Study Questions

for

Chapter 14

(Don’t forget that the companion website also has multiple choice questions for each chapter that you can take for practice. You will find them here: http://www.southalabama.edu/coe/bset/johnson/dr_johnson/2mcq.htm)

14.1. What position does the mixed researcher take on the compatibility thesis and pragmatist philosophy?

According to the mixed research paradigm, researchers should

• Use the pragmatist philosophy (especially in terms of mixing methods is a way that works) and
• Follow the compatibility thesis (i.e., quantitative and qualitative are compatible and they can be fruitfully mixed in many ways that can work quite well).

14.2. Why is the fundamental principle of mixed research important?

According to the fundamental principle of mixed research, the researcher should use a mixture or combination of methods that has complementary strengths and nonoverlapping weaknesses.

• This principle is important because provides researcher with a logic for mixing quantitative and qualitative research approaches.
• Mixing quantitative and qualitative approaches in a haphazard way will produce undesirable results.
• Mixing should be systematic and well though out by the researcher when planning and designing a research study.

14.3. Give an example of a within-stage mixed model research study.

In within-stage mixed model research, quantitative and qualitative approaches are mixed within one or more stages of research.

• A simple example would be a study where you constructed a questionnaire that is composed of closed-ended items (quantitative approach) and open-ended items (qualitative approach).

14.4. Give an example of an across-stage mixed model research study.

In across-stage mixed model research, quantitative and qualitative approaches are mixed across at least two of the stages of research.

• A simple example would be a study where the researcher wishes to explore why people willingly handle snakes in certain churches (qualitative purpose); the researcher goes to the churches and observes the services and informally interviews some church members (qualitative data collection); during data analysis, the researcher enters all of the verbal data into a computer program and then obtains word counts and calculates the percentages for different responses (quantitative data analysis).
• In the above example, the across-stage model mixing took place from the qualitative data collection to the quantitative data analysis.
• For additional across-stage mixed model designs, take a look at Figure 14.2 (see designs 2-7). Here it is for your convenience.

14.5. What is the difference between mixed model research and mixed method research?

Here are the definitions:

• Mixed model research = The method where quantitative and qualitative approaches are mixed within or across the stages of the research process. This is where you use the within-stage mixing approach or the across-stage mixing approach. (See study questions 14.3 and 14.4 above for within-stage and across-stage mixing.)
• Mixed method research = The method where a quantitative phase and a qualitative phase are included in the overall research study. This is like having a quantitative and a qualitative mini-study in the overall research study.

14.6. What kind of study does this notation imply: qual→QUAN→qual? Can you think of why a researcher might use such a design?

This notation implies a dominant status sequential design. The quantitative paradigm is given major emphasis by the researcher and the design occurs in three separate phases. A qualitative phase occurs first; a quantitative phase occurs second; and a qualitative phase occurs third. One might use this design if his or her primary research question is to be addressed by a quantitative approach but, at the same time, the researcher want to collect some exploratory qualitative information before and after the quantitative phase.

• Here is one example: A researcher who typically follows the quantitative paradigm is interested in the effect of including humor in an on-line program developed to train employees how to write professional letters. The researcher wants to conduct an experiment to determine the effect of including a component in the program that includes the use of humor. The researcher first decides to have her research participants fill out a brief open-ended instrument before conducting the experimental study; the instrument asks the participants how they feel about writing professional letters, including what they like most, and what they like least. Second, the researcher conducts the experiment (comparing the standard letter writing training program with the same program that was modified to include the use of humor). Third, the researcher has the participants fill out another open-ended instrument that asks them whether they liked the training program and to explain what they liked and what they did not like.
• Here is another example: a survey researcher first conducts open-ended interviews and focus groups to help determine the content for the survey instrument. In stage two, a closed-ended instrument is constructed and the data are analyzed quantitatively (statistical analysis). Then during the third stage, the researcher selects a person who represents the typical response and then conducts an in-depth interview with him or her.
• In both of these examples there was a qualitative phase (that included the collection of qualitative data and qualitative data analysis of those data), followed by the major/dominant quantitative phase (that included the collection of quantitative data and quantitative data analysis), followed by a qualitative phase (that included qualitative data collection and qualitative data analysis). The two qualitative phases were used to supplement the primary focus of the research which was based on the quantitative phase.

14.7. What is the difference between a sequential and a concurrent design feature?

One major dimension on which mixed method designs are differentiated is the time dimension. The time dimension is either sequential or concurrent. A sequential time order means that the qualitative and quantitative phases are conducted one after the other. A concurrent time order means that the quantitative and qualitative phases occur at approximately the same time—this is like running parallel mini-studies.

• Note that a sequential design is important when the results of one phase will be needed to inform the next phase and when the nature of the questions require that a phase occurs after or before another phase. A concurrent design can be done when both kinds of information are needed, but they can be collected at roughly the same time without causing any problems (logistically or informational/theoretical).

14.8. What are the eight stages of the mixed research process?

I’m going to provide Figure 14.4 here, which lists the eight stages.

14.9. Explain each of Greene, Caracelli, and Graham’s five rationales for conducting a mixed research study.

There are five major purposes or rationales in mixed research. They are listed and explained in Table 14.4. Here is Table 14.4 from page 423:

14.10. What is the difference between quantizing and qualitizing, and are these used in mixed method or mixed model designs?

• Quantitizing means that you convert qualitative data into quantitative data.
• Qualitizing means that you convert quantitative data into qualitative data.

14.11. What kinds of validity might be relevant in a mixed design?

All of the types of validity used in quantitative and qualitative research can be relevant in a mixed research study because you want the quantitative and qualitative parts to be trustworthy and defensible.

On the quantitative side, the primary kinds of validity include:

· Statistical conclusion validity

· Internal (causal) validity

· External (generalizing) validity

· Construct (measurement) validity

On the qualitative side, the primary kinds of validity include:

• Descriptive validity
• Interpretative validity
• Theoretical validity
• Internal validity (if any cause and effect issues are addressed qualitatively)
• External validity (if one hopes to make generalizations based on the qualitative data)

All of the above forms of validity are discussed in the lecture for Chapter 8.

Note that types of validity specifically developed for mixed research are currently being developed.

14.12. What are the four potential problems involved in writing and attempting to publish a mixed research report?

1. Quantitative and qualitative research have traditionally used different styles of writing; therefore, it can be challenging to strike a balance between the two forms of writing.
2. Your audience might not be well versed in both quantitative and qualitative research; therefore, you must be sure to define all specialized terms that are used so that either type of reader can clearly understand what you are saying.
3. Mixed research reports can be lengthy (especially mixed method studies) because they include qualitative and quantitative parts. This can be a problem when you want to publish your study and journals have page limitations that you have to deal with.
4. Mixed research is still an emerging field; therefore, some people you deal with (e.g., reviewers and other readers of your report) may not be open to the use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches.