Application Of Mixed Methods Research Research Articles

Conditions for approaching shared value creation management in the Japanese rice flour-related business: application of mixed methods research

This is the second paper on creating shared value (CSV) management in Japanese rice flour-related businesses conducted by the same authors. In the first study, the relationships among business philosophies, business strategies and business outcomes of rice flour-related corporates in Japan were clarified using structural equation modeling (SEM) and cognitive mapping of questionnaire survey results. The management philosophy, effective altruism, influences business strategies (potential head market, tail market, organizational learning, and proposals from stakeholders) of rice flour-related corporates, inducing innovation and determining current business performance and future prospects for shared value creation. The business performance reflects their expectations for the rice flour market, and influences the direction of market development. In addition, we showed a need for policy innovations that strengthen effective altruism and create shared value through organizational learning of the stakeholders in rice flour-related businesses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to clarify conditions for approaching CSV management in domestic rice flour-related businesses by applying mixed methods research (MMR). Specifically, a latent class analysis (LCA) was introduced to classify the management characteristics of rice flour-related businesses with survey results, and a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) conducted on the CSV management entities extracted from the LCA to clarify the necessary and sufficient conditions for achieving CSV management. The results revealed that there are very few rice flour-related businesses in Japan that have approached CSV management, and sufficient conditions for approaching CSV management in rice flour-related businesses are a combination of effective altruism and various management strategies (long tail/organizational learning/innovation/stakeholder proposals). Therefore, we conclude that to achieve a sustainable regional development of rice flour-related businesses, policy innovations that integrate pull-type and push-type strategies are important.

Commentary: Practices for effectively communicating and applying a rationale for mixed methods research.

A mixed methods rationale is a justification researchers use to substantiate their application of mixed methods research. Identifying a clear mixed methods rationale enhances the credibility and rigor of a mixed methods study as well as advocate for and explain this methodology to readers. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance on how to effectively communicate and apply a mixed methods rationale. First, I describe how mixed methods researchers subtly and explicitly refer to their rationales and where they do this in their writing. Second, I detail how researchers demonstrate their rationale in several features of mixed methods research: the mixed methods design, integration, presentation of findings, and comparing the study to other published literature. I draw from literature in the field of mixed methods as well as example published studies the demonstrate a wide range of mixed methods rationales. I conclude with several recommendations and areas of further exploration in the use of mixed methods rationales. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Health interventions for self-management: the role of qualitative approaches in mixed methods research

The long-term success of health intervention programs for self-management is often compromised by the difficulties felt by participants to maintain adherence to prescribed behavioral changes. Mixed methods research can expand understanding and the insights of complex health research problems such as self-management in chronic conditions. The purpose of this paper is to share key contents of a symposium focusing on the application of mixed methods research in the context of person-centered education, held during the 6th World Conference on Qualitative Research. More specifically, it aims at: 1) exploring examples of implementing mixed methods research in health interventions for self-management of chronic conditions and other health risks; 2) promoting insights and knowledge on the ‘why and how of combinations’ in mixed methods studies; and 3) exploring the valuable role of qualitative strands in mixed methods in the wider context of health research. Three studies are explored as examples of application of mixed methods in self-management programs, considering the experiences of participants for changing self-care behaviors and challenges faced for maintaining such changes. Convergent and explanatory sequential designs have been used, combining questionnaires and semi-structured interviews for data collection. Data analysis included procedures such as thematic analysis and descriptive statistics (examples 1 and 3), and thematic analysis and descriptive/inferential statistics (example 2). Results show how mixed methods designs can contribute to develop self-management strategies, to be considered in planning future interventions, and to expand understanding about their impact as well. Likewise, these examples emphasize why mixed methods can bring added value both to process and results of health research. Thus, exploring the application of mixed methods into a wider context is of utmost importance since the complexity of health phenomena is growing and requires equally complex research designs to capture them.

