An Explicit Pragmatic Approach to Integrative Data Analysis Strategies for Mixed Methods Research

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Mei Lan Chan

Mixed methods research is becoming an important methodology for the investigation of various topics in applied linguistics. However, data integration remains a challenge for mixed methods researchers and thus needs further development. This study discusses the integrative data analysis strategies used in an embedded mixed methods study in applied linguistics, illustrated through two phases of the study, and the way in which the adoption of a pragmatic approach explicitly aids data integration by abductive reflection on the knowledge acquired. This study investigated the language learning strategies used by English as a Foreign Language nursing students in higher education in Macao, and the effectiveness of the students’ learning outcomes as a result of strategy instruction. Six integrative data analysis strategies are discussed, and the explicit pragmatic approach that guided the exploratory sequential design sheds further light on the integrative data analysis.

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Fogus Gooding

An Introduction to Music Therapy Research, edited by Barbara Wheeler and Kathleen Murphy, is a 20-chapter that provides overview of how research has been conceived and implemented in music therapy. The text is geared to those beginning their studies in music therapy and as such address all stages of research, beginning with foundational aspects like selection of a topic before moving to a more detailed presentation of specific research components like data analysis and interpretation of results. Objectivist (qualitative) and interpretivist (quantitative research) theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and methods are included in the book, as well as information on mixed methods research and important historical, ethical, and multicultural considerations.


This chapter presents the methodological and conceptual approach, which informed the research design for the study. It is pertinent to reiterate here that the design of this study sought to discern the positive psychological forces that shape subjective wellbeing of informal caregivers. This desire prompted the adoption of a mixed methods research. The rationale for this methodological preference is presented. In addition, advantages of mixed methods approach are elaborated upon. Furthermore, other issues are addressed, including sample size, instrumentation, and research procedures. This chapter also explains, with much detail, the parameters and boundary conditions that constituted the guiding assumptions, limitations, as well as delimitations of the study. It should be noted that the chapter also explains the essential approach to data analysis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 522-544
Author(s):  
Jörg Stolz ◽  
Anaïd Lindemann

Despite tremendous interest in social games and game studies, the potential of game heuristics for the field of mixed methods remains unknown. This article introduces game heuristics to mixed methods research, showing how it was used in a specific study on the survival probabilities on the Titanic. Specifically, we describe how game heuristics was used to create the explanandum, code and interpret the qualitative material, and set up and interpret the quantitative model. Furthermore, we show and explicate how game heuristics was used to construct seven types of meta-inferences. The Titanic data set is especially interesting, since it is routinely used for statistical mono-method teaching; however, it can be shown that a mixed methods approach leads to a better explanation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Uprichard ◽  
Leila Dawney

This article extends the debates relating to integration in mixed methods research. We challenge the a priori assumptions on which integration is assumed to be possible in the first place. More specifically, following Haraway and Barad, we argue that methods produce “cuts” which may or may not cohere and that “diffraction,” as an expanded approach to integration, has much to offer mixed methods research. Diffraction pays attention to the ways in which data produced through different methods can both splinter and interrupt the object of study. As such, it provides an explicit way of empirically capturing the mess and complexity intrinsic to the ontology of the social entity being studied.


Author(s):  
Daphne C. Watkins

Mixed methods research integrates both qualitative and quantitative methods into a single study to produce a more inclusive and expansive understanding of a topic. This article defines mixed methods in social work research, and discusses design notation, language, popular mixed methods designs, and data integration. Using mixed methods provides an opportunity for social workers to take advantage of the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative approaches and to offset their weaknesses. It is important that social workers engaged in mixed methods research maximize the interpretation of their findings and articulate the advantages of using mixed methods over qualitative or quantitative methods alone. Given the unique features of the profession, it is imperative that social workers carve out a distinctive mixed methods niche for social work researchers and practitioners.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad R. Hashemi ◽  
Iman Gohari Moghaddam

The research article, among other academic genres, has attracted researchers’ attention over the past decades. Although sections such as introduction, method, and results and discussion have been addressed in such studies, the mixed methods research (MMR) discussion genre remains underexplored. Thus, the present study aimed at exploring the generic organizational patterns in applied linguistics MMR articles. A qualitatively driven mixed methods approach was utilized to explore 38 MMR discussions. As a result, there emerged a five-move model for genre macro-organization and rhetorical move structure of the MMR discussions. The study concludes by presenting implications for writing effective MMR discussions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 497-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen M. Amerstorfer

Has the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) passed its expiry date? The SILL (Oxford, 1990) was designed as a self-evaluation tool to measure the frequency of language learning strategies used by foreign and second language (L2) learners. With simple mathematics, learners can analyze their strategy preferences overall and in six categories (i.e., memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social strategies). Diverging from its original purpose, the SILL became the most popular instrument in LLS research, which brought widespread acclaim but also criticism. This article explains what makes the SILL an extraordinary tool for learners, teachers, and researchers and how it can be adapted to suit specific contexts and the demands of a modern world. An example of how the SILL can be integrated into mixed-methods research demonstrates how the instrument can fulfil additional purposes to those originally intended. Despite its naturally quantitative orientation, the SILL contributed to the acquisition of rich qualitative information, which enabled a holistic view of five individual L2 learners. In addition to new insights about strategic L2 learning, the study attests that the SILL has not expired yet, but perhaps needs a modern touch, for instance, in the form of adaptation or combination with other research methods and the inclusion of strategies for learning language with technology.


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