La eficiencia teórica y metodológica de los diseños multimétodo

During last years, the old debate on methodological articulation has strongly focussed on the implications of mixed methods or multimethod research. In this framework, the methodological advantages of this kind of designs have been commonly appreciated, especially in the Anglo-Saxon context, though the advantages for theoretical reflection have been much less considered. Taking for granted that multimethod research is not a way to elude the multi-paradigmatic reality of sociological research, the article supports the idea that multimethod designs are more methodologically and theoretically efficient than those designs that are exclusively quantitative or qualitative. Using the terminology by Creswell, it is argued that methodological efficiency is especially achieved by using sequential designs while theoretical efficiency is achieved by using concurrent designs —especially in its nested version. These arguments are backed with examples coming from a research that authors have recently finished, centred on the analysis of Catalan youth.