The purposes of this article are to position mixed methods research (mixed research is a synonym) as the natura! complement to tradi- tional qualitative and quantitative research, to present pragmatism as offering an attractive philosophical partner for mixed methods re- search, and to provide a framework for designing and conducting mixed methods research. In doing this, we briefly review the para- digm "wars" and incompatibility thesis, we show some commonali- ties between quantitative and qualitative research, we explain the tenets of pragmatism, we explain the fundamental principle of mixed research and how to apply it, we provide specific sets of designs for the two major types of mixed methods research (mixed-model de- signs and mixed-method designs), and, finally, we explain mixed meth- ods research as following (recursively) an eight-step process. A key feature of mixed methods research is its methodological pluralism or eclecticism, which frequently results in superior research (com- pared to monomethod research). Mixed methods research will be successful as more investigators study and help advance its concepts and as they regularly practice it.