Journal of Mixed Methods Research recent issues

Editorial: Integrating Data Analyses in Mixed Methods Research

Bazeley, P. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:52:07 PDT

On Quantitizing

Sandelowski, M., Voils, C. I., Knafl, G. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:52:07 PDT

Quantitizing, commonly understood to refer to the numerical translation, transformation, or conversion of qualitative data, has become a staple of mixed methods research. Typically glossed are the foundational assumptions, judgments, and compromises involved in converting disparate data sets into each other and whether such conversions advance inquiry. Among these assumptions are that qualitative and quantitative data constitute two kinds of data, that quantitizing constitutes a unidirectional process essentially different from qualitizing, and that counting is an unambiguous process. Among the judgments are deciding what and how to count. Among the compromises are balancing numerical precision with narrative complexity. The standpoints of ``conditional complementarity,'' ``critical remediation,'' and ``analytic alternation'' clarify the added value of converting qualitative data into quantitative form.

A Pragmatist Argument for Mixed Methodology in Medical Informatics

Scott, P. J., Briggs, J. S. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:52:07 PDT

The aim of this article is to advance the case of pragmatism as a research philosophy and to illustrate its applicability as a mixed methodology perspective in medical informatics. Epistemology is empirical not foundational. Pragmatism offers a practical starting point for a pluralist methodology. Medical practice is pragmatist, empirical, and situated. Medical informatics is a hybrid sociotechnical field that requires multimethod research.

Validating for Use and Interpretation: A Mixed Methods Contribution Illustrated

Morell, L., Tan, R. J. B. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:52:07 PDT

Researchers in the areas of psychology and education strive to understand the intersections among validity, educational measurement, and cognitive theory. Guided by a mixed model conceptual framework, this study investigates how respondents' opinions inform the validation argument. Validity evidence for a science assessment was collected through traditional paper-and-pencil tests, surveys, and think-aloud and exit interviews of fifth- and sixth-grade students. Item response theory analyses supplied technical descriptions of evidence investigating the internal structure. Surveys provided information regarding perceived item difficulty and fairness. Think-aloud and exit interviews provided context and response processes information to clarify and explain issues. This research demonstrates how quantitative and qualitative data can be used in concert to inform the validation process and highlights the use of think-aloud interviews as an explanatory tool.

Meeting the Challenge of Doing an RCT Evaluation of Youth Mentoring in Ireland: A Journey in Mixed Methods

Brady, B., O'Regan, C. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:52:07 PDT

The youth mentoring program Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the first social interventions involving youth in Ireland to be evaluated using a randomized controlled trial methodology. This article sets out the design process undertaken, describing how the research team came to adopt a concurrent embedded mixed methods design as a means of balancing ethical, feasibility, and scientific issues associated with the randomized controlled trial method, establishing an epistemological position and integrating data from various methods and multiple sources.

Editorial: Mapping the Field of Mixed Methods Research

Creswell, J. W. — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:48:47 PDT

Conflicting Findings in Mixed Methods Research: An Illustration From an Israeli Study on Immigration

Slonim-Nevo, V., Nevo, I. — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:48:47 PDT

Combining diverse methods in a single study raises a problem: What should be done when the findings of one method of investigation conflict with those of another? The authors illustrate this problem using an example in which three study phases—quantitative, qualitative, and intervention—are applied. The findings from the quantitative phase did not fit those from the qualitative phase; there were discrepancies within the qualitative phase itself, and the findings from the single-case evaluations of the intervention using standardized scales did not fit the findings derived from self-made scales. The authors explain these inconsistencies by way of the complementary approach: Conflicting findings should be integrated, and consistency is restored by admitting complexity in the phenomenon under investigation.

The Impact of Occupational Culture on Drinking Behavior of Young Adults in the U.S. Navy

Ames, G. M., Duke, M. R., Moore, R. S., Cunradi, C. B. — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:48:47 PDT

A mixed method study assessed how work culture and drinking norms affect heavy drinking patterns of young adults during their first 3 years in the U.S. Navy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the longitudinal survey data showed that normative beliefs were significantly associated with changes in drinking. Findings from thematic analyses of qualitative interviews and naturalistic observations on bases and aboard ships explained those elements of U.S. Navy culture and work environments that affect normative beliefs about drinking behavior.