APPLICATION OF MIXED-METHODS RESEARCH IN PAKISTAN: EMERGING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

Mixed-methods research (MMR) is considered as most influential research since the 1990s. In recent years (2010 and onwards), there has been a growing tendency to conduct educational research using Mixed-Methods Research (MMR) worldwide. This study was designed to investigate the issues and challenges associated with the application of mixed-method research in higher education institutes. The objectives of the study were i)to find out the perceptions of faculty members regarding the application of mixed-method, ii) to find out the issues faced by faculty members in the application of Mixed-Methods research, and iii) to find out the challenges faced by faculty members regarding the application of Mxed-Methods Research. Concurrent triangulation design of mixed method was used as the design of the study. The population of the study comprises all faculty members and research students of five public sector universities. Using purposive sampling, 62 faculty members from departments of education of five public sector universities using mixed-method research were selected as samples. A tailor-made questionnaire and an interview were used as data collection tools. The percentage was used to analyze the quantitatce data, while thematic analysis was done for analysis of interview data. The study's findings revealed that faculty members have serious issues about the understanding of mixed-methods research like not being aware of the concerns related to internal and external validity, and limited expertise in data mixing and interpretation of mixed data. It was also found that faculty members faced many challenges, including an understanding of the term Mixed-Methods and triangulation, improper training, and less academic and professional support provided to faculty members. Besides, the most crucial challenge was the unavailability of previous research on this pattern to use as a model. Based on these findings, it is recommended that appropriate training might be provided to faculty members, and mixed-method research courses should be included in teachers’ training programs.

"When Anything Can Happen”: Anticipated Adversity and Postsecondary Decision-Making

We examine how disadvantaged students make postsecondary education decisions, focusing on why they often opt for short, flexible programs that tend to have low returns in the labor market. Prior literature emphasizes information deficits and financial constraints. We draw upon qualitative data collected via open-ended interviews conducted with a sample of economically disadvantaged Black youth in Baltimore. We use these data to develop and explore a complementary narrative: students who have faced instability or hardship in the form of disruptive events, or “adverse shocks” (e.g., violence, eviction or incarceration of a family member), anticipate future shocks that could derail their educational plans. In response, they opt for shorter, more flexible educational programs that they expect they can complete despite anticipated shocks. When possible, we corroborate this narrative using publicly available, large-N data sets such as the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Finally, we formalize this narrative as a simple dynamic structural model calibrated using data on education choices and returns. The model clarifies that it is impossible to identify costs of schooling without data on beliefs about the probability of non-completion, thus providing guidance on future data collection priorities. More broadly, our approach demonstrates a novel application of mixed methods research: using qualitative data to aid in the specification of a structural model. This approach could be applied in other contexts where behavior is poorly understood and extant data do not contain all of the information needed to generate and test plausible hypotheses.

Mixed Methods Utilisation in Innovation Management Research: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Summary

The main purpose of this article is to explore the application of mixed methods research in the innovation management sub-discipline utilizing a systematic literature review and meta-summary analysis. Regardless of the growing number of studies in innovation management there is still a lack of research that integrates and synthesizes this body of knowledge. Our review of 93 articles from Web of Science and Scopus databases, including content analysis, presents trends and research background in innovation management that use the mixed methods approach. This study addresses the inconsistencies in the literature and presents a holistic picture of what existing empirical studies have found to date. In addition, we have developed an innovation management model based on selected theoretical lenses to enable future researchers in a given area to choose the appropriate method. The results of the meta-summary show that 50.54% articles from our dataset are related to partially mixed dominant sequential methods, 12.90% fully mixed dominant sequential methods and 11.83% fully mixed dominant concurrent methods. We identified several research gaps and provided a future research avenue in the context of innovation management. The article analyzes empirical papers, enables identification of problems in the current research and identifies trends in the area of the studied phenomenon. The results on the topic of mixed methods in innovation management and used tools have indicated that this issue is still in a premature phase but with an upward trend of research development.

Application of mixed methods research in nursing research—taking explanatory sequential design for example

The mixed methods research is the third research method following quantitative study and qualitative study which plays an unique role in nursing research. This paper reviewed the application of mixed methods research in nursing research and expounded the design flow of the mixed methods research based on explanatory sequential design as well as the key questions during combining quantitative study with qualitative study. Key words: Review; Mixed methods research; Nursing; Explanatory sequential design; Combination of quality and quantity

How to address the challenges of evaluating treatment benefits-risks in rare diseases? A convergent mixed methods approach applied within a Merkel cell carcinoma phase 2 clinical trial

