Prevalence and Quality of Mixed Methods Research in Educational Subdisciplines: A Systematic Review

This study examines the prevalence and quality of mixed methods research (MMR) in educational journals, highlighting its growing acceptance yet emphasizing the need for enhanced methodological rigor. Although MMR has become popular across education sub-disciplines, its specific use in educational research is underexplored. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating MMR prevalence and quality in flagship journals within education sub-disciplines of Leadership, Learning Sciences, Curriculum and Learning, and Adult Learning from 2011 to 2024. A mixed-method systematic review was conducted across nine flagship educational journals. Articles mentioning MMR in the title or abstract were identified, yielding 169 articles, with 132 included after full-text review. Creswell and Plano Clark's typology classified MMR designs, while the JMMR checklist assessed methodological quality. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA, and thematic analysis was applied to qualitative commentary. MMR prevalence in the selected journals rose from 0.64% in 2011 to 2.97% in 2024. Leadership showed the highest prevalence (2.53%), while Curriculum and Learning had the lowest (1.08%). Explanatory sequential design was the most frequently used. The average alignment with the JMMR checklist was low (7.85 out of 20), with significant differences across subdisciplines (p < .05). The study underscores the growing acceptance of MMR in educational research and highlights the need for comprehensive training in mixed methods research to improve methodological quality. The study is limited by restricted scope of educational subdisciplines and journals.