Narrowing the Divide: Perspectives on the Future of Mixed Methods Report From Central and Eastern Europe
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Mixed Methods Research |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1558689816676660 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1558689816676660 |
| Field | Political sciences |
| Keywords | Mixed Methods Research; Methodology; Central and Eastern Europe; Czech Republic |
| Description | The main aim of this article is to place the report ‘‘The Future of Mixed Methods: A Five Year Projection to 2020’’ to the context of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). First, the impact of the heritage of socialist regimes, such as the institutional discontinuities and the hegemony of historical methods, on the quality of methodology in research and in education is described. It is argued that most local academics typically rejected quantification of social science and advocated for the use of qualitative and interpretative approaches, yet (qualitative) methodological rigor was missing. Second, the persisting specific regional challenges to the rigorous use of methodology are presented. These include high levels of inbreeding, lack of methodologically competent PhD supervision, and a strong path dependency of research career trajectories. As post-transitional societies have experienced serious and unique problems, only a limited number of CEE academics and institutions possess necessary methodological skills to participate in the current research debates. Finally, it is asserted that mixed methods research (MMR) is well suited to overcome the path dependency and help avoid the unproductive ‘‘paradigm war’’ fought elsewhere for decades. Based on the recommendations made by the Report, windows of opportunity for MMR in the CEE region are introduced, including several concrete steps that would encourage and facilitate this transition. The active participation of the MMR community and an understanding of the context would be extremely helpful for achieving a more rigorous level of methodology in CEE. |
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