Is Mixed Methods Bridging Educational Research Divides? Using Prevalence as an Indicator of Change

Mixed methods research (MMR) can serve to bridge fields of study disconnected by differences in content, epistemologies, and methods. Such bridging can benefit fields that are interconnected in practice but generally separated in research, such as educational research with its silos of “general” and “special” education in addition to various topic area foci. We explored the extent to which MMR has bridged education research silos by examining the prevalence of MMR studying a single topic (disability) across three subfields: general education, special education, and disability studies in education. We found differences in the prevalence of MMR between subfields and journals within subfields. We discuss patterns in ways MMR may both reflect silos and be employed to bridge long-standing divides.