Voice of farmers in the agriculture crisis in North-East Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferdinand Ndifor Che ◽  
Kenneth David Strang ◽  
Narasimha Rao Vajjhala
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural Farmers ◽  
North East ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this study is to uncover ground truth insights underlying the agriculture crisis from the perspectives of rural farmers in North-East Nigeria. The needs of individual farmers are otherwise not adequately reflected in national or regional economic development strategies. Design/methodology/approach A unique sequential mixed-methods research design was adopted for this study. A grounded theory approach was used for the literature review followed by a consensual qualitative research (CQR) technique. Data were collected through a semi-structured sense-making focus group (FG) held at a field site with agricultural extension workers. The CQR technique included brainstorming, the nominal group technique, open discussions, sense-making and consensual agreement on the most important ideas. The FG sense-making was recorded, and discourse analysis was conducted to develop thematic concept maps using NVivo software. Findings Agriculture crisis ground truth insight themes were consistent with the extant literature but several different issues were also found. Rural farmers in North-East Nigeria have significant challenges with government support in six core areas, namely, farm input quality and dissemination, fair input subsidization, training, market facilitation, corruption and insecurity. Research limitations/implications The target population of this study was rural farmers in Adamawa State, North-East Nigeria. A relatively small sample of 16 agricultural extension workers – very experienced farmers who also act as mentors and are paid incentives by the government for doing so – was used. Practical implications In tackling the agriculture crisis in Nigeria, policymakers will do well to recognize the realities that the rural farmers face and their needs, the government must address the areas highlighted in this study where support for farmers lacks and urgently review the current process of farm inputs dissemination. Originality/value Agriculture crisis problems were explored from the perspectives of rural North-East Nigerian farmers, who have not been previously sampled due to cultural, language, literacy and schedule constraints. The extension workers were better able to communicate agriculture crisis insights in modern economic planning terminology because they are well-educated farmers, knowledgeable about the problems due to their field experience and because they have more flexible work schedules. A unique sequential mixed-methods constructivist research design was used with an embedded CQR technique, which would be of interest to scholars and research institutions.

Perceived quality and intention to revisit coffee concept shops in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 1106-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiram Ting ◽  
Wee Ming Lau ◽  
Jun-Hwa Cheah ◽  
Yusman Yacob ◽  
Mumtaz Ali Memon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Perceived Quality ◽  
Mixed Methods Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Product Service ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Intention To Revisit ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of perceived quality on intention to revisit coffee concept shops among regular and irregular consumers. Specifically, the framework developed by Pine and Gilmore (2000) is adopted to look into the effect of product, service and experience qualities on intention to revisit. Design/methodology/approach The explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used to articulate the intention of consumers to revisit coffee concept shops. A preliminary study was conducted to define regular and irregular consumers. Self-administered questionnaire was first administered before using interview to elicit more insights and triangulate the findings. Findings The combination of both quantitative and qualitative findings show that the experiences of regular consumers at coffee concept shops include personal routine activities, while the experiences of irregular customers are composed of occasions with specific and collective purposes. While the intention to revisit of the former is related to the product and service quality, the intention of the latter is largely affected by its service and experience quality. Originality/value Given the rapid rise of coffee concept shops in the developing markets, the use of a mixed-methods design provides more insights into the intention to revisit of the regular and irregular consumers. It underscores the importance for the organisations to know what really matters to the diverse consumers.

