A Nurse Is Interested in Learning More About a Topic

A nurse is interested in learning more about a topic of interest. The nurse finds a published study on the topic that utilized a mixed methods strategy. The researchers for this mixed methods study found overwhelming similarities between the qualitative and quantitative results of the study. The nurse then finds two more studies on the same topic-one quantitative and one qualitative-in which the researchers reported divergent findings from each other and from the mixed method study results. What is the best explanation for why the mixed methods research results were similar but results of the two separate studies were different?

A) Methodological rigor is higher for mixed methods studies.
B) There is no room for individual interpretation in qualitative research, so the researcher must have made an error.
C) The mixed methods study results were derived from the same study participants.
D) Each of the studies had unique philosophical underpinnings, which likely influenced the kinds of questions that were posed.