Mixed Methods: New Trends in Applied Linguistics Research Methods

Abstract

In the 21st century, qualitative research has been a rising trend in applied linguistics research in China, breaking the previous situation of absolute dominance of quantitative research. Influenced by developments in social science research, especially educational research, the use of quantitative or qualitative research alone is not the best option in some research areas, and does not even contribute to more authoritative research findings. Within this context, mixed methods (integration of quantitative and qualitative) have emerged. Based on previous research findings, this paper firstly reviews the trends in the use of applied linguistic research methods in China over the past 30 years, from 1978 to 2015; secondly, the differences between quantitative and qualitative research are presented in terms of definition, sampling, data collection and analysis and the trend of the shift from quantitative to qualitative are analyzed; thirdly, the factors to be considered in mixed methods research design are pointed out, including priority, sequence of data collection, stage of integration, and principles of integration; finally, the advantages of mixed methods are described, and suggestions are made that the focus of applied linguistics research methods should shift towards qualitative methods in China and that researchers should increase their understanding of qualitative methods in order to facilitate the proficient application of mixed methods. The study is intended to provide a thorough comprehension of mixed methods and to be a reference for its future application and practice.