What do the business employers want? A sequential mixed methods exploration of information professionals’ competencies

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 665-680
Author(s):  
Waqar Ahmad Awan ◽  
Kanwal Ameen
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Panel Discussion ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Job Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Information Professionals ◽  
Management Professionals

Purpose The job market of library and information professionals has expanded from academic to industrial, special and business libraries. The unique nature of the organizations, their data and clientele demand a different set of competencies. The purpose of this study is to explore the competencies of information professionals from the perspectives of business employers – a comparatively new job place for the library and information management professionals. Design/Methodology/Approach Exploratory sequential mixed methods approach was used to meet objectives of this study in two phases. In the first phase, qualitative data was extracted from panel discussion. Themes were extracted from this qualitative data. In the second phase, a questionnaire was designed which was based on qualitative themes. The instrument contained the nine-point Likert type scale and was filled by the business and industry human resource managers. The quantitatively gathered data were analysed while using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS version 22. Findings The findings of this study indicate that work coordination, knowledge of intellectual property rights, online searching ability, leadership qualities, trustworthiness and background knowledge of the prospective organizations are the basic competencies required by the business employers. Practical Implications This study will guide the students on which qualities they are required to obtain to qualify for jobs of information professionals in the current employment sector. Additionally, it will provide guidelines to the continuous education programme designers, prompting them to include in their trainings the vital qualities of candidates required by the current job market. Originality Value This is the maiden study that has explored the competencies of library and information management professionals through exploratory sequential mixed methods.

Teaching for international mindedness in Chicago Public Schools International Baccalaureate humanities classes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Tocci ◽  
Ann Marie Ryan ◽  
David C. Ensminger ◽  
Catur Rismiati ◽  
Ahlam Bazzi Moughania
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
International Baccalaureate ◽  
Chicago Public Schools ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Learner Profile

PurposeThe International Baccalaureate (IB) programme centers on developing students' international mindedness. Central to this effort is the programme's “Learner Profile,” which details ten attributes that teachers seek to cultivate through classroom instruction. This article reports on the ways that middle grades and high school social studies and English teachers in Chicago Public Schools' (CPS) IB programmes are attempting to implement the Learner Profile as part of their classroom practice to support students' international mindedness.Design/methodology/approachThe project was carried out as a two phase, sequential mixed-methods design. Phase I entailed a survey of IB teachers and programme coordinators across CPS to assess the incorporation of the Learner Profile into instruction. Phase II consisted of mixed-methods case studies of CPS IB programmes selected partially on Phase I data analysis.FindingsWe find that while teachers express high levels of familiarity with the Learner Profile attributes and confidence in incorporating them into practice, we find wide variation in the actual implementation. Taken as a whole, we find CPS programmes take divergent approaches to incorporating the Learner Profile based on differences in understanding of the attributes and its purposes as well as key organizational facets related to implementation.Originality/valueUltimately, we argue that the wide variation and lack of explicit incorporation of the Learner Profile into classrooms is related in large part to the broad, indistinct nature of “international mindedness” as a concept. The programme would benefit from creating more space for teacher and students to critique the concept, especially those working from non-Western traditions.

The Importance of Qualitative Methods in Mixed Methods Studies

2021 ◽  
pp. 282-306
Author(s):  
Jacquelynne A. Boivin
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Design Models ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Research Designs

This chapter presents a thorough review of the literature dedicated to learning more about mixed methods research design. Explanatory sequential mixed methods studies and exploratory sequential mixed methods studies are the two types of mixed methods research design models that this chapter presents in detail. To contextualize different ideas related to research design, the author provides examples of research studies that exemplify different research designs falling within mixed methods. The main objective of this chapter is to highlight the important role that qualitative research design plays in mixed methods research. Such a presentation of the literature aims to argue that qualitative data substantiates quantitative data as a means to heighten the regard which the qualitative methodology receives.

