Mixed Methods Research Designs in Counseling Psychology

Authors

William E. Hanson, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
John W. Creswell, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Vicki L. Plano Clark, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kelly S. Petska, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
J. David Creswell, University of California, Los Angeles

Date of this Version

2005

Comments

Published in Journal of Counseling Psychology 52:2 (2005), pp. 224–235; doi 10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.224 Copyright © 2005 American Psychological Association. Used by permission. “This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.”

Abstract

With the increased popularity of qualitative research, researchers in counseling psychology are expanding their methodologies to include mixed methods designs. These designs involve the collection, analysis, and integration of quantitative and qualitative data in a single or multiphase study. This article presents an overview of mixed methods research designs. It defines mixed methods research, discusses its origins and philosophical basis, advances steps and procedures used in these designs, and identifies 6 different types of designs. Important design features are illustrated using studies published in the counseling literature. Finally, the article ends with recommendations for designing, implementing, and reporting mixed methods studies in the literature and for discussing their viability and continued usefulness in the field of counseling psychology.