Mixed-methods Framework Research Articles

A framework for the study of householders’ engagement with low-carbon energy demand practices in dwellings with grid-connected photovoltaic energy systems

Introduction: This paper introduces a framework to assess householders’ interaction with grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems in domestic buildings, in an attempt to research the question To what extent the engagement of occupants in energy demand management practices is relevant for the operational CO 2 emissions reductions in dwellings with on-grid PV systems? The focus is placed on identifying the engagement with low-carbon operation practices and its relevance for final CO2 emissions from electricity consumption. Specifically, PV electricity Self-consumption and energy conservation practices are studied. To this extent, the research builds on i) the energy services approach and ii) the social practices approach to domestic energy demand. The context of owner-occupied houses which have been retrofitted with PV installations in South Wales, UK is taken as an example. Methods: After a brief conceptual review on domestic energy demand, a mixed-methods framework for the study of householders’ engagement with low-carbon energy demand practices is presented, comprising three key aspects: a) the conditions for the practices to occur, b) frequency with which householders enact the practices, and c) the estimation of final operational CO2 emissions performance. Results: As part of ongoing research work, a framework to study households’ engagement with low-carbon energy demand practices in buildings with grid-connected PV technology is proposed; focusing on the obtention of a socio-technical lecture to complement other sources of in-use assessment data. Conclusions: Besides single case-studies, the framework has potential applications in recognising and grouping households’ engagement profiles. In this way, it is suggested that the framework might facilitate the analysis when extensive assessments are needed; such as in public policy evaluation or demand response studies. Grant Support: This work is funded by CONICYT PFCHA/DOCTORADO BECAS CHILE/2018 - 72180375.

Understanding multifactorial drivers of child stunting reduction in Exemplar countries: a mixed-methods approach

ABSTRACTBackgroundSeveral countries have notably reduced childhood stunting relative to economic growth over the past 15–20 y. The Exemplars in Stunting Reduction project, or “Exemplars,” studies success factors among these countries with a lens toward replicability.ObjectivesThis paper details the standardized mixed-methods framework for studying determinants of childhood stunting reduction applied in Exemplars studies.MethodsAn expert technical advisory group (TAG), criteria for identifying Exemplar countries, evidence-based frameworks, mixed methodologies (quantitative, qualitative, policy, literature review), effective research partnerships, case study process and timeline, and data triangulation and corroboration are presented.ResultsExperts in health, nutrition, and evaluation methods were selected at the study outset to provide technical support to all phases of research (TAG). Exemplar countries were selected by the TAG, who considered quantitative data (e.g., annual rates of stunting change compared with economic growth, country population size) and qualitative insights (e.g., logistics of country work, political stability). Experienced country research partners were selected and an inception meeting with stakeholder consultations was held to launch research and garner support. Evidence-based conceptual frameworks underpinned all Exemplars research activities. A systematic review of published peer-reviewed and grey literature was undertaken, along with in-depth policy and program analysis of nutrition-specific and -sensitive investments. Both descriptive and advanced quantitative analysis was undertaken (e.g., equity analyses, difference-in-difference regression, Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition). Qualitative data collection using in-depth interviews and focus groups was conducted with national and community stakeholders (i.e., child care workers and mothers) to understand country experiences. The case study process was iterative, and all research outputs were triangulated to develop the stunting reduction narrative for each country. Findings were shared with country experts for weigh-in and corroboration through dissemination events.Conclusions Exemplars research uses a mixed-methods framework for studying positive outliers that can be applied across diverse health and development outcomes.

A Mixed Methods Framework for Psychoanalytic Group Therapy: From Qualitative Records to a Quantitative Approach Using T-Pattern, Lag Sequential, and Polar Coordinate Analyses.

Conducted within a mixed methods framework, this study focuses on the conversation-facilitation role of a lead therapist during group psychotherapy with adolescents. Conversation is an essential component of psychoanalytic psychotherapies and there is growing interest in describing and studying the impact of conversational techniques. One way to do this is to report on specific approaches, such as questioning, paraphrasing, and mentalization in intervention turns and to analyze their impact on the therapist-patient relationship. The main aim of this study was to investigate differences in communication strategies used by a lead therapist in the early and late stages of therapy with six adolescents aged 13–15 years. We employed a mixed methods design based on systematic direct observation supplemented by indirect observation. The observational methodology design was nomothetic, follow-up, and multidimensional. The choice of methodology is justified by our use of an ad hoc observation instrument for communication strategies combining a field format and a category system. We analyzed interobserver agreement quantitatively by Cohen’s kappa using GSEQ5 software. Following confirmation of the reliability of the data, we analyzed the lead therapist’s conversation-facilitation techniques in sessions 5 and 29 of a 30-session program by quantitatively analyzing what were initially qualitative data using T-pattern detection (THEME v.6 Edu software), lag sequential analysis (GSEQ5 software), and polar coordinate analysis (HOISAN v. 1.6.3.3.6. software and R software). The results show changes in the techniques used from the start to the end of therapy. Of the 28 communication strategies analyzed, three were particularly common: questioning and paraphrasing in session 5 and questioning and mentalization in session 29. This mixed methods study shows that combined use of T-pattern detection, lag sequential analysis, and polar coordinate analysis can offer meaningful and objective insights into group psychotherapy through the lens of the therapist.