Consumer expenditures on clothing and footwear: a mixed methods study

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Patricio Arévalo-Chávez ◽  
Jorge Guadalupe
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Psychological Measures ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Disposal Behavior

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish the predictors of consumers’ annual monetary expenditures on clothing and footwear in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, a developing Latin American country. Design/methodology/approach The research followed an exploratory, sequential, mixed methods design. The first phase consisted of in-depth interviews with adult individuals. The second phase involved surveying a similar segment of the population. Findings The present study supports the importance of demographic and psychological factors as predictors. The study also identifies two new groups of predictors: consumers’ reception of used clothing and physical space at home and its management. Practical implications In addition to demographic variables, consumer panels that measure expenditures on clothing and footwear should include psychological measures of participants, particularly clothing involvement. Clothing manufacturers and retailers in developing countries should consider the impact of receiving used clothes by consumers. Because clothing buying and disposal behaviors are positively associated, companies should become more involved in their customers’ disposal behavior. Originality/value The contribution of the present study is twofold. First, it contributes to the understanding of clothing and footwear expenditures by considering the individual consumer as a unit of analysis. Furthermore, it provides insights into this behavior from a little-studied context.

CASEN survey: statistical and methodological misleads in key public policy in Chile

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Flavio Galasso ◽  
Pablo Farías
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Statistical Error ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Good News ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
America Latina

Subject area Discussing statistical error and research design problems and the organizational implications of delivering “good news” at all cost. Study level/applicability This case can be used on basic courses of Public Policy, Marketing Research and Quantitative Methods. Case overview MIDEPLAN on July 2012 showed the results of the CASEN (Caracterización Socio-Económica or Socio-Economical Characterization) survey of 2011. The results showed that poverty was lowered by 0.6 per cent and was greatly highlighted by the media. Opposition coalition and academics started to ask questions about statistical error, which was not yet known. It was revealed that the government asked Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), a public organization dependent on the United Nations (UN) that was helping Chile to manage the CASEN survey, to review the results and incorporate a variable “y11,” but academics questioned it due to comparability reasons. The statistical error was revealed and it was 0.8 per cent. On October 2012, CEPAL decided to stop helping Chilean institutions. Expected learning outcomes The key analysis and conclusions which should arise as a result of teaching this case are: The relevance of the statistical error as a key component of research to evaluate data; the importance of fully implementing research design and accuracy of every step to reach valid results; analyze and discuss organizational implications of delivering “good news” at all cost. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

scholarly journals Doing transformational change in the English NHS in the context of “big bang” redisorganisation

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Hunter ◽  
Jonathan Erskine ◽  
Adrian Small ◽  
Tom McGovern ◽  
Chris Hicks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Transformational Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
East Region ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine a bold and ambitious scheme known as the North East transformation system (NETS). The principal aim of the NETS is the achievement of a step-change in the quality of health services delivered to people living in the North East region of England. The paper charts the origins of the NETS and its early journey before describing what happened to it when the UK coalition government published its proposals for unexpected major structural change in the NHS. This had a profound impact on the leadership and direction of the NETS and resulted in it taking a different direction from that intended. Design/methodology/approach – The research design took the form of a mixed methods, longitudinal 3.5-year study aimed at exploring transformational change in terms of content, context, process and outcomes. The sample of study sites comprised 14 NHS trusts in the North East region chosen to provide geographical coverage of the area and to reflect the scale, scope and variety of the bodies that formed part of the NETS programme. The qualitative component of the research, which the paper draws upon, included 68 semi-structured interviews, observational studies and focus groups. Data analysis made use of both deductive and inductive frameworks. The deductive framework adopted was Pettigrew et al.’s “receptive contexts for change” and four of the eight factors stood out as especially important and form the basis of the paper. Findings – The fate of the NETS was shaped and influenced by the eight factors comprising the Pettigrew et al. receptive contexts for change framework but four factors in particular stood out as being especially significant: environmental pressure, quality and coherence of policy, key people leading change, supportive organisational culture. Perhaps the most significant lesson from the NETS is that achieving whole systems change is particularly vulnerable to the vicissitudes of politics especially where that system, like the UK NHS, is itself subject to those very same pressures. Yet, despite having an enormous influence on health policy, the political context is frequently avoided in research or not regarded as instrumental in determining the outcomes in respect of transformational change. Research limitations/implications – The chief limitation is the credibility and authenticity of the interviews captured at particular points in time. These formed the datebase for subsequent analysis. The authors sought to guard against possible bias by supplementing interviews with observational studies and focus groups as well as running two dissemination events at which emerging findings from the study were subjected to independent external scrutiny and comment. These events provided a form of validation for the key study findings. Practical implications – The research findings demonstrate the importance of context for the likely outcome and success of complex transformational change initiatives. These require time to become embedded and demonstrate results especially when focused on changing culture and behaviour. But, in practice, allowing sufficient time during which the organisation may remain sufficiently stable to allow the change intervention to run its course and become embedded and sustainable is highly problematic. The consequence is that bold and ambitious efforts like the NETS are not given the space and stability to prove themselves. Too often, politics and external environmental pressures intrude in ways that may prove dysfunctional and negative. Social implications – Unless a different approach to transformational change and its leadership and management is adopted, then changing the NHS to enable it to appear more responsive to changing health care needs and expectations will remain a cause for concern. Ultimately the public will be the losers if the NHS remains insensitive to changing needs and expectations. The patient experience was at the centre of the NETS programme. Originality/value – The study is original insofar as no other has sought to evaluate the NETS independently and over a reasonable time period. The research design, based on a mixed-methods approach, is unusual in evaluations of this nature. The study’s conclusions are not so original but their value lies in largely confirming and reinforcing the findings from other studies. It perhaps goes further in stressing the impact of politics on health policy and the negative consequences of constant organisational change on attempts to achieve deep change in the way the NHS is organised and led.

