Requirements and quality criteria of mixed method studies in mathematics education research

Abstract

The prevalence of mixed method studies in mathematics education raises the question of discipline-specific requirements and quality criteria. Such studies should therefore not only be motivated pragmatically or by the selection of specific research designs, but should also emphasize the subject-specific added value of integrating results obtained by different research methods (of mathematics education). Therefore, the article contrasts methodological and scientific-philosophical prerequisites for mixed-method studies with ontological and epistemological assumptions about research objects and methods in mathematics education. A theoretical anchoring of mixed method studies in Critical Realism enables to justify the combination of different research paradigms also from an ontological point of view. The perspective for quality criteria and a methodological framework developed from the discipline-specific starting points can contribute to a reflected practice of mixed methods research in mathematics education.