Advancing education research through mixed methods with existing data

Abstract

Introduction 637 What are existing data in mixed methods? 637 Advantages and disadvantages of using existing data in mixed methods 638 Existing quantitative data in mixed methods 639 Gauge the quantitative “breadth” of a topic, then proceed qualitatively 639 Existing qualitative data in mixed methods 639 Gauge the qualitative “depth” of a topic, then proceed quantitatively 640 The knowledge-level continuum in mixed methods 640 Applying the knowledge-level continuum to mixed methods with existing data 641 Three questions when choosing existing data in mixed methods research 642 Question 1: How will you define the terms in your research question? 642 Question 2: How do you plan to find the existing data? 642 Question 3: Do the existing data help answer the research question? 643 Conclusion 643 References 643