Relevance and challenges of wine tourism in Germany: a winery operators’ perspective

PurposeThis paper aims to put Germany on par with other countries in terms of academic research on the topic of wine tourism from a producers’ perspective.Design/methodology/approachFor this study, 199 in-depth interviews and 703 online questionnaires with winery operators in Germany were collected and analyzed according to a mixed-methods framework.FindingsThe results indicate that wine tourism is highly relevant not only for wineries but also for the families behind the predominantly small companies. The respondents reported increased demand for wine tourism activities, particularly those that are close to large cities. The findings show that the main challenges in the German wine tourism sector are to achieve a coordinated collaboration among stakeholders and to stop the ongoing concentration process in the restaurant industry.Social implicationsAppropriate strategic decisions backed by governmental support may help to enhance Germany’s developing wine tourism industry, thereby preserving cultural heritage and strengthening some of the country’s structurally disadvantaged rural areas.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is the first mixed-methods framework study in the research field of wine tourism that includes producers from all wine regions in one country.

Technological change and sociocultural models in China: A case study of train commuters in Beijing

ABSTRACT China’s mobility turn has created the world’s largest public rail system, contributing extensively to citizens’ economic, social, and spatial mobility. Concurrently, this technological transformation has introduced many opportunities for individuation, which could potentially challenge the social, collectivistic, and Confucian foundations of China’s sociocultural and political ideology. While the notion that ‘mobility produces culture’ is readily accepted, research on train mobility in China is rare. In this study, we use Albert Bandura’s Model of Triadic Reciprocal Causation to conceptualize mobility as agency. We employ Hermeneutic Content Analysis, a mixed methods framework, to study how this rapidly evolving mobility environment connects to the lives of 31 regular train users living in Beijing. Studying agency in China enables us to systematize the sociocultural models within which mobility practices are embedded and how they manifest. We find that our interviewees embed agentive practices in a cultural model that is intertwined with collectivistic aspirations of the country. Technological developments are thus integrated into existing sociocultural models and political expectations, contradicting existing debates on the fracturing impact of disruptive technologies.

Methodological Rigor in Mixed Methods: An Application in Management Studies

As mixed methods continues to grow as a discipline, work to define what constitutes quality mixed methods research has become an emergent conversation. While progress has been made in this area, there has been some debate as to what quality entails and how to achieve it. This article contributes to mixed methods by highlighting the importance of rigor as an interdisciplinary baseline for quality evaluation and proposes a rigorous mixed methods framework. This framework is then applied to the management studies literature to give insight into a literature base where mixed methods research is still relatively nascent. Findings give examples of current practices in management studies as well as an example of how the rigorous mixed methods framework can be operationalized.

Assessing the downstream socioeconomic impacts of agroforestry in Kenya

Abstract Agroforestry is widely purported to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, rehabilitate degraded landscapes, and enhance the provisioning of ecosystem services. Yet, evidence supporting these longer-term impacts is limited. Using a quasi-experimental impact evaluation design informed by a theory-based and mixed methods framework, we investigated selected intermediate and final outcomes of a nine-year effort led by Vi Agroforestry, a Swedish non-governmental organization (NGO), to promote agroforestry in large sections of Bungoma and Kakamega counties in western Kenya. We compared households belonging to 432 pre-existing farmer groups operating in 60 program villages and 61 matched comparison villages. To address potential self-selection bias, we used program targeting as an instrument for program participation, combined with the difference-in-differences approach to control for time-invariant differences between our treatment and comparison groups. We complemented the above with semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of 40 purposively selected program participants. Despite evidence of variable program exposure and agroforestry uptake, we found modest, yet statistically significant, effects of Vi Agroforestry’s program on intermediate outcomes, such as agroforestry product income, fuelwood access, and milk yields among dairy farmers. We also found that this program modestly increased asset holdings, particularly among households represented by female program participants.

