Reporting of Methodological Rigor in Empirical Mixed Methods Research in Educational Psychology

There is a growing recognition of the value of mixed methods research for investigating complex issues in educational psychology. However, little is known about the use of mixed methods in the field and the reporting of methodological rigor. Methodological rigor refers to the steps researchers take while conducting a study. The reporting of methodological rigor allows reviewers and readers to evaluate the extent to which those steps result in reliable and valid inferences about the findings. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the reporting of methodological rigor in mixed methods research articles in educational psychology. We screened all articles in five prominent educational psychology journals over a seven-year period from 2016 to 2022. We identified trends in the use of mixed methods and evaluated the reporting quality of articles that reported using mixed methods (n = 57). The results indicated an increase in the use of mixed methods and researchers have generally done an effective job of reporting methodological rigor. We identify strengths and areas for improvement in reporting quality and provide suggestions for promoting high reporting quality in mixed methods articles.