Journal of Mixed Methods Research RSS feed -- OnlineFirst Articles

The Conceptual Adequacy of the Drug Attitude Inventory for Measuring Youth Attitudes Toward Psychotropic Medications: A Mixed Methods Evaluation

Townsend, L., Floersch, J., Findling, R. L. — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:40:31 PST

Adolescents are routinely treated with psychiatric medications; however, little is known about their attitudes toward pharmacological intervention. The authors used a concurrent triangulation, mixed methods design to assess whether the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI), developed for adults, is suitable for measuring adolescent attitudes toward psychiatric medications. Factor analytic techniques and qualitative data were used to investigate whether the instrument provides comprehensive measurement of medication-related constructs in adolescents. Findings suggest that the DAI contributes to knowledge of youth attitudes toward psychotropic treatment; however, limitations were uncovered by the mixed methods approach. This study enhances the measurement and mixed methods literature by showing how qualitative and quantitative techniques served as parallel data reduction strategies for examining an instrument’s utility with a new population.

Doing Mixed Methods Research Pragmatically: Implications for the Rediscovery of Pragmatism as a Research Paradigm

Feilzer, M. Y. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:03:18 PDT

This article explores the practical relevance of pragmatism as a research paradigm through the example of a piece of pragmatic research that not only used both quantitative and qualitative research methods but also exploited the inherent duality of the data analyzed. Thus, the article aims to make the case that pragmatism as a research paradigm supports the use of a mix of different research methods as well as modes of analysis and a continuous cycle of abductive reasoning while being guided primarily by the researcher’s desire to produce socially useful knowledge. It will be argued that pragmatism can serve as a rationale for formal research design as well as a more grounded approach to research.

Evaluating Mixed Research Studies: A Mixed Methods Approach

Leech, N. L., Dellinger, A. B., Brannagan, K. B., Tanaka, H. — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:38:32 PDT

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate application of a new framework, the validation framework (VF), to assist researchers in evaluating mixed research studies. Based on an earlierwork by Dellinger and Leech, a description of the VF is delineated. Using the VF, three studiesfrom education, health care, and counseling fields are evaluated. The three mixed research studies differed in design and implementation. Elements of the VF were examined and evaluated for eachstudy, and a picture of the quality of each study was captured textually. In presenting the VF and its potential for practical application in evaluating mixed research studies, pragmatic researchers canuse this tool to increase the quality of their evaluations of mixed research studies.

Designing, Teaching, and Evaluating Two Complementary Mixed Methods Research Courses

Christ, T. W. — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:38:33 PDT

Teaching mixed methods research is difficult. This longitudinal explanatory study examined how two classes were designed, taught, and evaluated. Curriculum, Research, and Teaching (EDCS-606) and Mixed Methods Research (EDCS-780) used a research proposal generation process to highlight the importance of the purpose, research question and methodology relationship following eight interactive features: (a) problem/focus of the study; (b) intended audience; (c) the role of the researcher; (d) theory, (e) exploratory, explanatory, confirmatory, and/or critical design; (f) how the project is "bound"; (g) sampling; and (h) validity/ credibility issues. Advanced organizers and concept maps were included in the introductory and advanced research classes to support students. Analysis of the case studies revealed the curricula and strategies markedly improved student dissertation and thesis proposals.

Bourdieu's Reflexive Sociology as a Theoretical Basis for Mixed Methods Research: An Application to Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Fries, C. J. — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:38:32 PDT

Although mixing quantitative and qualitative methods is increasingly popular, there is insufficient theoretical rationale for doing so. Foremost among the legacy left to the social and behavioral sciences by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu stands his emphasis on methodological reflexivity. Reflexive sociology as elaborated by Bourdieu is a self-referential methodology of social research, which turns methods of constructing the research object back on themselves so as to produce more accurate understanding of the social world. Using the sociology of alternative medicine as an illustration, this article casts Bourdieu’s reflexive sociology as a theoretical basis for mixed methods research that can offer insights into the interplay of structure and agency in human behavior.

Profiles of Urban, Low SES, African American Girls' Attitudes Toward Science: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Study

Buck, G., Cook, K., Quigley, C., Eastwood, J., Lucas, Y. — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:23:01 PDT

The purpose of this study was to increase the science education community’s understanding of the experiences and needs of girls who cross the traditional categorical boundaries of gender, race and socioeconomic status in a manner that has left their needs and experience largely invisible. A first of several in a series, this study sought to explore how African American girls from low SES communities position themselves in science learning. We followed a mixed-methods sequential explanatory strategy, in which two data collection phases, qualitative following the quantitative, were employed to investigate 89 African-American girls’ personal orientations towards science learning. By using quantitative data from the Modified Attitudes toward Science Inventory to organize students into attitude profiles and then sequentially integrating the profile scores with year-long interview data, we found that the girls’ orientations towards science were best described in terms of definitions of science, importance of science, experiences with science, and success in science. Therefore, our mixed method analysis provided four personality orientations which linked success in school and experiences with science to confidence and importance of science and definitions of science to value/desire. In our efforts to decrease the achievement gap, we concluded there should be more emphasis on conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills, while still being cognizant of the danger of losing the connection between science and society which so often plagues achievement-focused efforts. Our continued efforts with this group of girls will center on these instructional techniques with the goal of addressing the needs of all science learners.

Constructing a Mixed Methods Design to Explore the Older Driver-Copilot Relationship

Vrkljan, B. H. — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:47:37 PDT

This methodological discussion outlines the process of constructing a mixed methods design using a research project that explored the older driver–copilot relationship and how vehicular technology might infiuence this relationship, including potential implications on driving safety. The decisions involved with determining a mixed methods design are outlined. A visual model and associated description contextualize the process of determining key design features. Challenges associated with using a hybrid design and strategies used to overcome these challenges are discussed.