Mixing Research and Religion: Methodological Insights From a Participatory Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

This paper focuses on a study that exemplifies two types of mixed methods research that have received limited attention in the empirically based mixed methods literature: (a) mixed methods studies that mix research with religion and (b) participatory mixed methods studies in which the line between researchers and the researched is intentionally at least somewhat blurred. The study used a combination of exploratory sequential and participatory mixed methods designs to study one Catholic diocese’s somewhat unique attempt to implement the synod-on-synodality initiative that was being enacted in Catholic churches worldwide. After reviewing related literature, describing the study’s context as well as its design and methods, and presenting selected findings, the paper contributes to the mixed methods literature by highlighting five challenges that arose during the study.