21 - Mixed-Methods Approaches to the Study of Language Attitudes

Summary

This chapter examines what research falls under the epithet of ‘mixed-methods’ and discusses the main advantages of conducting mixed-methods research. The chapter introduces the key issues of mixed-methods research planning and design: that is, the tackling of ontological and epistemological challenges, the equal weighting of methods, and the sequencing of methods. The chapter also provides information regarding the analysis of data resulting from mixed-methods research, and how this can be done in a manner that provides appropriate integration. The key issues of the chapter are illustrated by means of two case studies. The first investigates attitudes towards French and English in Montreal, making use of a questionnaire and a matched-guise experiment. This case study shows how mixed-methods approaches can lead to a deeper understanding of language attitudes as part of larger social processes in a manner that no one method on its own could do. The second case study examines attitudes towards Catalan in Northern Catalonia by means of interviews and variable analysis. This case study demonstrates how mixed-methods research allows for a broader representation of the attitudinal and ideological landscape of a specific language community than could be afforded by the use of one method alone.