scholarly journals The Role of Qualitative Research in Clinical Trial Development: The EASE Back Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette Bartlam ◽  
Jacqueline Waterfield ◽  
Annette Bishop ◽  
Melanie A. Holden ◽  
Panos Barlas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Physical Therapists ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Pilot Rct

This article outlines the rationale for adopting a mixed methods approach within randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and explores challenges associated in doing so. Taking the example of the EASE Back feasibility and pilot study ( Evaluating Acupuncture and Standard care for pregnant wom En with BACK pain: ISRCTN49955124), we detail why and how we operationalized a concurrent-sequential mixed methods research design. We present key findings from the exploratory research (focus groups and interviews) and explain how these were integrated with descriptive findings (a national survey of physical therapists) in order to inform and refine the design of the explanatory phase (the pilot RCT). We conclude with a discussion of lessons learned and implications for future research design and conduct.

Student’s perceptions of quality learning in a Malaysian university – a mixed method approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 500-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chee Choy ◽  
Joanne Sau-Ching Yim ◽  
Poh Leong Tan
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Quality Learning

Purpose This paper aims to examine students’ perceptions of quality learning using a mixed-methods approach in a Malaysian university, with an aim to fill existing knowledge gaps in the literature on relationships among relevant quality variables. The study also assesses the extent to which detailed results from a few participants can be generalised to a larger sample from the population. Design/methodology/approach A sequential, mixed-methods approach was used to obtain a more meaningful and balanced analysis of the data. In total, 12 students were purposively selected and interviewed in Phase 1, to gain insights into their perceptions of quality learning at a selected university. The results of the qualitative analysis were used to develop hypotheses for a quantitative survey of 1,490 students in Phase 2. The samples consisted of students enrolled in full-time bachelor’s degree programmes. The survey data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) to confirm a series of hypotheses about pathways of influence of key quality constructs. Findings The results of the study showed strong positive relationships between student perceptions of learning outcomes, curriculum, instructional delivery and support, learning environment and quality learning. The overall findings suggest that the influences of these quality variables on the perceived quality of learning experiences of students may be complex. Practical implications All Malaysian higher education providers are currently concerned with providing high-quality education that caters to students’ needs. The results generate useful evidence for governors, administrators and other stakeholders regarding the students’ perceptions of quality learning. The results provide insights for supporting diverse students served by these providers. Originality/value The sequential, mixed-methods research design of the study contributed a rich contextual description of students’ perceptions of quality learning. It also fills the knowledge gap mentioned.

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