Mixed Methods Research

Readings, Classifications and Dialogue: an evaluation of two research articles

by Nigel Newton

An evaluation of two distinct research papers with the aim of classification and evaluation.

How do we classify and evaluate published research articles? The discussion that follows will challenge aspects... more How do we classify and evaluate published research articles? The discussion that follows will challenge aspects implicit in standard methods of classification, while illustrating the importance of definition as a tool for enhancing the value derived from reading research articles. The task will provide a brief resumé of the contents of two published academic articles, methods of classifying research articles will be explored and, finally, an alternative method of evaluation will be explored. 

An introduction to mixed methods research

by Áine Humble

Byrne, J., & Humble, A. (2006). An introduction to mixed methods research. Retrieved March 16, 2012, from Atlantic Research Centre for Family-Work Issues webpage: http://www.msvu.ca/site/media/msvu/MixedMethodologyHandout.pdf (4 pages)

Parental information use in the context of newborn bloodspot screening. An exploratory mixed methods study.

by Stuart Nicholls

Co authored with Kevin W Southern. Published in Journal of Community Genetics

Objective: To investigate how parents select and use information sources when considering newborn bloodspot... more Objective: To investigate how parents select and use information sources when considering newborn bloodspot screening
Methods: Mixed methods approach using semi-structured interviews [n=18] and a selfcompletion
postal questionnaire [n=154] conducted with parents of children who had undergone newborn bloodspot screening. Qualitative data was assessed using a thematic analysis approach with quantitative data analyzed using multinomial logistic
regression.
Results: Parents used a limited range of information. In the UK, maternity services are largely delivered by the midwife and the healthcare practitioner was the main information source for parents, with only half of parents using official health service
leaflets. Barriers included the provision of information post-natally and with other nonhealthcare
materials. Neither number of children, age group, education level, nor income were significantly associated with the number of information sources used. Nor were they associated with the information source indicated as most important.
Conclusion: The midwife is well placed to act as a gatekeeper for parents seekinginformation about newborn bloodspot screening. Even when additional sources are used, the midwife remains a prominent source of information. Furthermore, the use of written materials is dependent upon appropriate delivery and consequently delivery is essential to information use.

RESUMEN DE TESIS DE MAGÍSTER 2008

by Kerwin A. Livingstone

This is just a summary of my Master's thesis which was successfully defended on Nov 21, 2008 in Concepcion, Chile. This is just a summary of my Master's thesis which was successfully defended on Nov 21, 2008 in Concepcion, Chile.

PROYECTO DE TESIS DE MAGISTER (2008)

by Kerwin A. Livingstone

This is my Master's the proposal/project for my Master's Degree thesis. This project was defended on March 31, 2008. This paved for the way for the elaboration of the actual thesis.

En el área de la investigación sobre la adquisición de L2, un problema fundamental es que investigadores y profesores... more En el área de la investigación sobre la adquisición de L2, un problema fundamental es que investigadores y profesores de lenguas focalizados en la adquisición de L2 (Lee, 2000; Sheen, 1994; Willis, 1996; Skehan 1998) buscan obtener muestras auténticas del uso de la lengua de los aprendices. Necesitan que estos ejemplos sean representativos de la manera cómo actúan los aprendices de manera natural, para así investigar cómo se produce el aprendizaje de L2. Para los profesores de lenguas, estos modelos son de gran utilidad, pues son tanto un medio para ayudar a los estudiantes a aprender como una evidencia de un proceso de aprendizaje exitoso. Además, es importante señalar que estos patrones de habla que producen los alumnos varían según el grado de centralización que ellos tienen en el uso correcto de la lengua.


A la luz de lo mencionado, el objetivo principal de este proyecto es investigar la efectividad de un modelo metodológico mixto integrado en un curso de español como LE para mejorar la competencia comunicativa y lingüística de unos 18 estudiantes provenientes de Minnesota, EE.UU.

Los dos enfoques metodológicos que se abordarán en este proyecto son el Enfoque por Tareas y el Enfoque Cooperativo. Estos dos enfoques constituyen un movimiento de evolución dentro del enfoque comunicativo y no resulta tan difícil experimentar con ellos a través del diseño de unidades didácticas. Un segundo objetivo de este proyecto es diseñar una Unidad Didáctica, en la cual se incorporarán los enfoques mencionados y en la cual se practicarán bastante las cuatro habilidades lingüísticas, y luego implementarla.

Los datos se obtendrán de un estudio cuasi experimental – pre-test y post-test - en un grupo experimental de 18 estudiantes de Minnesota. El propósito de las dos pruebas será definir su nivel de competencia antes, y evaluar y diagnosticar cuánto sabían antes y cuánto aprendieron después de haber llevado a cabo la Unidad Didáctica. Los datos recogidos serán analizados empíricamente para luego llegar a conclusiones sobre la investigación realizada. Es decir, a través de esta investigación se pretende obtener información clara y precisa en lo concerniente a la competencia comunicativo-lingüística de los alumnos antes y después de hacer este curso, y poner de relieve la efectividad del Enfoque por Tareas y del Enfoque Cooperativo.

