Mixed Methods Research Design

Abstract

The following mixed method design description features proposed research on transformational leadership behaviors and their impact on employee organizational commitment in member institutions of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). After a review of transformational leadership theory and previous research concerning the topic, the author describes the various factors involved in the study, including the hypothesis, participants, and procedure. It is the author’s hope that this proposed study, if carried through to completion, will contribute to existing transformational leadership theory with a generalizable context.

Mixed Method Research Mixed method research designs are composed of a marriage between quantitative and qualitative research, meaning that mixed designs have greater complexity than either method alone. Often, mixed method research revolves around multiple research problems instead of only one (Ormrod & Leedy, 2013). A crucial first step in this research is to establish the research goal. Newman, Ridenour, Newman, and DeMarco (2003) indicate that a research goal should involve determining the overall, long-term aim of the study. After goal setting takes place, the next step is to determine the research objective. Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2006) identify five major research objectives for mixed methods research—exploration, description, explanation, prediction, and influence. Once the rationale has been determined, Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2006) cite Greene, Caracelli, and Graham (1989) in their presentation of five general purposes for selecting mixed methods for research—triangulation, complementarity, initiation, development, and expansion. Although there are six mixed method designs from which a researcher can choose, the author elects to use the sequential explanatory strategy for her work. Creswell (2003) posits that sequential explanatory research is characterized by collection and analysis of quantitative data, followed

References: Ali, N., Babar, M., & Bangash, S. (2011). Relationship between leadership styles and organizational commitment amongst medical representatives of national and Anderson, S. & Widener, S. (2007). Doing Quantitative field research in management accounting Antonakis, J., Avolio, B., & Sivasubramanian, N. (2003). Context and leadership: An examination of the nine-factor full-range leadership theory using the Multifactor Commeiras, N. & Fournier, C. (2001). Critical evaluation of Porter et al.’s Organization Commitment Questionnaire: Implications for researchers Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches (2nd ed.) Forward, G., Czech, K. & Allen, P. (2007). Leadership, communication, and religiosity in higher education administration: Distinctions that make a difference Jung, D., & Avolio, B. (2000). Opening the black box: An experimental investigation of the mediating effects of trust and value congruence on transformational and transactional Kanaste, O., Kaariainen, M., & Kyngas, H. (2009). Statistical testing of the full-range leadership theory in nursing Leedy, P., & Ormrod, J. (2013). Practical research theory and design (10th ed.). New York: Pearson. Mowday, R. T., Porter, L. W., & Steers, R. M. (1982). Employee-Organization Linkages: The Psychology of Commitment, Absenteeism, and Turnover Newman, I., Ridenour, C., Newman, C., & DeMarco, G. (2003). A typology of research purposes and its relationship to mixed methods Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Onwuegbuzie, A. & Leech, N. (2006). Linking research questions to mixed methods data analysis procedures Roueche, J. E., Baker, G. A., III, & Rose, R. R. (1989). Shared vision: Transformational leadership in American community colleges Stangor, C. (2011). Research methods for the behavioral sciences. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Webb, K. (2009). Creating satisfied employees in Christian higher education: Research on leadership competencies Yousef, D. (2003). Validating the dimensionality of Porter et al.’s measurement of organizational commitment in a non-Western culture setting Human Resource Management, 14(6), 1067-1079. doi: 10.1080/0958519032000106218. Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.