BackgroundDemonstrating treatment benefits within clinical trials in the context of rare diseases is often methodologically and practically challenging. Mixed methods research offers an approach to overcome these challenges by combining quantitative and qualitative data, thus providing a better understanding of the research question. A convergent mixed methods design in the context of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare skin cancer, was used during the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial (NCT02155647).MethodsNine patients receiving avelumab in the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial were interviewed at baseline prior to receiving study treatment, and at 13 weeks and 25 weeks after first avelumab administration. Key concepts of interest identified from the baseline interviews were physical functioning, fatigue/energy, and pain. Patient perceptions of the overall change in their cancer-related health status since starting study treatment were also recorded. During qualitative analysis, at each time-point, each concept of interest was assigned a category describing the trend in change (e.g. newly emerged, no change/stable, improved, worsened, ceased/disappeared). In parallel, patients’ tumour status was determined by the clinical overall response status as per the clinical trial protocol.ResultsA high concordance between patient-reported qualitative data and assessed tumour response was observed. All eight patients who clinically improved had perceived a subjective improvement in their disease since the beginning of the study; the single patient whose disease worsened had a perceived deterioration. Patient perceived benefit in physical functioning, fatigue/energy and pain was subsequent to the measured change in clinical status as assessed by tumour response. This suggests that patient-reported assessment should be examined over the long term in order to optimally capture meaningful treatment effect.ConclusionEmbedding qualitative research in clinical trials to complement the quantitative data is an innovative approach to characterise meaningful treatment effect. This application of mixed methods research has the potential to overcome the hurdles associated with clinical outcomes assessment in rare diseases.

How far is mixed methods research in the field of health policy and systems in Africa? A scoping review.

Both the academic and the policy community are calling for wider application of mixed methods research, suggesting that combined use of quantitative and qualitative methods is most suitable to assess and understand the complexities of health interventions. In spite of recent growth in mixed methods studies, limited efforts have been directed towards appraising and synthetizing to what extent and how mixed methods have been applied specifically to Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed at filling this gap in knowledge, by exploring the scope and quality of mixed methods research in the African context. We conducted a scoping review applying the framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley and modified by Levac et al. to identify and extract data from relevant studies published between 1950 and 2013. We limited our search to peer-reviewed HPSR publications in English, which combined at least one qualitative and one quantitative method and focused on Africa. Among the 105 studies that were retained for data extraction, over 60% were published after 2010. Nearly 50% of all studies addressed topics relevant to Health Systems, while Health Policy and Health Outcomes studies accounted respectively for 40% and 10% of all publications. The quality of the application of mixed methods varied greatly across studies, with a relatively small proportion of studies stating clearly defined research questions and differentiating quantitative and qualitative elements, including sample sizes and analytical approaches. The methodological weaknesses observed could be linked to the paucity of specific training opportunities available to people interested in applying mixed methods to HPSR in LMICs as well as to the limitations on word limit, scope and peer-review processes at the journals levels. Increasing training opportunities and enhancing journal flexibility may result in more and better quality mixed methods publications.

Application of Mixed-methods Research in Clinical Practice

Application of Mixed-methods Research in Clinical Practice

Mixed Methodology in Group Research: Lessons Learned

Mixed methods research (MMR) is a useful paradigm for group work as it allows exploration of both participant outcomes and “how” or “why” such changes occur. Unfortunately, the group counseling literature is not replete with MMR studies. This article reviews the application of MMR to group contexts and summarizes the corpus of MMR on groups. Then, we synthesize lessons learned from planning, conducting, and analyzing 3 of our own mixed methods group studies that utilize consensual qualitative research. Practical guidance is presented as insights researchers may consider when they attempt to conduct meaningful and feasible MMR in a group setting.

The role of a pragmatist paradigm when adopting mixed methods in behavioural accounting research

This paper argues that a flexible approach should be adopted in the application of mixed methods research in behavioural accounting research by conducting it within the pragmatic paradigm, especially when a paradigm is defined as shared beliefs among members of a speciality area. By doing this, behavioural accounting researchers are not restricted by ontological and epistemological issues when deciding on how to address a variety of different research questions.

Mixed Methods Research for Health Policy Development in Africa: The Case of Identifying Very Poor Households for Health Insurance Premium Exemptions in Ghana

Despite the utility of applying mixed methods research to understand complex phenomenon, few studies have applied this approach to health policy and in Africa. This article illustrates the application of mixed methods research to inform health policy in Ghana with the intent of complementarity. Through an exploratory sequential mixed methods research design involving 24 focus group interviews and 417 household surveys, we developed criteria for identifying very poor households for health insurance premium exemptions in Ghana. The qualitative procedures identified communities’ concerns regarding being very poor: food insecurity, lack of seeds to sow, compromised access to education, financial insecurity, and status as unemployed widows with children. The survey findings illustrated the distribution and predictors of poverty in the Kassena-Nankana District. Based on these findings, the authors proposed a four-question survey for the Kassena-Nankana District Health Insurance Scheme to administer to determine extreme poverty. Based on these recommendations, the local government has a unique opportunity to increase the very poor’s access to and utilization of health care services.

