Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research Notes

Qualitative Methods Research

  • Focuses on individual people and local groups for intensive case studies.

  • Less interest in results that are broadly generalizable.

Research Validity in Qualitative Research

  • Criticism: Lacks rigor and can be influenced by researcher biases.

  • Strategies to reduce bias:

    • Data Triangulation: Use multiple data sources.

    • Extended Fieldwork: Collect data over extended periods.

    • External Audit: Involve outside experts to assess study quality.

    • Investigator Triangulation: Use multiple investigators in the study.

    • Methods Triangulation: Use various research methods.

    • Negative-case Sampling: Select cases that disconfirm expectations.

    • Participant Feedback: Verify findings with participants.

    • Peer Review: Discuss findings with peers for validation.

    • Reflexivity: Critical self-reflection by researchers.

    • Theory Triangulation: Consider multiple theories for interpretation.

Qualitative Research Methods

  • Phenomenology: Describes how participants experience a phenomenon (emotions).

  • Narrative Inquiry: Explores individual storied experiences.

  • Ethnography: Studies the culture of groups or events (originated in anthropology).

  • Case Study: Provides detailed descriptions of specific cases.

  • Historical Research: Investigates past people, places, and events.

  • Grounded Theory: Develops a theory grounded in data.

Mixed Methods Research

  • Combines quantitative and qualitative data in a single study.

  • Strengthens research findings:

    • Provides multiple sources of evidence.

    • Offers deeper, more comprehensive explanations.

    • Compensates for weaknesses in one method with strengths of another.

    • Captures subjective meanings often missed in quantitative research.

    • Produces rich qualitative data alongside objective quantitative data.

Strengths of Mixed Methods Research

  • Multiple evidence sources enhance validation.

  • Can provide a fuller understanding of complex issues.

Weaknesses of Mixed Methods Research

  • Requires expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research.

  • More time-consuming and costly than single method research.

  • Less developed methodology due to its relative novelty.

Mixed Methods Approaches

  • Concurrent: Both methods are implemented simultaneously (QUAL + QUAN).

  • Sequential: One method follows the other (QUAL à QUAN or QUAN à QUAL).

  • Dominant Status: Indicates emphasis on either qualitative or quantitative data.

Applying Dominant Status in Research

  • Determine focus based on exploration (qualitative) or prediction (quantitative).

  • Emphasize one data-collection process over another in results sections.

Research Article Redesign

  • Involves creating alternative research questions, methods, and conceptual frameworks.

Example of Research Article Redesign

  • Original Question: Impact of high school computer science courses on STEM major selection.

  • Redesigned Question: Effect of computer science courses in low-income communities on STEM choices mediated by self-efficacy.

  • Methods: Shift from non-experimental to quasi-experimental or experimental design.

  • Frameworks: Integrate Super’s Career Development and Social Cognitive Career Theories.

Theories in Career Development

  • Super's Career Development Theory: Describes various life stages in career development from childhood to retirement.

    • Stages: Growth (birth-14), Exploration (15-24), Establishment (25-44), Maintenance (45-64), Decline (65+).

    • Influenced by lifestyle factors and environmental determinants.

  • Social Cognitive Career Theory: Links learning experiences to self-efficacy and career outcomes, depicting influences like gender and socioeconomic status.

Quasi-Experimental Study Example

  • Design: Including intervention and control groups.

  • Measurements: Assess impact before and after stress reduction programs over three time periods for both groups.