Le dimensioni "deeply" e "broadly" nella ricerca educativa. Lezioni apprese da una ricerca su valutazione e governance nelle scuole

The paper deals with the reflection on the opportunities and risks connected to mixed methods in educational research moving from the empirical research “Valutazione e governance della scuola. Verso un sistema valutativo context-based”; this one aimed to know about school assessment and evaluation practices in order to develop an effective governance of the school. The issue is addressed at epistemological level focusing initially on the reasons that make the mixed methods particularly suitable for research in education and then specifying the cultural resistance still present in the Italian context. The overcoming of the rigid distinction between quantity and quality, widely supported in the international literature although still subject to debate, is argued according to the specific methodological device de-signed and implemented in the research. The elements put in evidence are read critically in order to enrich the theoretical frame.