Reimagining Inquiry: A Transformative Integration of Mixed Methods Action Research and Qualitatively Driven Designs in Disability Research Contexts

Abstract

This theoretical paper advances participatory and justice-oriented mixed methods research by integrating qualitatively driven mixed methods research with mixed methods action research within Mertens’ transformative paradigm, specifically in the context of disability studies. We critique post-positivist disability research for positioning people with disabilities as passive subjects and propose an alternative that centers lived experience and co-creation of knowledge. We position qualitatively driven mixed methods research as providing an ethical and epistemological foundation for these aims by privileging qualitative inquiry to shape the research design, while selectively incorporating quantitative tools to extend and contextualize findings without displacing the primacy of qualitative approaches. With mixed methods, action research contributes iterative, participatory cycles that translate insights into meaningful action. Together, this integration offers a coherent and ethically robust framework for addressing entrenched inequities and the “wicked problems” faced by disability communities. Philosophical synthesis of the transformative paradigm and critical realism underpins this approach, enabling both the recognition of systemic power and the explanation of its generative mechanisms. The proposed integrated, qualitatively driven mixed methods research, employing a mixed methods action research model, responds to calls for reflexive, equity-driven, and action-oriented mixed methods designs. This approach bridges conceptual innovation with practical guidance for designing rigorous, participatory, and socially impactful studies in health and social science research.