Mixed Research Methods for Multi-actor Systems

The course Mixed Research Methods for Multi-Actor Systems will teach you how to design and perform research. In this course, you will learn how to research a multi-actor system using a mixed-methods research methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches.

The design of multi-actor systems requires an in-depth understanding of the way technologies and innovations are both shaped and received by public and private actors. This requires insight in both the institutional context and the preference and behaviour of involved actors. A mixed-methods research design could facilitate getting this understanding, because the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods ensures that the advantages of each approach are exploited while compensating their disadvantages.

In small groups you will execute all steps of a research project in the controlled environment of the classroom. The course focusses on the choices that you need to make as a researcher throughout the research process, from research design to interpretation of results. We will go through all steps of the inductive research cycle, from problem definition and research design to reporting. We therefore 'simulate' the environment in which empirical data will be collected.

During the course, you will learn how to apply this in a mixed-research methods study combining two selected research methods: the Case Study and Gaming Research. By using these methods and by practicing with several data collection instruments that are key to this type of research (e.g. interviews, surveys, document analysis), you will learn when and how to apply these tools. After following this course, you will understand how both methods as part of a mixed-methods research design can greatly strengthen findings and thus, ultimately, the design of multi-actor systems.