The Application of a Multiphase Triangulation Approach to Mixed Methods: The Research of an Aspiring School Principal Development Program

Abstract

Mixed methods research has emerged as a credible alternative to unitary research approaches. The authors show how a combination of a triangulation convergence model with a triangulation multilevel model was used to research an aspiring school principal development pilot program. The multilevel model is used to show the national and regional levels in the research design, whereas the convergence model illustrates how data were analyzed through a series of phases so that both formative and summative findings could emerge. The authors illustrate through some of the findings how their design contributed to adjustments to the program and to their findings. The challenges of undertaking such a mixed methods design reveal a complexity not always evident in abstract conceptual models.