Emotions and Change During Professional Development for Teachers: A Mixed Methods Study

Scott, C., Sutton, R. E. — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:48:47 PDT

Teaching is emotional, especially when teachers must change their practices. Past research on emotions and change in the general population has been predominately quantitative. Research about teachers' emotions, however, has been predominately qualitative. To draw on both these approaches, this mixed methods study examined 50 elementary teachers' emotions during eight workshops on the writing process, by using repeated questionnaires with scale and open-ended questions, follow-up questionnaires 4 months later, and participant interviews. Quantitative data revealed that teachers' emotions became more positive, but returned to initial levels 4 months later. Quantitative data analysis found no relationships between emotions and change in practice. Interviews, however, revealed mixed emotions related to changes found in the quantitative data.

Closed and Open-Ended Question Tools in a Telephone Survey About ``The Good Teacher'': An Example of a Mixed Method Study

Arnon, S., Reichel, N. — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:48:47 PDT

Combining diverse methods in a single study raises a problem: What should be done when the findings of one method of investigation conflict with those of another? We illustrate this problem using an example in which three study phases—quantitative, qualitative, and intervention—were applied. The findings coming from the quantitative phase did not fit those coming from the qualitative phase; there were discrepancies within the qualitative phase itself, and the findings coming from single-case evaluations of the intervention using standardized scales did not fit the findings derived from self-made scales. We explain these inconsistencies by way of the complementary approach: conflicting findings should be integrated, and consistency is restored by admitting complexity in the phenomenon under investigation.

Media Review: Ridenour, C. S., & Newman, I. (2008). Mixed methods research: Exploring the interactive continuum. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press

Crain-Dorough, M. — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:48:47 PDT

Editorial: Mixed Methods Research in the Health Sciences: A Quiet Revolution

O'Cathain, A. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:52:39 PST

Meeting the Mixed Methods Challenge of Integration in a Sociological Study of Structure and Agency

Woolley, C. M. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:52:39 PST

Substantial integration of quantitative and qualitative data and findings in mixed methods studies is seldom seen, although maximizing the potential of the approach depends on this. An absence of exemplars has been identified as among a number of factors that currently impede integration in studies carried out by researchers using the approach. This article offers an example of how maximum integration of data sets can be achieved. The sociological study discussed used a combination of methods—questionnaire survey, group interviews, and individual interviews—to obtain a fuller view of young people's perspectives on their lives. Aspects of the project's research design and analyses that were instrumental to achieving a genuinely integrated mixed methods approach are identified.

An Examination of Research Methods in Mathematics Education (1995-2005)

Hart, L. C., Smith, S. Z., Swars, S. L., Smith, M. E. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:52:39 PST

This mixed methods examination of 710 research articles in mathematics education published in six prominent educational journals during the period 1995-2005 finds that 50% of the studies used qualitative methods only, 21% used quantitative methods only, and 29% mixed qualitative and quantitative methods in various ways. Although the number of mixed methods articles show some variation year to year and journal to journal, there is no discernible trend in the aggregate across this time period for the collection of journals studied. Issues explored include defining research categories and subsequently categorizing studies, balance and dominance between quantitative and qualitative strands, and integration within conclusions.

Child Geopolitical Agency: A Mixed Methods Case Study

Habashi, J., Worley, J. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:52:39 PST

This study examines the geopolitical agency of Palestinian children. Mixed methodology was used to identify the etiologies contributing to processes of political socialization. Both qualitative and qualitative methods are equally distributed throughout this research. Focus groups and interviews with 12 Palestinian children, aged 10 to 13 years, living in refugee camps, villages, and cities in the West Bank were used to develop a survey instrument. The survey was administrated to 1% of the students attending school, Grades 5 to 7, in the West Bank, Palestine. The use of mixed methodology revealed the interconnectedness of formal and informal political socialization that produces the geopolitical agency of Palestinian children. Findings elaborated on the processes and the relationships used to describe children's geopolitical agency.

