Developing a Mixed Methods Proposal: A Practical Guide for Beginning Researchers

Jessica T. DeCuir-Gunby, PhD is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and University Scholar in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences at NC State University. She serves as a faculty mentor with the multidisciplinary and inter-institutional Center for Developmental Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is also an associate editor for the American Educational Research Journal. DeCuir-Gunby’s research interests include race and racial identity development, critical race theory, mixed methods research, and emotions in education. She recently served as Co-PI on two National Science Foundation funded grants, totaling over $4.3 million: Nurturing Mathematics Dreamkeepers (DRK-12 Grant) and Peer Mentoring Summits for Women Engineering Faculty of Color (ADVANCE Leadership Award Grant). Both grants used mixed methods approaches, were multidisciplinary, and explored important issues in diversity and STEM. Her work has been featured in top-tier journals such as Educational Psychologist, Educational Researcher, and Review of Educational Research, among others.

Paul A. Schutz, PhD is currently a Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research interests include the nature of emotion, the influence of emotional experiences on teachers’ identity development, research methods and issues related to race and social justice. He has several publications related to the use of mixed methods and has taught a variety of different research methods course, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research courses. He is a past president for Division 15: Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Association and a former co-editor of the Educational Researcher: Research News and Comment, a lead journal for the American Educational Research Association.