A Mixed-Methods Framework Using Fragmentation to Establish Sampling Feasibility of Pharmaceuticals

A Mixed-Methods Framework Using Fragmentation to Establish Sampling Feasibility of Pharmaceuticals

Connected by oil: A framework to analyze the connected sustainability histories of the Niger and Rhine Deltas, 1950-2015

This article presents a mixed-methods framework for researching how sustainability gains and costs developed in, and became distributed between, distant regions connected by transcontinental resource infrastructure. We apply this framework to the oil-connected Niger and Rhine deltas from the 1950s to 2015. To study the sustainability histories of these regions in a connected and comparable way, we draw on the sustainability monitoring tool recommended by the Conference of European Statisticians and insights from qualitative secondary literature. Our study reveals: (1) Oil has indeed connected the broader sustainability histories of both regions. Consequently, we have developed a future research agenda to incorporate other oil-connected regions in the analysis. (2) Material well-being (e.g. economic growth), personal indicators (e.g. longevity), and investments in human capital (e.g. schooling) improved significantly in both Nigeria and the Netherlands, unlike environmental sustainability indicators. Notwithstanding vast differences (notably inequalities and conflicts in Nigeria), these similarities indicate that transcontinental sustainability trade-offs were no zero-sum game; these cannot be assumed, and must be examined on a case-by-case basis. (3) The framework helps to bring the sustainability histories of distant connected regions into the conversation, but should critically reflect on potential projections of anachronisms and Euro-centricities in its concept of a novel global sustainability history.

Níveis de racionalidade científica compartilhados por futuros professores de física no contexto de uma disciplina sobre o movimento CTS

Este trabalho tem por objetivo estudar o processo de construção de compreensões sobre ciência, no âmbito de discussões sobre a perspectiva CTS, de estudantes de um curso de Licenciatura em Física. Parte-se do conceito de racionalidade científica, que representa uma dimensão da natureza da ciência e permite vinculá-la ao contexto das relações CTS, e assume-se como referencial teórico-metodológico as ideias do pensamento bakhtiniano, uma vez que o discurso instaurado entre os estudantes ao longo de uma disciplina que serviu de contexto de investigação será o foco da análise. A análise bakhtiniana foi articulada com uma Análise de Correspondência Simples, em uma perspectiva de método misto. Pela análise desenvolvida foi possível identificar avanços na compreensão sobre ciência dos estudantes com relação ao início da disciplina e, principalmente, compreender aspectos que moldam as concepções destes estudantes, como a influência dos professores formadores e do manual didático.

Social interactivity as driver and digital technology as vehicle

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of the integration of digital technology into a Pre-Registration Nursing degree programme. This process illuminated student perceptions of the impact of the digital technology platform on the context of work-based learning and also potential employability in the future.Design/methodology/approachAdopting design research as an overarching methodological approach for this study enabled application of the phenomena of complex curriculum justification, design and development to an observable context. In its rawest form, this was a pragmatic and relatively a theoretical approach, nevertheless underpinned by robust mixed-methods framework, incorporating anecdote circles. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase approach to thematic analysis was adopted as a systematic, yet recursive, approach to inductive qualitative analysis.FindingsResults of this pedagogical study were consistent with the stance that technology enhanced learning has a tangible impact on the socio-cognitive learning of students by providing a mechanism for engaging with decision making, problem solving and reflexive praxis. In particular, the Nurse Navigator System was perceived as a mechanism of enhancing the potential for the establishment of communities of practice in which the co-construction of meaningful knowledge about patient care could be established.Research limitations/implicationsThis pedagogical study was context specific to the curriculum model operationalised at the University of Sunderland and as such the perceptions captured are not generalizable but rather provide an insight into student perceptions of the implementation of the digital technology in the context of work-based learning and also the perceived impact on employability that this might have in the future.Practical implicationsPivotal to the success of this, though, is the capacity of clinical and academic staff who can facilitate this sufficiently well in practice and a period of preparation for students so that they can understand the distinction between cognitive, psychomotor and affective domain learning and the places and integration of each across an academic curriculum.Social implicationsThe study revealed the concept of social interactivity for affective domain learning was impacted positively upon by the integration of technology enhanced learning (i.e. the Nurse Navigator System).Originality/valueThis pedagogical research provides a fundamentally unique consideration of the perceived potential impact of a digital technology platform to affective domain learning. Since this is imperative to the tacit knowledge nursing students gain during their education and training for this specific vocational and academic field this is of great value to educationalists in the nursing and allied health fields. The methodological approach adopted also has capacity for transferability to these professions.

Trains in the Land of the Car: A Case Study of Mobility as Agency in the United States

Recent studies have shown that self-efficacy—the belief that individuals are able to execute behaviors that lead to desired outcomes—is a key factor for adopting more sustainable travel modes and practices. Also crucial are societal values and policies associated with sustainability, which guide individual mobility behaviors. Thus, sustainable travel research and policies are divided into hard and soft approaches. This study applies Albert Bandura’s concept of personal agency and his model of triadic reciprocal causation (TRC) to explore mobility as agency from the perspective of 32 car users from regions, which no longer have an adequate passenger rail infrastructure. The aim is to investigate the applicability of TRC theory in a US context, as well as a substantive study of how car users make sense of their mobility practices in relation to trains. Based on hermeneutic content analysis, a mixed-method analytic framework, findings reveal that Bandura’s agentive pathways associated with individual and proxy agency define the mobility practices of interviewees. By exploring the underlying structures of salient agentive pathways, this study traces the links between agency and (un)sustainable travel within a US American mobility culture.

