Exploring the little application of mixed methods in Geography and Urban Planning Researches

In the past decades, following the mixed methodological movement in the social sciences, extensive use has been made of the use of mixed methods by geographers. However, in geographic studies in Iran, for some reason, this method remains confused and not used. Therefore, this research tends to discover causes of limited application of mixed methods among the faculties and post graduate students of Geography and urban planning in 5 universities of Iran. To achieve this goal, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used based on sequential exploratory and equal importance. In this method, qualitative data were first collected and analyzed and then in the second stage quantitative data (as supplementary plan) were collected and analyzed. Finally, both qualitative and quantitative analyzes were interpreted together. The research’s statistical population was post graduate students and faculties of geography and urban planning departments of 5 Iran universities included: Shahid Beheshti University, University of Tabriz, Zanjan University, Mohagegh Ardabili University and Kharazmi University. In this research, the sampling method, was used mixed method. In the quantitative part, a random sampling method was used and the sample size was determined based on the Cochran formula. In qualitative sampling, 10 faculty members of geography and urban planning groups of the universities were interviewed. The research tool in the qualitative section was an unstructured interview. In a qualitative part of the study, 81 students were selected by random sampling from among graduate students of this field. In order to analysis findings, T- one sample test were used. The results indicated that intrinsic factors of mixed methods are followed: vagueness of mixed methods, faculty member’s unfamiliarity with this methods and structural factors includes journals agenda, quantity of the education system and rejection of this methods by faculties which lead to the limited application of mixed methods by the students and faculties in the Geography and Urban Planning researches.