ABSTRACT
Thus far in this book, we have dealt with quantitative and qualitative methods as separate entities. However, as we have alluded to in many places throughout this text, there are times when both approaches are appropriate within a single study. In Chapter 7, we introduced the notion of triangulation, a term originally used in surveying and navigation by using triangles as a base for determining distances. We return to this concept in this chapter as it is the most common way of referring to mixed methods (along with multiple data sources or even quantitative and qualitative) in second language and applied linguistics research (see Hashemi & Babaii, 2013, p. 835). In recent years, in social science research, in general, and applied linguistics and second language research, in particular, combining quantitative and qualitative data has become frequent; this chapter addresses the why and how of mixed-methods research.
