scholarly journals No One Left Behind: Using Mixed-Methods Research to Identify and Learn from Socially Marginalised Adolescents in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Baird ◽  
Laura Camfield ◽  
Ashraful Haque ◽  
Nicola Jones ◽  
Anas Al Masri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

AbstractThis article describes the mixed-methods approach used by the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) research programme. It discusses how qualitative and quantitative methods can be used both in isolation and combined to learn about the lives of adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), focusing on the methodological and ethical approaches used to reach socially marginalised adolescents (including adolescents with disabilities, adolescents not in school, adolescent refugees, adolescents living in urban slums, adolescents who married as children, and adolescent mothers). We reflect on the implementation of the GAGE conceptual framework, discussing its strengths and weaknesses, and the challenges to promoting inclusive and genuinely mixed-methods research practices. While these methods have been adapted in the countries where research was undertaken, the conceptual framework provides a common methodological approach, utilising an intersectional lens. We show how mixed-methods approaches can contribute to the knowledge base on research with socially marginalised adolescent girls and boys globally, serving as an important resource for future research with young people in LMICs.

scholarly journals Media and Digital Technologies for Mixed Methods Research in Public Health Emergencies Such as COVID-19: Lessons Learned From Using Interactive Radio–SMS for Social Research in Somalia

2021 ◽  
pp. 155868982098674
Author(s):  
Johanna Riha ◽  
Claudia Abreu Lopes ◽  
Naima Abdi Ibrahim ◽  
Sharath Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Message Service ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Radio shows which invite audience participation via short message service (SMS)—interactive radio–SMS—can be designed as a mixed methods approach for applied social research during COVID-19 and other crises in low and middle income countries. In the aftermath of a cholera outbreak in Somalia, we illustrate how this method provides social insights that would have been missed if a purely qualitative or quantitative approach were used. We then examine the strengths and limitations associated with interactive radio–SMS through an evaluation using a multimethod comparison. Our research contributes an application of a mixed methods approach which addresses a specific challenge raised by COVID-19, namely utilizing media and digital technologies for social research in low and middle income countries.

scholarly journals Early Mathematics Counts: Promising Instructional Strategies from Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmin Sitabkhan ◽  
Linda M. Platas
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mathematics Interventions ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Early Mathematics ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Informal Mathematics ◽  
Early Grade ◽  
Research And Policy ◽  
Low And Middle Income

This occasional paper examines common instructional strategies in early-grade mathematics interventions through a review of studies in classrooms in low- and middle-income countries. Twenty-four studies met the criteria for inclusion, and analyses reveal four sets of instructional strategies for which there is evidence from multiple contexts. Of the 24 studies, 16 involved the use of multiple representations, 10 involved the use of developmental progressions, 6 included supporting student use of explanation and justification, and 5 included integration of informal mathematics. Based on the review, we provide conclusions and recommendations for future research and policy.

The Impact of Cash Transfers: A Review of the Evidence from Low- and Middle-income Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (03) ◽  
pp. 569-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCESCA BASTAGLI ◽  
JESSICA HAGEN-ZANKER ◽  
LUKE HARMAN ◽  
VALENTINA BARCA ◽  
GEORGINA STURGE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evidence Base ◽  
Cash Transfers ◽  
Cash Transfer ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Unintended Effects ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Low And Middle Income

AbstractThis article presents the findings of a review of the impact of non-contributory cash transfers on individuals and households in low- and middle-income countries, covering the literature of 15 years, from 2000 to 2015. Based on evidence extracted from 165 studies, retrieved through a systematic search and screening process, this article discusses the impact of cash transfers on 35 indicators covering six outcome areas: monetary poverty; education; health and nutrition; savings, investment and production; work; and empowerment. For most of the studies, cash transfers contributed to progress in the selected indicators in the direction intended by policymakers. Despite variations in the size and strength of the underlying evidence base by outcome and indicator, this finding is consistent across all outcome areas. The article also investigates unintended effects of cash transfer receipt, such as potential reductions in adult work effort and increased fertility, finding limited evidence for such unintended effects. Finally, the article highlights gaps in the evidence base and areas which would benefit from additional future research.

scholarly journals The Effects of Adolescent Childbearing on Literacy and Numeracy in Bangladesh, Malawi, and Zambia

Demography ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1899-1929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie R. Psaki ◽  
Erica Soler-Hampejsek ◽  
Jyotirmoy Saha ◽  
Barbara S. Mensch ◽  
Sajeda Amin
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
School Dropout ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
First Birth ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Adolescent Childbearing ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
English Literacy ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract Global investments in girls’ education have been motivated, in part, by an expectation that more-educated women will have smaller and healthier families. However, in many low- and middle-income countries, the timing of school dropout and first birth coincide, resulting in a rapid transition from the role of student to the role of mother for adolescent girls. Despite growing interest in the effects of pregnancy on levels of school dropout, researchers have largely overlooked the potential effect of adolescent childbearing on literacy and numeracy. We hypothesize that becoming a mother soon after leaving school may cause the deterioration of skills gained in school. Using longitudinal data from Bangladesh, Malawi, and Zambia, we test our hypothesis by estimating fixed-effects linear regression models to address the endogeneity in the relationship between childbearing and academic skills. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the effects of adolescent childbearing on academic skills in low- and middle-income countries. Our results indicate that among those with low levels of grade attainment, first birth has a negative effect on English literacy and numeracy. Among those with higher levels of grade attainment, we find little evidence of effects of childbearing on academic skills. Childbearing also has little effect on local language literacy. Beyond the immediate loss of English literacy and numeracy, if these skills lead to better health and more economic productivity, then adolescent childbearing may have longer-term repercussions than previously understood. In addition to ongoing efforts to increase educational attainment and school quality in low- and middle-income countries, investments are needed to strengthen the academic skills of adolescent mothers to secure the demographic and economic promise of expanded education for girls and women.

