Qualitative-Dominant Multilevel Mixed Methods Design

Qualitative-dominant multilevel mixed methods design addresses research questions nested across two or more social levels — such as individuals within classrooms within schools — while assigning primary inferential weight to the qualitative strand. Quantitative data collected at one or more levels serve a supporting role: they contextualize, corroborate, or sharpen qualitative findings rather than generate the principal conclusions. The design is especially productive when understanding processes and meanings at multiple organizational layers is more important than population-level statistical estimates.