Deck 12: Mixed-Methods Designs

Question 1

Tacita is interested in how teachers' classroom management practices change over time.She conducts observations of 8 teachers' classrooms over the course of five years.She interviews the teachers and follows up with counts of referral data,disciplinary notes in children's files,and number of notes home per teacher per year.This study can be described as a:

A)QUAN-QUAL study
B)QUAN-qual study
C)QUAL-quan study
D)Quantitative study

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a multiphase iterative design?

A)A city has a typical voter turnout of 40% and so decides to implement a program to "get out the vote." First,they interview 38 voting-age adults about their voting practice.Then,six weeks before the local election,they begin an advertising campaign in the local media,community services,and neighborhoods.After the election,they see that voter turnout remained at 40%.They conduct more interviews to find out why,and ask in particular about people's response to the advertising campaign.They then begin planning a new campaign for the next election.
B)A researcher is interested in how low-income families budget each month,identifying and balancing necessities with items that might be considered luxuries.She begins by conducting a small focus group,asking open-ended questions about budgeting and letting the group take the topic wherever they choose.From their responses,she develops a more extensive set of interview questions and conducts a series of individual interviews over a six-month period.After analyzing the data,she develops a detailed survey,which she administers to a large sample of families,asking them to fill it out every other month for a year.
C)A team of medical researchers wants to understand why parents do not consistently take their children to the hospital for evaluation after falling and hitting their heads during play or sports.They conduct a two-phase study in which 283 parents first complete a 26-item survey regarding their parenting practices,medical knowledge of head injury and concussion,and medical histories.The team analyzes the survey results and formulates a set of focused interview questions,then calls a subset of the original sample and invites them to participate in a 2-hour interview.
D)A sociologist is interested in whether the increase of gender-nontraditional characters on television affects the way people think about laws on equal treatment.He contacts a sample of 16 individuals in his community who are active in civil rights organizations and conducts four focus groups to identify target television shows and key questions to ask in a second phase of his study.He then does a qualitative content analysis of the targeted television shows and uses that analysis to develop a set of interview questions.He then contacts a random sample of individuals across the country and invites them to participate in the interview via computer.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Of the following,which best illustrates an example of a mixed-methods study?

A)Jenka conducts interviews and observations in her study of transitional students.
B)Vanda conducts observations and supplements her findings with class grades.
C)Micky looks at percentages of successful transitions from the district and class grades.
D)Svec interviews both parents and their children regarding transition.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Mixed-methods research that has more than one phase usually employs which type of sampling method?

A)stratified random
B)purposive
C)probability
D)systematic

Question 5

Why do mixed-methods studies require special consideration of the ethics involved in conducting the study? Explain,using an example to support your claims.

Question 6

Rodrigo wanted to investigate students' feeling about reading for pleasure.First,he interviewed students and then he used insights from the interviews to construct a survey to collect quantitative data.Which design has Rodrigo employed?

A)Convergent
B)Embedded
C)Exploratory
D)Explanatory

Question 7

By definition,mixed-methods research designs

A)include both relationship questions and difference questions in the same study.
B)include both descriptive and inferential statistics in the analysis.
C)include both quantitative and qualitative data.
D)include a number of quantitative measures of student performance.

Question 8

A study that relies primarily on quantitative data and uses qualitative data to follow up is considered an example of which approach to mixed methods design?

A)Multiphase iterative
B)Embedded
C)Exploratory
D)Explanatory

Question 9

Shenny has been collecting quantitative and qualitative data within the same time frame.Each data set aims to address related but different research questions.Which design has Shenny employed?

A)Convergent
B)Embedded
C)Multiphase iterative
D)Explanatory

Question 10

Dorothy has been collecting both quantitative and qualitative data in parallel.She wanted to ensure triangulation with the hope that analyses of both data sets lead to similar conclusions about the phenomenon under investigation.Which design has Dorothy employed?
1)Convergent
2)Embedded
3)Multiphase iterative
4)Explanatory

Question 11

What are the general advantages of conducting a mixed-methods study,rather than two or more different studies,to address a single research question?

Question 12

Sharon wanted to investigate student perceptions of homework.First,she distributed a survey to students and their parents and collected quantitative data.Second,she interviewed a few participants to gain insights on their survey responses.Which design has Sharon employed?

A)Convergent
B)Embedded
C)Exploratory
D)Explanatory

Question 13

Mixed-methods researchers should ask themselves,"Are the quantitative and qualitative data equally relevant to the same or related topics and research question(s)?" This question is most useful to help the researcher evaluate:

A)the validity of the study.
B)the purpose of the study.
C)the type of analysis to be used in the study.
D)the conclusions drawn as a result of the study.
Essay Questions

Question 14

The QUAN-qual model of mixed methods design is also known as

A)triangulation.
B)interpretation.
C)exploratory.
D)explanatory.