Guiding Principles for Using Mixed Methods Research in Software Engineering

TL;DR

This paper offers guiding principles and practical advice for designing rigorous mixed methods research in software engineering, emphasizing appropriate design choices, trade-offs, and common pitfalls.

Contribution

It introduces key properties of mixed method designs, provides scenario-based guidance, and highlights best practices and antipatterns for software engineering research.

Findings

Guidelines for selecting suitable mixed methods designs

Identification of common antipatterns to avoid

Strategies for balancing trade-offs in research design

Abstract

Mixed methods research is often used in software engineering, but researchers outside of the social or human sciences often lack experience when using these designs. This paper provides guiding principles and advice on how to design mixed method research, and to encourage the intentional, rigorous, and innovative application of mixed methods in software engineering. It also presents key properties of core mixed method research designs. Through a number of fictitious but recognizable software engineering research scenarios, we showcase how to choose suitable designs and consider the inevitable trade-offs any design choice leads to. We describe several antipatterns that illustrate what to avoid in mixed method research, and when mixed method research should be considered over other approaches.