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Closed and Open-Ended Question Tools in a Telephone Survey About ``The Good Teacher''

An Example of a Mixed Method Study

Tel Hai Academic College, Upper Galilee, Israel, Golan Research Institute, Katzrin, Israel

Nirit Reichel

Ohalo College, Katzrin, Israel, Kinneret Academic College, Jordan Valley, Israel

Combining diverse methods in a single study raises a problem: What should be done when the findings of one method of investigation conflict with those of another? We illustrate this problem using an example in which three study phases—quantitative, qualitative, and intervention—were applied. The findings coming from the quantitative phase did not fit those coming from the qualitative phase; there were discrepancies within the qualitative phase itself, and the findings coming from single-case evaluations of the intervention using standardized scales did not fit the findings derived from self-made scales. We explain these inconsistencies by way of the complementary approach: conflicting findings should be integrated, and consistency is restored by admitting complexity in the phenomenon under investigation.

Key Words: mixed method research • telephone survey • closed and open-ended questions • the good teacher

Journal of Mixed Methods Research, Vol. 3, No. 2, 172-196 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1558689808331036


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