Using Joint Display as an Analytic Process: An Illustration Using Bar Graphs Joint Displays From a Mixed Methods Study of How Beliefs Shape Secondary School Teachers’ Use of Technology

Abstract

Qualitative researchers engaged in mixed methods studies need novel approaches for integrating qualitative and quantitative findings during analysis. Joint display visuals have become an integral part of the presentation of the findings of mixed methods studies and can be aptly described as an analytic tool owing to the process involved in building joint displays. In this article, our purpose is to illustrate the iterative process utilized in building joint displays using both bar graphs and observational field notes to understand a specific phenomenon. An explanatory sequential mixed methods study was conducted with Jamaican secondary school teachers that sought to understand how teachers’ beliefs shaped the use of technology. Based on the use of joint display analysis in this study, we illustrate how the insights gleaned and challenges encountered from each iteration of developing successive joint displays helped us to refine our understanding through an assessment of the organizational intent, analytic intent, and effectiveness of the visuals created. By engaging in the process of building successive joint displays, we identified inconsistencies in the findings that would likely not otherwise have been revealed. We learned that the inconsistencies represented two dimensions of the teachers’ beliefs, thus resulting in a more comprehensive understanding of the integrated data. The methodological insights gleaned from each iteration of building joint displays can be used by other researchers engaged in this process and enhance their understanding of the value of joint display as a powerful analytic tool.