (JMMR). In this paper, I discuss key mixed methods developments over the last 35 years, my fortunate involvement in them, and my collaboration with Mike Fetters in several of them. The discussion…

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in education are common as the design allows for an unbiased estimate of the overall impact of a program. As more RCTs are completed, researchers are also noting that an overall average impact may mask substantial variation across sites or groups of individuals. Mixed methods can provide insight and help in…

Limited emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD)-focused intervention mixed methods research (MMR) has been published, particularly in top-tier EBD journals (i.e., "Behavior Disorders" and "Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders"). The lack of published MMR creates what could be perceived as a Catch-22 situation wherein…

In educational studies, the paradigm war over quantitative and qualitative research approaches has raged for more than half a century. The focus in the late twentieth century was on the distinction between the two approaches, and the motivation was to retain one of the approaches' supremacy. Since the early twenty-first century, there has been a…

This article discusses the potential of mixed-method social network analysis (MMSNA) as a methodology for designing and conducting studies that address questions of interplay between human agency and social structures in educational settings. First, we discuss a rationale for using MMSNA referring to the theoretical calls for better understanding…

The author's reflexive account of what led to the construction of research grounded in Chicana Feminist Epistemology (CFE) and a new CFE approach coined "Mestiza Methodology" is presented. At the core of the methodology is the assertion that research processes must be decolonized in the image of Chicana relationships and sense-making to…

This article is concerned with the method of the socio-spatial map. It is a method that combines visual (sketches/drawings) with verbal expressions (interviews) in a triangulating manner. This process is particularly suited to empirical questions and analyses of "educational contexts," "processes" and "strategies"…

How does a researcher investigate phenomena that continually emerge through, with and as various practices? This paper explores this question, drawing on transformative reflections on the unfolding process of an empirical research project investigating professional practice in Dutch early childhood education. The project initially applied an open,…

Conceptual stances provide guidance to the mixed methods researcher as he or she makes decisions throughout the research process, including determining the dimensions of integration or levels at which mixing occurs. Only the dialectic conceptual stance specifically encourages mixing at the abstract paradigmatic level. This article outlines four…

Identifying causal mechanisms is an essential aspect of disparities research. Rigorous investigations of mechanisms can open the black box and clarify linkages in the causal chain, indicating how effects occur. Studies of mechanisms can also illuminate novel ways to reduce inequality when intervention at the root cause of unequal outcomes is not…

Qualitative and quantitative research focusing on the specializations of developmental education, learning assistance, and student success have generated impactful findings that provide a greater understanding of both the theory underlying the psychology of learning and the development of praxis. Yet there are underutilized research methods that…

Mixed methods research is still an evolving area. However, it has various characteristics like "paradigm pluralism", "focus on research questions than the research design" etc. Mixed methods research is not just one phase of a research but it enters into all stages of research process right from the stage of writing the…

The development of educational research designs might be daunting for novice researchers that have to make choices among the plethora of philosophical frameworks, research traditions, and different methods existing in the field. In this article we describe the process followed to formally evaluate Hopscotch, a model and a web-tool created by the…

Research on teaching effectiveness, especially those concerning teaching approaches and instructional strategies, rarely shows conclusively the effectiveness of an intervention. Then, these (quasi-) experimental studies on teaching effectiveness often involve distal measures of teaching components. In this article, the focus is on another likely…