Focus on Mixed Methods: Antonia Krahl and Prof. Susanne Vogl lead an Ad Hoc Group at the DGS Conference

Susanne Vogl and Antonia J. Krahl organized the ad hoc group “Rethinking Mixed Methods: Conceptual Development and Practical Integration in Mixed Methods Research” as part of the DGS Congress.

Mixed methods research is now considered an established strategy in empirical social research. This can be attributed, among other things, to the growing complexity of social, economic, and technical interrelationships in the wake of globalization, digitalization, and multiple societal crises. The combination of multiple data types and methods promises to reveal different facets of a phenomenon, thereby enabling a deeper, more nuanced, and often more valid understanding.

Following an initial phase characterized primarily by the development of design typologies and the discussion of epistemological foundations, the research community is now increasingly focusing its attention on practical implementation issues as well as on more complex and dynamic research designs that often can no longer be adequately captured by classical typologies. This has led to both conceptual and practical advancements in mixed-methods research. These advancements particularly concern the core area of mixed-methods research: the increasingly questioned dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative methods and data—particularly in light of new possibilities offered by artificial intelligence—issues related to the integration and presentation of heterogeneous data types, the productive role of contradictions and abduction, quality criteria, and the further development of mixed-methods methodologies.

These current developments were addressed in the ad hoc group through thematically focused and conceptual presentations, followed by a concluding, overarching discussion.
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