Mixed methods approaches to research are gaining popularity in the social sciences. Although these approaches may be unfamiliar to many in our field, they can uniquely contribute to and enhance early childhood special education (ECSE) research. The purpose of this article is to orient ECSE researchers to the field of mixed methods social inquiry. We offer two examples of mixed methods. We define mixed methods and how mental models and paradigms influence these efforts, including a discussion of the distinctive purposes for applying mixed methods. Finally, we identify challenges to determining rigor and quality of mixed methods research and offer preliminary guidance to mitigate these challenges. Throughout, we encourage integrating rigorous mixed methods into ECSE scholarship.

中文翻译：

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幼儿特殊教育研究中的混合方法：目的、挑战和指导

研究的混合方法方法在社会科学中越来越受欢迎。尽管我们领域的许多人可能不熟悉这些方法，但它们可以独特地促进和加强幼儿特殊教育 (ECSE) 研究。本文的目的是将 ECSE 研究人员定向到混合方法社会调查领域。我们提供了两个混合方法的例子。我们定义了混合方法以及思维模型和范式如何影响这些努力，包括对应用混合方法的独特目的的讨论。最后，我们确定了确定混合方法研究的严谨性和质量的挑战，并提供了缓解这些挑战的初步指导。在整个过程中，我们鼓励将严格的混合方法整合到 ECSE 奖学金中。