614: An Exploratory, Mixed Methods Sonnet

Adrift upon a research methods sea,

I started class confused and full of fear.

My sails were slack, the helm spun aimlessly,

I had a topic but no course to steer.

Then Fred and Bob arrived to navigate.

And they brought friends who’d sailed these seas before.

We learned, when mixed, quant and qual could be great!

Together they could explain or explore.

And some might use convergent parallel

To frame the questions swirling in their mind.

Designs saved us from formless, shapeless hell

And set us on a course much more defined.

So now I’m ready to set sail once more.

I have a chart, and new shores to explore.