Mixed Methods as Tools for Social Change

Researchers often justify their choice of mixed methods on the basis that it allows them to understand the phenomenon they are studying more completely than would be possible with a single method. In this editorial, I raise the question for mixed methods researchers: To what end do we understand the phenomenon we study more completely? Researchers have a long tradition of answering this question with the response: We conduct research to create new knowledge. Brown and Hedges (2009) describe the ethical responsibilities of researchers as follows: To do research, publish, and help move science forward.... Peer-reviewed publications are clearly the most rewarding and rewarded avenues of publication, and the pursuit of them in the best possible journals is the ethical responsibility of one who is committed to a life of scholarship. (p. 382) I do not argue that this characterization of a researcher’s responsibility is in any way wrong. However, I do argue that, as researchers, we have the potential to contribute to social change in a more conscious way if we view mixed methods as a tool for such change. For the past year, I have spent a great deal of time working with groups of researchers and program evaluators across the globe who believe that the use of mixed methods in the communities in which they