Mixed Methods Research in Language Teaching and Learning

Book excerpt: Mixed methods research (MMR), where quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in the collecting and analysing of research data, is gaining increasing prominence and utility across a range of academic disciplines including applied linguistics and language teaching and learning. This volume is the first to examine MMR in language teaching and learning and how such a methodology works in practice. The book brings together all the main topics related to MMR in one place and attempts to elaborate on and discuss them in plain language to help researchers better understand and use the methodology. In addition to detailed discussion of the theoretical (for example, the worldviews underlying MMR) and practical (purposes, designs, data collection and analysis), the book presents a framework for analyzing MMR (FRAMMR) studies. In the third section of the book where FRAMMR is presented, eight published MMR articles addressing different topics in language teaching and learning are analysed and eight more are suggested to be analysed by the readers using FRAMMR. Another salient feature of the book is Chapter 7 in which writing MMR proposals is discussed. The chapter should be of particular interest to postgraduate and doctoral students as well as early career researchers who will be preparing thesis and/or research proposals. Given the scarcity of resources on MMR in applied linguistics in general, and language teaching and learning in particular, the current volume can fill this gap to a great extent. Attempt has been made to present a coherent and transparent discussion of sometimes confusing MMR issues and topics. As a newly developed research methodology, MMR poses its own challenges to researchers. These challenges are also discussed in different chapters of the book so that researchers can consider them when planning for and implementing MMR projects.