Responding to evidence-based practice: an examination of mixed methods research in teacher education

In a contemporary era where accountability and evidenced-based practice is critical, teacher educators must look for a balanced approach to providing informative research outcomes to influence policy and practice. Mixed methods is suggested as a way to do this. An examination of 1055 empirical research articles published in two prominent teacher education journals (2010–2016) was conducted. Results showed 46.5% of the studies used qualitative methods, 27.9% used quantitative methods, and 25.6% used mixed methods. Within the proportion of mixed methods studies, it was identified that a balanced qualitative and quantitative approach (71.1%) appeared to be most prevalent. Of these, 68.5% were considered Concurrent Parallel in nature. The trend over time suggests a decline in the percentage of qualitative-only studies and an increase in mixed methods studies. This trend implies that teacher education researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the flexibility offered by mixed methods research and how it can be used to investigate complex issues within the field. This paper offers another angle to the existing discourse on the need for diversity in education studies to engage with policy and practice, from a methodological perspective.