Response to discussion question 6

Respond to your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

•  
• Ask a probing question.
  
• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
  
• Offer and support an opinion.
  
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
  
• Make a suggestion.
  
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.

  Creswell (2009) summarized there are three types of research designs: the qualitative design, the quantitative design, and the mixed method design. He continued outlining that qualitative research focuses on the reason why humans ascribe to specific circumstances. The quantitative approach evaluates and compares relationships and connections among data, variables, and information. Lastly, the mixed method research design attempts to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches and can therefore be more detailled  than one of the other two designs (pp. 3-4).  Faculty at the University of New York (n.d.) defined the term research design by asking two fundamental questions: What is going on and why is it going on? (para. 2). These two questions are the main construct on which the researcher will build the selected research design. Reynolds (2007) concurred and decided that he would, throughout the remainder of his book, emphasize on the question “why things happen” (p. 2).

     At this point, the researcher has defined the main reason for research, has decided which design he or she will use to build valid arguments, and will now include philosophical worldviews to determine his or her own bias, personal belief systems, and personal preferences.  Creswell (2009) quoted Guba (1990) who defined worldviews as “a basic set of beliefs that guide action” (p. 6).  In Table 1.1, Creswell summarized four different worldviews and included specific assumptions associated with each worldview (p. 6). It becomes clear that Creswell’s alignment of the three research designs and the four worldviews make sense and are plausible. 

     After comparing all four belief systems or worldviews, I decided that I am very much a pragmatic thinker. My professional background, my experience, and my personal preferences are problem-solution-centered with a strong focus on realistic, practical, and factual approaches. Creswell wrote the pragmatic approach “arises out of actions, situations, and consequences” (p. 10). It must be added that Creswell quoted Rossman and Wilson (1985) who summarized that pragmatic researchers “emphasize the research problem and use all approaches available: (p. 10). In other words, a pragmatic researcher does not reduce his or her work to one worldview and/or one research design. Creswell’s alignment of research design and worldview are still valid, even though the pragmatic researcher takes the liberty to increase the research paradigm. However, pragmatic researchers think outside-the-box of provided paradigms, use complex and interconnected methods to find answers, include separate databases to interpret their connection, and remain flexible, independent, and open to choose the best strategy available at every moment. Creswell (2009) explained that “pragmatists do not see the world as an absolute unity” (p.11).  Therefore, the mixed-method design seems to fit best for a pragmatic theorist. Members of the US Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.) quoted Greene (2007) on the department’s website by writing “mixed methods researchers use and often make explicit diverse philosophical positions; these positions often are referred to as dialectal stances that bridge postpositivist and social constructivist worldviews, pragmatic perspectives, and transformative perspectives” (para. 2). Creswell concluded that for the “mixed-method researcher, pragmatism opens the door to multiple methods, different worldviews, and different assumptions, as well as different forms of data collection and analysis” (p. 11). 

     I believe my strength and experience is tailored towards flexible inclusion and combination of characteristics and research strategies.  I further concluded my pragmatic worldview supports the mixed-method design for my upcoming research.                    

                                                                                                                 References

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Resarch design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3 ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.  

Reynolds, P. D. (2007). A primer in theory construction (1 ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.  

University of New York. (n.d.). What is research design. Retrieved from http:// www.nyu.edu/classes/bkg/methods/005847ch1.pdf

US Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Best practices for mixed methods research in health sciences. Retrieved from  https://obssr.od.nih.gov/scientific_areas/methodology/mixed_methods_research/section2.aspx