National workshop on “Mixed Methods Research:

Expanding Methodological Boundaries” in Nepal

KATHMANDU, June 23

A national two-day ​interactive​ workshop on “Mixed Methods Research:

Expanding Methodological Boundaries” was organized at Kathmandu University
School of Education in Nepal on June 20-21, 2019. The workshop was aimed at
building research capacity of faculty, researchers, students, and professionals in
designing and implementing mixed methods approaches in their journal articles
and graduate theses and dissertations. In a joint collaboration between the STAR
Scholars Network and Kathmandu University School of Education, Dr. Krishna
Bista, Associate Professor of Higher Education at Morgan State University,
Maryland, and Dr. Prakash Chandra Bhattrai, Associate Professor of Educational
Leadership at Kathmandu University, Nepal co-facilitated this workshop on the
structured activities around mixed methods research. Invited 30 participants
representing five universities and several affiliated colleges participated in the
workshop. Ten among the attendees represented the institutions of higher
education outside the capital city, Kathmandu. Both facilitators and participants
involved in several mini ​group activities​ for writing, co-presenting, and offering
feedback related to methods articles, thesese and multidisciplinary applications.
"I used both quantitative and qualitative data points in my both master's and
MPhil's thesis but did not know until now that systematically merging them is
called "mixed methods. Now this workshop is really helpful in writing articles, and
I'm further encouraged to write articles using mixed methods approaches.I am also
hoping to utilize this network for collaborative work including peer-reviewing and
writing for publication,” said participant ​Sunina Sharma​, educator and researcher at
Kathmandu University. Many participants reflected on the activities of both days
and shared benefits of the event in their research and publication. Appreciating the
student-centered learning activities of the research workshop, ​Tina Saud​, a doctoral
student in the School of Management reported, "I enjoyed participating very
interactive two-day MMR workshop where I learned ideas and concepts more than
that I explored in the coursework of MPhil and PhD programs. Most of my
colleagues here in the workshop are teachers, and pedagogically this is effective
approach of teaching and learning even in our classes beyond the workshop and we
can also do it" ​Rishikesh Dakal​, another doctoral student shared his experience,
“This workshop provided a peer-learning opportunity and how to apply it in our
upcoming research activities."
"Mixed methods research, which enhances the strengths of qualitative and
quantitative approaches of research, is emerging in social science inquiry. The
workshop is hosted to contribute to the expansion of both knowledge and practice
in the domain of mixed methods research in Nepal,” said Dr. Prakash Chandra
Bhattarai. Reflecting on the outcome of the event, he ​also added ​"This is a great
opportunity for me to collaborate with Krishna Bista and learned new ensight in
pedagogy of teaching mixed methods research, as I used to slip into lectures
mostly.”
Dr. Krishna Bista, also vice-president of educational services at ​STAR
Scholars Network​, focused on the scope of mixed methods research, "The
methodological boundary of mixed methods research is expanding in
multidisciplinary areas including medicine, psychology, education, engineering
and so forth. I am fortunate to collaborate with Dr. Bhattarai and the School of
Education to co-facilitate the subject matters to the diverse participants in terms of
geographical area and genre." In the closing session, Prof. Dr. Mahesh Nath
Parajuli, Dean of the School of Education, appreciated the participants for
demonstrating passion in the expansion of the boundaries of research and
knowledge contribution through mixed method research. He emphasized the
importance of sharing ideas and personal experiences in pedagogy and urged the
researchers and scholars to explore the paradigms of research methods.