By Dalat TESOL
Supporting graduate students in combining qualitative and quantitative approaches for deeper insights
📌 Introduction
In TESOL and applied linguistics research, some questions are too complex for a single method to answer fully. For example:
“Does using ChatGPT improve students’ writing scores — and how do they experience it?”
The scores tell you what changed. But the student voices explain why and how.
That’s where mixed methods research (MMR) comes in. This approach combines the strengths of quantitative and qualitative methods to offer a more comprehensive understanding of language learning and teaching.
In this guide, we’ll walk through:
- What mixed methods research is
- Why and when to use it in TESOL
- The main types of mixed methods designs
- Practical examples
- Key challenges and how to address them
🔍 1. What Is Mixed Methods Research?
Mixed methods research is the integration of both quantitative (numbers, measurements) and qualitative (words, meanings) data collection and analysis within a single study.
✅ The goal is to combine breadth (from numbers) with depth (from words) — not just to do both for the sake of it.
🧠 Why use mixed methods in TESOL?
- To validate findings from one method with another (triangulation)
- To explore both outcomes and experiences
- To gain a richer picture of how learners, teachers, or policies operate in real-world classrooms
✅ Example:
You want to explore how project-based learning affects EFL speaking confidence.
- Quantitative: Pre/post self-efficacy survey
- Qualitative: Interviews with selected students about their classroom experience
🛠 2. Common Mixed Methods Designs (With Examples)
There are several ways to structure a mixed methods study. Here are the most common designs in TESOL:
🔁 a. Convergent Design
Quant + Qual collected at the same time, analyzed separately, and then compared or merged.
✅ Example:
You survey students’ motivation (quant) and interview them about learning experiences (qual) in the same week. Then you compare patterns.
| Benefit | Challenge |
|---|---|
| Efficient; gives a fuller picture | Requires skill in integrating results meaningfully |
🕰 b. Explanatory Sequential Design
Quantitative first → then qualitative to explain or follow up.
✅ Example:
- Survey: 200 students complete an AI writing self-efficacy scale
- Results show unexpected drop in confidence
- Interviews: You talk to 10 students to understand why
| Benefit | Challenge |
|---|---|
| Prioritizes generalizability first | Needs time for two stages; hard to recruit same participants |
💬 c. Exploratory Sequential Design
Qualitative first → then quantitative, often to develop a tool or test a model.
✅ Example:
- Interview teachers about digital reading practices
- Develop a digital literacy scale from themes
- Test the scale on 150 EFL teachers
| Benefit | Challenge |
|---|---|
| Generates new tools grounded in real data | Requires instrument development and piloting expertise |
🧬 d. Embedded Design
One method plays a supporting role within a larger main design.
✅ Example:
Main study: Experimental design testing the effect of gamified vocabulary apps
Embedded: Reflective journals from students about the learning experience
| Benefit | Challenge |
|---|---|
| Adds nuance to an experiment or intervention | Integration must be clearly justified and well-timed |
📑 3. How to Report Mixed Methods Clearly (Structure Example)
Mixed methods papers can be hard to write unless you’re clear and explicit. Use strong signposting like:
“This study followed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design…”
“Quantitative and qualitative data were collected separately and integrated during interpretation.”
✅ Sample Structure:
- Introduction (State research questions and rationale for mixing)
- Literature Review (Theoretical background and gaps)
- Method
- Research design (state which MMR type)
- Participants
- Quant instruments and procedures
- Qual instruments and procedures
- Integration strategy
- Findings
- Quant results
- Qual findings
- Joint interpretation / synthesis
- Discussion
- How data sources confirm or contrast
- Contributions, implications
- Conclusion
📊 4. Real-World TESOL Research Example
Study Title: Blended Tools, Blended Voices: A Mixed Methods Study of AI-Assisted Writing in Vietnamese EFL Classrooms
Research questions:
- To what extent do AI tools affect students’ academic writing self-efficacy? (Quant)
- How do students experience the use of AI tools during the writing process? (Qual)
Design: Explanatory sequential
- Phase 1: 180 students complete a validated self-efficacy scale
- Phase 2: 12 students are interviewed
- Results integrated in discussion: Some students score high on confidence but express over-reliance on AI in interviews → tension between surface confidence and deep learning
⚠️ 5. Common Pitfalls in Mixed Methods (And How to Avoid Them)
| Mistake | How to Fix It |
|---|---|
| Treating the methods as separate projects | Plan integration from the beginning |
| Not justifying why you used both methods | Clearly explain what each method contributes |
| Poor sequencing (e.g., interviews before you understand patterns) | Match sequence to purpose: Explanatory or exploratory |
| Data overload | Stay focused on your research questions |
| Reporting results without connecting them | Use headings like “Integrated Findings” or “Meta-Inferences” to tie them together |
✅ 6. Tips for Novice Researchers
| Tip | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Start with a simple design | A convergent or explanatory design is easiest to manage |
| Use frameworks like Creswell & Plano Clark (2018) | For structuring your proposal or thesis |
| Use visual diagrams | Show your sequence and integration clearly |
| Triangulate carefully | Don’t force agreement — value contrasts |
| Write your RQs to match your methods | Use RQ1 (quant) and RQ2 (qual) format to stay clear |
🧠 Final Thoughts
Mixed methods research is powerful — but only when used intentionally and clearly. It allows you to combine:
- The generalisability of numbers
- The richness and nuance of narratives
If you’re tackling complex, layered issues in TESOL — like identity, engagement, or technology use — mixed methods may be the best path forward.
Just remember:
Don’t do both “just because.” Do both to answer deeper questions.
🌿 Dalat TESOL – Chia sẻ kiến thức giảng dạy, nghiên cứu khoa học và cơ hội xuất bản