Handreichung 5/2024
Mixed Methods – A Strategy for Appropriate Evaluation
Björn Milbradt and Frank Greuel (DJI)
Over the past decades, programs aimed at preventing extremism, civic education, and shaping diversity have grown increasingly complex, requiring equally sophisticated evaluation methods. In Germany, these initiatives have evolved to address diverse challenges, from countering disinformation to strengthening democratic resilience. This expert report delves into the role of Mixed Methods Designs in evaluating such multifaceted programs, highlighting their potential to provide nuanced insights, bridge methodological gaps, and ensure data-driven decision-making for policymakers and practitioners alike.
About the Authors
Björn Milbradt, Dr. phil., is a sociologist and was the head of the "Political Socialization and Democracy Promotion" department at the German Youth Institute in Halle (Saale) from 2016 to 2024. His research focuses on the evaluation and scientific monitoring of projects and programs aimed at promoting democracy and preventing radicalization, as well as on educational and socialization processes, their political, social, and institutional contexts and conditions, and the methodological and methodological aspects of their investigation.
Frank Greuel, Dr rer. pol., born in 1977, is an educational scientist and has been working at the German Youth Institute since 2009. During this time, he was involved in the evaluation of various programs and projects to promote democracy and prevent extremism. His focus is on qualitative methods of evaluation and questions about the appropriate evaluation of effects.
