Part 1 DESIGNING MIXED METHODS RESEARCH You may be familiar with the many design ideas for fuel-efficient cars and their gas-saving engines. Some designs include cars that run on alternatives

Part 1
DESIGNING MIXED METHODS RESEARCH
You may be familiar with the many design ideas for fuel-efficient cars and their gas-saving engines. Some designs include cars that run on alternatives to traditional gasoline, such as biofuels, hydrogen, or electrical charge. However, the design with the greatest initial success has been the hybrid engine. As you may know, these engines use some gasoline and also use batteries that gain a charge from the energy produced by the car’s brakes.
This week’s readings provide an overview of various types of mixed methods research designs. As with previous discussions on design, the selection of the most appropriate mixed design is guided by the study’s purpose and research questions and/or hypotheses. The choice of design links the research questions and/or hypotheses to the data that will be collected achieving alignment among research components.
In this Discussion, you will explore the basics of mixed methods research designs, calling upon your growing understanding of both quantitative and qualitative research.
Post your response to the question, “To what extent is mixed methods research simply taking a quantitative design and a qualitative design and putting them together?” Next, explain the types of research questions best served by mixed methods research. Then, explain one strength and one limitation of mixed methods research. Finally, provide a rationale for or against the utility of mixed methods research in your discipline.
Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.
Part2
SAMPLING AND COLLECTING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA
It is often not possible or practical to study an entire population, so researchers draw samples from which they make inferences about a population of interest. In quantitative research, where generalization to a population is typically valued, a researcher’s ability to make such inferences is only as good as the sampling strategy she or he uses to obtain the sample. Once an appropriate sample has been obtained, data collection should involve valid and reliable measures to ensure confidence in the results, as well as the ability to generalize the research outcomes. Although generalization is typically not a goal in qualitative research, sampling is just as important in qualitative and mixed methods research, as is obtaining reliable and valid results. Indeed, for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research, sampling strategies and accurate data collection methods are critical aspects of the research process.
Specific methods of data collection (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations) produce specific types of data that will answer particular research questions, but not others; so here too, as covered in previous weeks, the research questions inform how the data will be obtained. Furthermore, the method used to collect the data may impact the reliability and the validity of that data.
For this Discussion, you will first consider sampling strategies. Then, you will turn your attention to data collection methods, including their strengths, limitations, and ethical implications. Last, you will consider measurement reliability and validity in the context of your discipline.
Position B: Nonprobability (or purposive) sampling represents the best strategy for selecting research participants.

Post a restatement of your assigned position on sampling strategies. Explain why this position is the best strategy for selecting research participants. Support your explanation with an example and support from the scholarly literature. Next, select a data collection method (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations) and briefly explain at least one strength and at least one limitation. Then, identify a potential ethical issue with this method and describe a strategy to address it. Last, explain the relationship between measurement reliability and measurement validity using an example from your discipline.
Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.
• Teddlie, C., & Yu, F. (2007). Mixed methods sampling: A typology with examples Download Mixed methods sampling: A typology with examples. Journal of Mixed Methods Research , (1), 77–100.
Mixed Methods Sampling: A Typology with Examples by Teddlie, C., & Yu, F., in Journal of Mixed Methods Research, Vol. 1/Issue 1. Copyright 2007 by Sage Publications Inc. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.

• Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Collins, K. M. (2007). A typology of mixed methods sampling designs in social science researchLinks to an external site.. The Qualitative Report, 12(2), 281–316. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol12/iss2/9

• Drost, E. A. (2011). Validity and reliability in social science researchLinks to an external site.. Education Research and Perspectives , 38 (1), 105–124.

• OASIS. (n.d.). Compose annotated bibliographiesLinks to an external site. [Interactive Guide]. Walden University. https://academics.waldenu.edu/writing/compose-annotated-bibliographies

• Walden University Office of Research and Doctoral Services. (2015a). Data resources & support: HomeLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/dataresources

Download the “Sources of Data for Research: A Research Primer” document.

• Walden University Office of Research and Doctoral Services. (2015d). Research resources: Walden University participant poolLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/resources/participantpool

• Walden University. (2015a). How do I find an article that reports on research that uses a specific methodology?Links to an external site. Retrieved from http://academicanswers.waldenu.edu/faq/72633

• Walden University: Writing Center. (2015). Common course assignments: Annotated bibliographiesLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/annotatedbibliographies