Multiple techniques

A topic in research methodology

Many studies in education draw upon multiple data collection and analysis techniques.

As always, research techniques are used as part of an overall research design that has been crafted to respond to specific research questions.

Multiple techniques may be used:

• To address multiple research questions;
• Where a multi-phase study is needed to answer research questions;
• To provide triangulation for a single research question.

To address multiple research questions:

as different research questions require the collection and analysis of different kinds of data:

For example

• Does the new textbook support student learning?
• Do students find the new textbook interesting?

Different kinds of data are needed to answer these questions;

Where a multi-phase study is needed to answer research questions

When the research has multiple stages, such that a certain kind of data that is initially collected informs a subsequent phase of data collection;

e.g., perhaps interviews might be used to determine a set of response categories to incorporate in a questionnaire to ensure a survey offers respondents suitable options

Sometimes the different phases will be planned as part of the research design, but sometimes the need for a further type of data becomes clear when we analyse our original data (this is sometimes called 'theoretical sampling').

To allow triangulation

Methodological triangulation is used where different slices of data are collected in relation to a single research question, to see if analysis of the different slices of data corroborate each other.

e.g., if exploring whether group work is used in classes we might ask teachers, and ask students, and observe a sample of classes. (It might seem that just observing classes would be sufficient, but the project resources may only allow us to observe a small sample of classes, which we can supplement by asking participants about their typical experiences in classes. The interview data suffers from being indirect (people's recollections and perceptions) where the observations may be considered a limited and probably unrepresentative sample of the 'population' of lessons.

A common term sometimes used loosely to describe studies employing multiple techniques is 'mixed methods' but this term can mean different things to different authors, and is best reserved for studies that seek to combine aspects of different research paradigms.

Read about triangulation in research

Example

Types of data collected	Notes	Source
1. Assessment of student achievement in laboratory sessions. 2. Student generated questions recorded. 3. Student viewpoints surveyed.	Data addressing three distinct hypotheses	Design and assessment of an online prelab model in general chemistry

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Example: techniques for researching personality

"Personality investigation may entail the use of psychological instruments, such as projective tests…, the analysis of dreams…, the collection of life histories…, and depth interviewing. It may also be based, however, on the observation of behaviour when viewed from the perspective of, and interpreted in terms of, psychodynamic personality theory."

Spiro, 1961/1994

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Analytical lenses

A related theme is how several different perspectives may be employed as multiple 'analytical lenses' when examining the same data set.

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Work cited:

• Spiro, M. E. (1961/1994) Social systems, personality, and functional analysis, in B. Kilborne & L. L. Langness (Eds.) Culture and Human Nature. Transaction Publishers: New Brunswick and London (p.109-144).

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