Bring together, combine and mix: Qualitative and Quantitative methods in Modern Research Practices

Abstract

Mixed methods research is ‘trendy’ in the Western sociological community. It became popular in recent years; however, this approach has not been conceptualized in the Russian sociological school. The paper is devoted to the activity of the “Mixed Methods” Research and Study Group (RSG) that worked at the National Research Institute Higher School of Economics in 2014-2016 and acted in fact as the first interdisciplinary platform to discuss the opportunities and perspectives of this sociological method. The author touches upon the evolution of the mixed methods strategy, the use of proper terminology, pays attention to ethical issues that the social scientists using this tool face and describes the basic results of the work of the RSG.