Vignette Instruments in Mixed-Methods Education Research: What Can Be Learned From Idealization?

• In Event: Differing Approaches to Mixed- and Multimethod Research

Abstract

In psychological and sociological studies across fields including medicine, business, and education, vignettes have been conceptualized as research instruments in which participants are invited to respond to short, hypothetical stories or scenarios. Vignettes distance issues and invited idealized responses, which may differ from actual actions undertaken in real-world contexts. However, particularly while instructional routines are disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, this abstraction provides a window into the gap between theoretical exemplars and practical possibilities. This methodological paper uses data from a vignette instrument utilized within a mixed-methods study of teachers’ use of epistemic tools to show how vignettes provide insight into the apparent misalignment between some participants’ self-reported orientations and their implementation of corresponding practices. We conclude with methodological recommendations.

Authors

• Catherine Anne Lammert, Texas Tech University

• Krystal Flantroy, The University of Alabama