RSS01.A2 Multi-Method Research in Theory and Practice​

Multi-method research (MMR) is an eclectic approach to the study of social and political phenomena. Whereas mixed methods combines quantitative and qualitative approaches, multi-methods research is an enterprise that includes any combination of methods in a single project. The value of methodological pluralism is that many ”big” research questions can only be answered by examining processes taking place across multiple temporal and spatial domains—often at different levels of analysis. Today’s researchers increasingly draw on more than one methodology to shed light on different facets of a phenomenon of interest in the hope to achieve greater explanatory leverage as well as descriptively-rich empirical results.

The course is designed as a practicum, and hence is heavily weighted toward class exercises and workshopping participants’ projects, which feature extensive instructor feedback on written assignments and brainstorming in groups.

As such, the course is intended to guide participants through the process of fitting an appropriately tailored MMR design to their research question, establishing a plan to assess their empirical claims, and developing a system through NVivo—a qualitative data analysis software program used to collate, analyze, and interpret different types of data at multiple levels of analysis. Finally, using examples, we discuss techniques for writing up MMR findings in a convincing narrative style.

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