On December 31, 2021, the Evidence-Based Research Center for Education Assessment (ERCEA) lectured “Logic and Validity: Two Misunderstandings in Writing Using Mixed Research Methods” at the Sanjiang Building. The lecture was delivered by Professor Meng Lingqi of the School of Education, Qufu Normal University, and presided over by Professor Wang Jiajia, Dean of the School of Teacher Education. Professor Huang Jinyan and members of the Center, some young school teachers, postgraduate students, and some undergraduates attended the lecture.

First, Professor Meng introduced recent research conducted by his team on the application of mixed methods in the writing of master’s theses in education. Through the analysis of more than 200 papers, the research finds that the application of the mixed method is not optimistic, which is manifested in the following three aspects: (1) ignoring the existing logic; (2) ignorance of unexplored logic; (3) misuse of disputed validity.

Secondly, Professor Meng took a university professional master’s thesis review and a master’s thesis title as practical cases and analyzed the problems in these cases through on-site discussion. He stressed that Education sometimes needs a five-point scale. Education also needs a large number of diverse investigations. At the same time, Professor Meng also suggested that teachers and students check the mental health manual online when looking for existing questionnaires, and it is not recommended that we make our questionnaires because it is difficult to ensure their reliability and validity.

Ultimately, President Wang Jiajia delivered a comprehensive overview of the talk. During the open discussion session, Professor Meng and I discussed utilizing mixed methods in master's theses. Additionally, Professor Huang Jinyan contributed to the conversation by expressing their perspective. Specifically, Professor Huang posited that assessing reliability and validity should encompass quantitative and qualitative approaches. The individual proposed employing item response theory (IRT) to assess the questionnaire's reliability and validity from a quantitative perspective. From a qualitative standpoint, the suggestion was made to approach the interpretation of the content validity of the topic through a cultural lens.

This lecture introduces the concept of utilizing mixed research methods for future writing endeavors, aiming to prevent the recurrence of misunderstandings and offering valuable guidance to professors and students in attendance.