scholarly journals ‘Maybe we can turn the tide’: an explanatory mixed-methods study to understand how knowledge brokers mobilise health evidence in low- and middle-income countries

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa C. Norton ◽  
Daniela C. Rodriguez ◽  
Catherine Howell ◽  
Charlene Reynolds ◽  
Sara Willems
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Newborn Health ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Promising Practices ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Knowledge Brokers ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Background: Little is known about how knowledge brokers (KBs) operate in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to translate evidence for health policy and practice. These intermediaries facilitate relationships between evidence producers and users to address public health issues.<br />Aims and objectives: To increase understanding, a mixed-methods study collected data from KBs who had acted on evidence from the 2015 Global Maternal Newborn Health Conference in Mexico.<br />Methods: Of the 1000 in-person participants, 252 plus 72 online participants (n=324) from 56 countries completed an online survey, and 20 participants from 15 countries were interviewed. Thematic analysis and application of knowledge translation (KT) theory explored factors influencing KB actions leading to evidence uptake. Descriptive statistics of respondent characteristics were used for cross-case comparison.Findings: Results suggest factors supporting the KB role in evidence uptake, which include active relationships with evidence users through embedded KB roles, targeted and tailored evidence communication to fit the context, user receptiveness to evidence from a similar country setting, adaptability in the KB role, and action orientation of KBs.<br />Discussion and conclusions: Initiatives to increase evidence uptake in LMICs should work to establish supportive structures for embedded KT, identify processes for ongoing cross-country learning, and strengthen KBs already showing effectiveness in their roles.<br /><br />key messages<br /><br /><ol><li>Little is known about how knowledge brokers mobilise evidence in low- and middle-income countries.</li><br /><li>A multi-country study of knowledge brokers identified promising practices for evidence uptake.</li><br /><li>Embedded brokers who adapted messaging and evidence to context in active relationships worked well.</li><br /><li>Capacity building should use KB promising practices and facilitate multi-country evidence exchange.</li></ol>

scholarly journals A systematic review of the association between perinatal depression and cognitive development in infancy in low and middle-income countries

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253790
Author(s):  
Matthew Bluett-Duncan ◽  
M. Thomas Kishore ◽  
Divya M. Patil ◽  
Veena A. Satyanarayana ◽  
Helen Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Perinatal Depression ◽  
Antenatal Depression ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Infant Cognitive Development ◽  
Low And Middle Income

The association between perinatal depression and infant cognitive development has been well documented in research based in high-income contexts, but the literature regarding the same relationship in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) is less developed. The aim of this study is to systematically review what is known in this area in order to inform priorities for early intervention and future research in LMICs. The review protocol was pre-registered on Prospero (CRD42018108589) and relevant electronic databases were searched using a consistent set of keywords and 1473 articles were screened against the eligibility criteria. Sixteen articles were included in the review, seven focusing on the antenatal period, eight on the postnatal period, and one which included both. Five out of eight studies found a significant association between antenatal depression (d = .21-.93) and infant cognitive development, while four out of nine studies found a significant association with postnatal depression (d = .17-.47). Although the evidence suggests that LMICs should prioritise antenatal mental health care, many of the studies did not adequately isolate the effects of depression in each period. Furthermore, very few studies explored more complex interactions that may exist between perinatal depression and other relevant factors. More high-quality studies are needed in LMIC settings, driven by current theory, that test main effects and examine moderating or mediating pathways to cognitive development.

scholarly journals Conceptual Framework of Mentoring in Low- and Middle-Income Countries to Advance Global Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (1_Suppl) ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailendra Prasad ◽  
Elizabeth Sopdie ◽  
David Meya ◽  
Anna Kalbarczyk ◽  
Patricia J. Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

scholarly journals Measuring the Quality of Early Childhood Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Si Chen ◽  
Sharon Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Child Outcomes ◽  
High Income ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Young children’s access to early childhood education (ECE) is increasing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), though often without attention to service quality. Monitoring quality requires classroom observations, but most observation tools available were developed in high-income western countries. In this article, we examine key issues in measuring ECE quality in LMICs and consider challenges and opportunities in balancing theoretical grounding, cultural- and contextual-adaptation, and empirical rigor. We then review the literature on observed classroom quality in LMICs, focusing on process quality. We find limited evidence that the constructs identified in high-income countries replicate in LMICs. Further, the very limited evidence that ECE quality measures used in LMICs predict child outcomes is almost exclusively cross-sectional and associations are mixed. We conclude by discussing how future research can build a stronger knowledge base about ECE quality and child development globally.

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