Role of Integration in MMR | Drs. Renate Kahlke & Sandra Monteiro | PSI Mixed Methods Research 2025

Описание: From Questions to Contexts: The Role of Integration in Knowledge Synthesis - November 18, 2025

Integration is a cornerstone of mixed methods research, differentiating it from multi-methods studies. While integration can occur at the level of study design, methods, interpretation, and reporting, recent methodological scholarship tends to focus mainly on identifying points of integration in study methods and producing integrated findings. However, we argue that constraining integrative thinking to the study itself may lead to missed opportunities. In this presentation, we describe how combining diverse perspectives from the literature at the level of problem identification can lead to more comprehensive and relevant research questions. We discuss integration both at the level of synthesis methods, combining approaches such as bibliometric mapping with qualitative thematic analysis, and in terms of the synthesis output, generating an appreciation of a literature that integrates previous qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods work. This dual perspective enhances the ability to identify gaps, overlaps, and emerging areas of inquiry, producing a more textured and meaningful understanding of the literature. Ultimately, integration at these early stages lays the foundation for literature reviews and knowledge syntheses that are methodologically robust, conceptually nuanced, and responsive to the complexity of the most intractable and important issues in healthcare and health professions education.

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PSI Visiting Scholars Event
Complex Questions in Health Sciences: The Promise of Mixed Methods Research

Hosted by:
McMaster Health Education Research, Innovation & Theory (MERIT) Centre

Sponsored by Physicians’ Services Incorporated (PSI)

Dr. Renate Kahlke
McMaster University

Dr. Sandra Monterio
McMaster University

Follow us on:
LinkedIn:   / mcmaster-merit  
Website: https://merit.mcmaster.ca/​​


Edited by Christina Tam