Publishing Qualitative Research in the Journal of Educational Psychology: Synthesizing Research Perspectives Across Methodological Silos

Although there is increasing recognition of the value of mixed-methods research, many publication spaces remain methodologically siloed, primarily publishing either qualitative or quantitative research studies. This methodological siloing presents a risk to coherence in the psychological sciences if qualitative and quantitative research traditions continue to exist and develop in disconnected spaces. In this commentary, we share our editorial experience while editing this special section via a case study of the process of publishing qualitative research in a traditionally quantitative publication venue. Our central goal is to describe how we aimed to increase contact between qualitative and quantitative research traditions during the editorial process and the unique challenges and opportunities that arose as a result. We hope that this case study of how the special section was produced will help spark discussion and debate about the roles of qualitative and quantitative methods in educational psychology and about how research communities can transform the ways in which they publish and evaluate research.