Combining concept mapping with semi-structured interviews: adding another dimension to the research process

This paper provides commentary on the visual method of concept mapping and how it was combined with semi-structured interviews to study participants' perspectives on educational leadership. Utilizing methodological literature and the author's research, the paper outlines key characteristics of concept mapping and provides an example of how these data collection methods were combined to gain a better understanding of participants' perspectives. Additionally, the paper describes the benefits of combining the two methods and offers several considerations for researchers adopting such an approach in their research design. Given the rising interest in visual methods the paper provides insights on how the use of concept mapping with a more traditional method can offer an added dimension to research.