21 Why did Megan choose to use a mixed methods approach for her study?
A to satisfy her supervisor’s requirement
B to get a more complete picture of the issue
C to speed up the data collection process
22 Arthur points out that the main challenge of mixed methods is
A the heavy financial burden involved.
B finding participants willing to do both parts.
C the large amount of time required.
23 What do they agree to do for the qualitative part of the research?
A conduct focus groups
B use an online diary system
C perform one-on-one interviews
24 How will they handle the numerical data from the survey?
A hire a statistician to process it
B use a specialized computer application
C analyze it manually
Questions 25 to 30
What main challenge do the students anticipate for each of the following stages of the research?
Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-G, next to Questions 25-30.
Challenges
A keeping it brief
B finding a quiet venue
C dealing with contradictory outcomes
D choosing a fair sample
E typing out spoken responses
F meeting the word limit
G avoiding biased wording
Stages of the research
25 Survey creation
26 Participant recruitment
27 Interview execution
28 Audio processing
29 Data merging
30 Final report
Keys
21 B
22 C
23 C
24 B
25 G
26 D
27 B
28 E
29 C
30 F
Transcripts
Part 3: You will hear two sociology students, Arthur and Megan, discussing their research proposal on justifying mixed methods.
ARTHUR: Hi Megan. How is the research proposal going? Are you still planning to write about justifying mixed methods for your sociology project?
MEGAN: Yes, Arthur. I spent all weekend looking at the design. I know some students only use mixed methods because their supervisor tells them to, but mine actually suggested sticking to just a survey. And while it certainly doesn’t speed up the data collection process – in fact, it takes much longer – I really feel it’s the only way to get a more complete picture of the issue. A simple survey just scratches the surface.
ARTHUR: That makes sense. Combining quantitative and qualitative data gives you much richer insights. But you need to be prepared for the hurdles. The university covers the printing and digital tools, so the heavy financial burden isn’t a problem, and finding participants willing to do both parts usually works out fine. But you have to manage the large amount of time required. Running two concurrent studies is exhausting.
MEGAN: I know, my schedule is already completely full! Speaking of the qualitative side, we need to decide on the method. I initially considered doing focus groups, but getting everyone in the same room is a nightmare. And an online diary system seems like too much daily effort for the volunteers. So, I have settled on performing one-on-one interviews.
ARTHUR: Good call. They are much easier to organize. What about the numerical data from the survey? Are you going to hire a statistician to process it?
MEGAN: No, we don’t have the budget for external help. And there are thousands of responses, so I definitely cannot analyze it manually. The university just bought a license for a specialized computer application, so I am going to learn how to use that. It should generate all the charts automatically.
ARTHUR: Excellent. Now, let’s break down the stages of your research and identify the main challenge for each. First is the survey creation.
MEGAN: Right. I thought the main issue would be keeping it brief, but it actually doesn’t matter if it’s a bit long. The real challenge is avoiding biased wording. I have to be so careful not to accidentally influence their answers with the way I phrase things.
ARTHUR: Very true. What about participant recruitment?
MEGAN: I have a massive list of volunteers. My worry isn’t getting enough people, but choosing a fair sample. I need to make sure the gender, age, and income brackets perfectly match the general population.
ARTHUR: That takes careful filtering. Then you move on to the interview execution.
MEGAN: Yes. The university has plenty of recording equipment, so that’s sorted. My main concern is finding a quiet venue. The campus is so busy this month, and I need a space with absolutely no background chatter for clear audio.
ARTHUR: You should book a library pod early. After that comes the audio processing phase.
MEGAN: This is going to be tedious. The audio files will be huge, but I’m not worried about digital storage. The tough part is typing out spoken responses. Doing that accurately takes hours for just a ten-minute conversation.
ARTHUR: You might want to try dictation tools to help with that. Then you face the most complex stage: data merging.
MEGAN: Exactly. This is the core of justifying mixed methods. Bringing the statistics and the personal stories together. The biggest headache will be dealing with contradictory outcomes. What happens if the numerical results say one thing, but the interviews say the exact opposite?
ARTHUR: That’s where your analytical skills will really be tested! Finally, you have the final report.
MEGAN: I have all the structure planned out. I don’t struggle with writing introductions or conclusions. The strict challenge there is meeting the word limit. I always write too much, and I have to trim this down to exactly ten thousand words without losing the key arguments.
ARTHUR: Well, I’d be happy to proofread it for you when you reach that stage.