Straddling the contradictions: Understanding and conceptualising the role of attachment status in counselling psychologists' accounts of personal therapy

by Dr Rosemary Rizq, PhD.

Published in European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling (2011)

This article aims to explore some of the tensions and dilemmas of combining different qualitative methods in a single... more This article aims to explore some of the tensions and dilemmas of combining different qualitative methods in a single study. The author presents a sample of results from recent research exploring the role of attachment status in counselling psychologists’ experiences of personal therapy. Participants were interviewed twice: once using Main and
Goldwyn’s Adult Attachment Interview, coded for reflective function (Fonagy, P., Target, M., Steele, H., & Steele, M. (1998)); and subsequently using a semi-structured interview format, analysed via interpretative phenomenological analysis, to explore experiences of personal therapy. Meshing results from both sets of data raised interesting questions about how to reconcile interpretations drawing on attachment theory with phenomenological, experience-near descriptions of personal therapy. Drawing on neo-pragmatist philosophies, the author considers how participants’ accounts can be seen to interrogate the professional view that personal therapy is an indispensable part of psychotherapeutic training. The value of retaining a pluralist perspective within qualitative research is recommended.

From ICT coordination to ICT integration: A longitudinal case study

by Jo Tondeur

Jo Tondeur, Martin Cooper & Paul Newhouse [ECU, Perth]. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2010)

This paper utilises a school-improvement perspective to examine the role of a curriculum coordinator in the... more This paper utilises a school-improvement perspective to examine the role of a curriculum coordinator in the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into primary schools. The nature and impact of this role is examined in seven primary schools in Australia. These seven schools were drawn from a large-scale longitudinal intervention that provided additional ICT related resources and personnel to the schools. An instrument, referred to as the Learning Outcomes and Pedagogy Attributes (LOPA) measure, was developed and charted for the seven schools over the five-year data collection period. The changes in LOPA score over time were then analysed in terms of the conditions at the school with regard to curriculum ICT coordination. The study concludes that the coordinator role, and school leadership in general, play critical but varying roles in the complex process of ICT integration into schools. Success appeared to be associated with the support provided for the role, the extent to which the role was connected to school leadership, personal leadership characteristics of those in the role, and the strategies employed within the role.

Studying local-to-global tourism dynamics through glocal ethnography

by Noel B. Salazar

Salazar, Noel B. 2010. Studying local-to-global tourism dynamics through glocal ethnography. In C. M. Hall (Ed.), Fieldwork in tourism: Methods, issues and reflections (pp. 177-187). London: Routledge.

Researching tourism in Asia, like elsewhere in the world, is a fascinating but extremely challenging endeavour. Since... more Researching tourism in Asia, like elsewhere in the world, is a fascinating but extremely challenging endeavour. Since tourism is a multi-layered phenomenon – marked by a plethora of politico-economic, socio-cultural, and other processes of production, consumption, representation, and regulation on local, national, regional, and global levels – many studies fail to understand and explain it adequately. Collaborative, mixed-methods, and multi-sited research have been proposed as possible ways to tackle and unpack tourism’s complexity. However, these are demanding to engage with as a graduate student, often with limited time, experience, and resources. Using my dissertation fieldwork in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, as an example, I demonstrate how a “glocal ethnography” approach helped me capturing the details of the local tourism scene while at the same time paying attention to how that local reality is firmly embedded in and continuously interacting with broader processes and power structures. In this chapter, I offer a tentative description of what glocal ethnography entails and I illustrate the use of this methodology in my own study of tour guiding.

Emotion Management and Organizational Functions: A Case Study of Patterns In a Not-for-Profit Organization

by Jamie Callahan

Effective Classroom Practice: A mixed method study of influences and outcomes: End of Award Report

by Elaine Regan

DAY, C., SAMMONS,P., KINGTON, A., REGAN, E., KO, J., BROWN, E., GUNRAJ, J & ROBERTSON, D., 2008. Effective Classroom Practice: A mixed method study of influences and outcomes: End of Award Report. Swindon: Economic and Social Research Council.

Initial Findings from the Repertory Grid Data: Working Paper ECP / 03

by Elaine Regan

Kington, A., Reed, N., Regan, E., Sammons, P., Day, C., Gunraj, J., 2008. Initial Findings from the Repertory Grid Data: Working Paper ECP / 03 [online], Nottingham: University of Nottingham.

Analysing Pupil Attitudes to Teaching and Learning: Working Paper ECP / 01

by Elaine Regan

Robertson, D., Sammons, P., Kington, A., Day, C., Regan, E., Gunraj, J., 2007. Analysing Pupil Attitudes to Teaching and Learning: Working Paper ECP / 01 [online], Nottingham: University of Nottingham.

