Using mixed methods in an interpretive paradigm for cross cultural health education research

In the last two decades the research world have been contending the view that quantitative research belongs to the positivist paradigm and qualitative research pertains to the paradigms of post-positivism or interpretivism or constructivism. The key contribution of the paper is the application of mixed method (both qualitative and quantitative), for data collection and for answering the research questions, while methodology of the study has been underpinned by the notion of interpretive paradigm. This paper also discusses and justifies the merits of ‘mixed methods’ which results in superior high quality research, as the overall data collection and data analysis approach for answering the research questions as a third research paradigm in health education research in the context of self-management of diabetes among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) individuals. It draws the best from quantitative and qualitative research and the paper has argued and justified this by discussing its rationale and challenges in application to CALD individuals’ self-management of diabetes, living in regional Australia. It gives a concise description of different research paradigms and philosophical assumptions incorporated with qualitative research. The paper explains how the study design has been examined on the basis of trustworthiness, dependability, conformability and reliability of the data. The concept of a Transformative-emancipatory view in the paradigm of interpretivism has consequently been adopted within the context of the study since the target population (CALD) were considered as disadvantaged group living in regional towns, in regards to adult learning process, linguistic and cultural diversity and health education provision. All these factors may also affect their diabetic self-management practices and so mixed method is justified in health education research which is to acquire richness of result and knowledge on self-management of diabetes among CALD individuals and guide policymakers in culturally appropriate diabetes health care education.