Alcohol Consumption Decisions Among Nonabusing Drinkers Diagnosed with Hepatitis C: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:52:39 PST

Most studies of decisions to curtail alcohol consumption reflect experiences of abusing drinkers. An exploratory sequential research design is used to explore the applicability of this research to the experience of nonabusing drinkers advised to curtail alcohol consumption after a hepatitis C diagnosis. A qualitative component identified 17 new decision factors not reflected in an inventory of factors based on synthesis of existing scales. Qualitative data were triangulated by supplementing semistructured interviews with Internet postings. A quantitative component estimated prevalence and association with current drinking of these new decision factors. Patients who quit drinking tended to attribute postdiagnosis drinking to occasional triggers, whereas patients who were still drinking were more likely to endorse rationales not tied to specific triggers.

Media Review: Kane, M., & Trochim, W. M. K. (2007). Concept Mapping for Planning and Evaluation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Dixon, J. K. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:52:39 PST

Media Review: Hesse-Biber, S., & Leavy, P. (Eds.). (2008). Handbook of Emergent Methods. New York: Guilford Press

Reio, T. G. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:52:39 PST

Editorial: Envisioning the Future Stewards of the Social-Behavioral Research Enterprise

Tashakkori, A., Creswell, J. W. — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:58:28 PDT

Telling It All: A Story of Women's Social Capital Using a Mixed Methods Approach

Hodgkin, S. — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:58:28 PDT

The aim of this article is to demonstrate how quantitative and qualitative methods can be us together in feminist research. Despite an increasing number of texts and journal articles deta ing mixed methods research, there are relatively few published reports of its use in femin study. This article draws on a study conducted in regional Australia, exploring gender a social capital. Through the analysis and interpretation of data derived from a large survey a in-depth interviewing, the author will demonstrate the power of the mixed methods approa to highlight gender inequality. Despite past reluctance of feminists to embrace quantitati methods, the big picture accompanied by the personal story can bring both depth and texture a study.

Learned Resourcefulness and the Long-Term Benefits of a Chronic Pain Management Program

Kennett, D. J., O'Hagan, F. T., Cezer, D. — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:58:28 PDT

A concurrent mixed methods approach was used to understand how learned resourcefulness empowers individuals. After completing Rosenbaum's Self-Control Schedule (SCS) measuring resourcefulness, 16 past clients of a multimodal pain clinic were interviewed about the kinds of pain-coping strategies they were practicing from the program. Constant comparative analysis of the text-based data revealed striking differences in the type of pain management strategies used by high- and low-resourceful participants. A substantive theory is advanced, whereby introspection and emotion allow for acceptance, which in turn permits the constructive use of social supports and enactment of active, and sometimes creative, pain-coping strategies to engage in meaningful activities.

Interpretation Programs at a Historic Preservation Site: A Mixed Methods Study of Long-Term Impact

Farmer, J., Knapp, D. — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:58:28 PDT

The focus of the current study is to better comprehend the long-term impacts of interpretation programs at a historical site. The authors used a mixed methods research approach to uncover and explore both the immediate impacts of the experience as well as the long-term information that was retained 6 months following attendance of the short duration program. The findings support previous research in interpretation and suggest that a direct connection to the resource promotes long-term retention of tour topics. This study uses pre- and postquestionnaires, in-depth and informal interviewing, observations, and the synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data to investigate the phenomenon.

Cultural Consensus and Cultural Diversity: A Mixed Methods Investigation of Human Service Providers' Models of Domestic Violence

Collins, C. C., Dressler, W. W. — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:58:28 PDT

This study uses mixed methods and theory from cognitive anthropology to examine the cultural models of domestic violence among domestic violence agency workers, welfare workers, nurses, and a general population comparison group. Data collection and analysis uses quantitative and qualitative techniques, and the findings are integrated for interpretation. Findings reveal consensus among service providers on how controllable domestic violence factors are and whether they are most characteristic of victims or perpetrators, but diversity with regard to their understandings of the importance of the factors suggesting that occupational category alone is inadequate in predicting service providers' beliefs and subsequent delivery of services. The implications of the findings extend into the areas of domestic violence service delivery, cognitive anthropology, and mixed methods research.

Media Review: Smithson, M., & Verkuilen, J. (2006). Fuzzy Set Theory: Applications in the Social Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Allen, M. — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:58:28 PDT

Acknowledgment and List of JMMR Reviewers for Volume 2 (2008)

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:58:28 PDT