Effective Classroom Practice: A mixed-method study of influences and outcomes, Final report submitted to the Economic and Social Research Council

by Elaine Regan

Day, C., Sammons, P., Kington, A., Regan, E. and Brown, E. (2008), Effective Classroom Practice: A mixed-method study of influences and outcomes, Final report submitted to the Economic and Social Research Council

Effective Classroom Practice: A mixed-method study of influences and outcomes Interim report

by Elaine Regan

Day, C., Sammons, P., Kington, A., Regan, E. and Brown, E. (2007), Effective Classroom Practice: A mixed-method study of influences and outcomes, Interim report submitted to the Economic and Social Research Council

What Makes Teachers Effective?: Profiles of innovative classroom practice

by Elaine Regan

Book chapter:
Kington, A., Day, C., Sammons, P., Regan, E., Brown, E. & Gunraj, J. (2012). What Makes Teachers Effective?: Profiles of innovative classroom practice. In: C. Day (Ed), The Routledge International Handbook of Teacher and School Development, London: Routledge.

Stories and Statistics: Describing a Mixed Methods Study of Effective Classroom Practice

by Elaine Regan

Alison Kington, Pam Sammons, Christopher Day, and Elaine Regan (2011) Stories and Statistics: Describing a Mixed Methods Study of Effective Classroom Practice, Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 5(2) 103–125

The Effective Classroom Practice project aimed to identify key factors that contribute to effective teaching in... more The Effective Classroom Practice project aimed to identify key factors that contribute to effective teaching in primary and econdary phases of schooling in different socioeconomic contexts. This article addresses the ways in which qualitative and quantitative approaches were combined within an integrated design to provide a comprehensive methodology for the research purposes. Strategies for the study are discussed, followed by the challenges of combining complex statistics with individual stories, particularly in relation to the ongoing iteration between these different data sets, and issues of validity and reliability. The findings shed new light on the meanings and measurement of teachers’ effective classroom practice and the complex nature of, and relationships with, professional life phase, teacher identities, and school context.

EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM PRACTICE: A mixed-method study of influences and outcomes

by Elaine Regan

BERA Symposium paper

The Effective Classroom Practice Project: A mixed-method study of influences and outcomes, Research Brief, Jubilee Press

by Elaine Regan

Kington, A., Regan, E, Sammons, P., and Day, C. (In Press, 2012). The Effective Classroom Practice: A mixed-method study of influences and outcomes, Research Brief, Nottingham: University of Nottingham Jubilee Press

A cross-disciplinary examination of the prevalence of mixed methods in educational research: 1995-2005

by Caitlin Dooley

Truscott, D., Smith, S., Swars, S., Thornton-Reid, F., Zhao, Y., Dooley, C. M., Williams, B., Hart, L., & Matthews, M. (2009). A cross-disciplinary examination of the prevalence of mixed methods in educational research: 1995-2005. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 12, 4, 1-12.

This study examined the prevalence of mixed methods research published in 11 prominent English-language international... more This study examined the prevalence of mixed methods research published in 11 prominent English-language international and U.S. national educational research journals from 1995 to 2005. A total of 2381 studies were reviewed by research teams in four educational disciplines: literacy, mathematics, social studies, and science. Of the articles examined, 332 (14%) were identified as using mixed methods. Results suggest little variation across disciplines and across the years in the number of studies using mixed methods. Further, mixed methods, although considered uniquely suited to examine complex educational issues, does not seem to be an increasingly popular research method. Issues in defining and identifying mixed methods in educational research are discussed.

Applying a Mixed Method Design to Evaluate Training Seminars Within An Early Childhood Education Project

by Vasilis Grammatikopoulos

The body of research relating to assessment in education suggests that professional
developers and seminar... more The body of research relating to assessment in education suggests that professional
developers and seminar administrators have generally paid little attention to
evaluation procedures. Scholars have also been critical of evaluations which use a
single data source and have favoured the use of a multiple method design to generate
a complete picture of the effectiveness of procedures under evaluation. The purpose
of the current study was to evaluate two training seminars using a mixed method
design. The evaluation procedure was specifically designed to utilise triangulation
of sources and to follow Killion’s eight-step process. The seminars were part of the
‘Early Steps’ project, a European Union (EU) Comenius Programme, concerning the
development and implementation of an alternative physical education curriculum
for preschool pupils. Results of the study support the assertion that a mixed method
design increases the validity of the evaluation procedure. It is suggested here that
educational evaluation procedures, inherently difficult to measure directly, may
successfully utilise multiple measures. Such measures should be various in nature,
and combine qualitative and quantitative approaches and
when used appropriately

can also help to predict the likely impact of training on teachers’
behaviours and professional practice.