The usage of technology in scientific-epistemological limits of the possibilities of mixing quantitative and qualitative methods in pedagogical research

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical analysis of the scientific-epistemological foundations and boundaries of the mixed application of quantitative and qualitative methods in pedagogical research. The purpose of the study is to reveal the ontological and epistemological differences between the positivist-postpositivist and constructivist-interpretivist paradigms and to determine how these differences affect the scientific validity of mixed-methods designs. It has been established that the integration of quantitative and qualitative methods does not imply methodological syncretism but constitutes a research strategy grounded in a pragmatic philosophical stance while preserving its own internal epistemological consistency. The article analyses the scholarly debate between the "incompatibility thesis" and the position of pragmatic synthesis, and demonstrates the possibilities and limitations of epistemologically justifying mixed-methods designs (convergent, explanatory sequential, exploratory sequential, and embedded). In conclusion, the epistemological boundaries conditioning the scientific legitimacy of applying mixed methods are systematized (paradigmatic compatibility, the level of data integration, and criteria for the legitimation of findings).