Constructing a Mixed Methods Research Design: Exploration of an Architectural Intervention

The aim of this methodological description is to illustrate the application of mixed methods research in architectural design using a hybrid model consisting of a taxonomy development model and an embedded quasi-experimental model. The research employed qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the design of an architectural intervention and determine its effectiveness in improving environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior among primary school students. It also outlined strategies adopted to overcome the challenges related to the use of a hybrid design. Combining sequential and embedded mixed methods designs is a relatively new approach in architectural research, providing new insights that contribute to future mixed methods exploration in the field of design and planning.

Entrepreneurship education and job creation for tourism graduates in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a report on a tracer study conducted to find out the extent to which entrepreneurship education received by tertiary tourism graduates had been beneficial to them. Design/methodology/approach – Application of mixed methods research to collect data from 205 tertiary education graduates by the use of snowball sampling techniques and two entrepreneurship teachers selected purposively. Findings – The study revealed that <3 per cent of the graduates were operating their own businesses. Among the reasons given for the low level of entrepreneurship practice among the graduates included their inability to access initial capital, absence of entrepreneurship spirit in the graduates and the unrelated nature of entrepreneurship education studied at the polytechnic to the tourism and hospitality industry. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation with this study was sampling bias associated with the snowball sampling technique. This was, however reduced by initially selecting respondents to represent the various year groups of the alumni. In addition, it would have been more appropriate to have included present students in the study to find out their perception of the entrepreneurship education that they are receiving. Practical implications – The practical implication of this tracer study is the need for educators to evaluate the entrepreneurship programme to make it subject specific. The work will therefore help tourism educators to prepare syllabi and teach entrepreneurship education that will be relevant and beneficial to tourism and hospitality graduates. Another implication is the need to start teaching entrepreneurship as a course at the basic school level. Social implications – The social implications of this study is that it would enable managers of tertiary education institutions to find appropriate means to increase the number of its graduates who will be able to create their own jobs. These entrepreneurs will be able to create more employment avenues. Originality/value – The novelty of the work is in the use of a tracer study to obtain occupational distribution of graduates of a tertiary programme that enabled the author to ascertain the percentage of graduates who have started and are managing their own businesses.

Mixed Methods Studies in Environmental Management Research: Prevalence, Purposes and Designs

AbstractMixed methods research, that is, the combined use of quantitative and qualitative methods in the same study, is a popular approach in several fields. However, its use in the field of environmental management and sustainable development has not been examined. The authors review the application of mixed methods research in the journal Business Strategy and the Environment in the last ten years. A total of 340 articles have been read and reviewed, and 26 mixed methods studies have been identified. The main purposes and mixed methods designs are examined. Suggestions on why and how to use mixed methods research are offered, and recommendations are provided to guide future mixed methods studies to advance our understanding of environmental management topics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Implementing mixed methods research in supply chain management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe how to implement mixed methods research in supply chain management.Design/methodology/approachA review of past journal analyses on research methods used in supply chain management‐related disciplines is conducted to demonstrate the low incidence of mixed methods research in supply chain management. Drawing from literature on multiple and mixed methods research, the paper provides guidelines for designing and reporting such studies.FindingsKnowledge development in logistics and supply chain management relies primarily on single‐method quantitative research designs, while mixed methods approaches are rarely used. Thus, there is a significant opportunity to advance the discipline through the rigorous application of mixed methods research.Research limitations/implicationsSupply chain management phenomena are complex and dynamic. Thus, the application of mixed methods research would serve the advancement of the discipline as these approaches provide richer understanding and more robust explanations of such phenomena.Practical implicationsIf supply chain research is to keep up with the dynamic business environment, research methods must be applied with the capability to fully explain supply chain phenomena. The application of a single‐method research approach is not always adequate for this task.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to draw on research from various disciplines to investigate the use of mixed methods in logistics and supply chain management research. It examines its prevalence in the discipline, provides examples of its application from the supply chain management literature, prescribes how to implement mixed methods research, and describes the benefits and limitations of such designs.

Understanding how mixed methods research is undertaken within a specific research community: The case of business studies

Mixed methods research is becoming an increasingly popular approach in several fields. However, its application in business management has not been studied. The author reviews the application of mixed methods research in this field, showing the main purposes and designs used. An analysis of 99 mixed methods studies reveals opportunities associated with the application of this approach for the novice researcher. Several exemplary studies are described and recommendations are offered about how to use mixed methods research.