Question

The reading, "Fostering Sustainability in Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Study of Transformational Leadership and Change Strategies" presents an application of mixed research methodology. Discuss whether or not mixed research methodology is appropriate for this study. What would be the advantages and/or disadvantages of investigating this research question from either a strictly quantitative or qualitative perspective?

Answer 1

Yes, mixed research methodology is appropriate for this study because the topic on higher education can be surveyed using survey questionnaires to universities. This is quantitative data. Then, the correlation of the higher education with transformational leadership and change strategies can only be done with qualitative information by interviewing individuals who lead the change process in institutions. The integration of the qualitative and quantitative research is required for the mixed method research design to study "Fostering Sustainability in Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Study of Transformational Leadership and Change Strategies". Personally speaking, the mixed research methodology is the best research design for the topic.

Investing this research question from either quantitative or qualitative perspective would not give any result. The existing models of change in higher education are a quantitative study hence survey questionnaires need to be used. Quantitative study alone would not determine the factors for the change processes. This is because strategies for change process and factors influencing change can be determined only with the help of interviewing professionals in organizations. Change is constant and change is adopted to the needs of the organization and there are no set rules for change. Hence, interviews are the best way to collect data to analyze transformational leadership and change strategies in organizations. Thus, the two research methods need to be integrated to obtain the results of the topic. The advantage of qualitative perspective is that it provides depth and detail to the topic. The advantage of the quantitative approach is that it makes it easier to predict numbers as they provide statistical proof. The disadvantage of using either qualitative or quantitative perspectives alone is that the study’s results would be difficult to obtain with just one research methodology.