Carer-employees’ travel behaviour: Assisted-transport in time and space

Assisted-transport demand is a daily caregiving task that affects carer-employee’s activity-travel behaviour; however, little is known about such behaviour and the types of constraints that impact carer-employee health. Combining the principles of Hägerstrand’s time geography and Mckie et al.’s caringscape terrain, this research develops a mixed-methods framework to classify the travel behaviour of carer-employees based on their travel experience and the space-time fixity of their weekly schedules. The mixed-methods framework consists of sentiment analysis and k-means clustering, both which are used to analyze 25 randomly selected participants within the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area (GTAH). Participants were asked to reflect on their recorded one-week trips in a trip summary questionnaire. Sentiment analysis was used to thematically describe carer-employees’ travel behavior, whereas, k-means clustering generated travel behaviour profiles. “Time”, “pressure”, “parents”, “run”, and “long” were several thematic keywords describing the carer-employees’ travel behaviour. K-means clustering identified three relative types of carer-employees’ travel behaviours: 1) flexible, 2) between flexible and fixed, and; 3) fixed. These results provide critical information for the establishment of custom transport programs, such as maximum monthly telecommuting allotment; such programs are useful for employers to use in order to alleviate assisted-transport demand on their employees.

Using live disaster exercises to study large multiteam systems in extreme environments: Methodological and measurement fit

Multiteam systems (MTSs) are comprised of two or more teams working toward shared superordinate goals but with unique subgoals. In large MTSs operating in extreme environments, coordination difficulties have repeatedly been found, which compromise response effectiveness. Research is needed that examines MTSs in situ within extreme environments to develop temporal theories of inter-team processes and understanding of how coordination may be improved within these challenging contexts. Live disaster exercises replicate the complexities of extreme environments, providing a valuable avenue for observing inter-team processes in situ. This article seeks to contribute to MTS research by highlighting (i) a mixed-method framework for collecting data during live disaster exercises that uses both inductive and deductive approaches to promote methodological and measurement fit; (ii) ways in which data can be collected and combined to meet the appropriate standards of their methodological class; and (iii) a case example of a National exercise.

Analysing the Engagement and Attitude of Elderly Towards Digital Platforms in India

In present-day technology is governing the way we live and lead our life. It primarily governs our day-to-day work, quality of life, health, environment and surroundings. The use of technology has made our lives easier as almost everything around us is accessible with the use of some innovative technologies. But at the same point in time, it has made the experience little complex for the older people living in our society. As per the Ministry of Statistics, Government of India 2017, the numbers of Indians over the age of 60 years constitute almost 36 per cent of the country’s population. Considering this fact, it is imperative to be acquainted with the full picture of digital involvement of older people in the country. The research is focussed primarily on the people aged between 58 and 70 years residing in the urban locality of India. The study will use a mixed-method framework to conclude its findings. Data are collected first through a survey of 388 respondents and then interviewing some of the participants (20 participants who were also part of the survey) from different states of India. Sequential explanatory research design is used to conduct the study. Phase one is a quantitative analysis where statistical tools like Cronbach’s alpha, factor analysis and regression is used to validate the proposed model. In phase two, the validated constructs of the proposed model are used to frame the discussion guide and in-depth interviews were conducted. The depth interviews further clarified and explained in more details the results derived from the quantitative study in the first stage. The purpose of this research is to identify the level of digital exclusion and also to ascertain the reasons behind the marginalization. Further, the research is also focussing on understanding the noteworthy perceptions that will be effective in creating and implementing strategies for digital inclusion and engagement of the elderly in India. The results (both quantitative and qualitative study) established the influence of perceived usefulness, ease of use, risk and anxiety on the engagement and hence generating an attitude towards adoption.

Linguistic stance: An integrative paradigm for mixed methods social science

ABSTRACTThis article develops an integrative mixed methods framework grounded in stancetaking as the originary act through which qualitative interview and quantitative survey data are generated. The article examines how the basics of ‘everyday’ social stance—evaluation, positioning, and alignment within a sociocultural field—are strategically manipulated by social scientists in the twinned conditions of the interview and the survey. Relative to interview data, we demonstrate how participants link their stancetaking to wider sociocultural frames via the discursive devices of indexicality, accounting practices, and appeal to norms. Relative to survey data, we show how participants construct a ‘public’ via their engagement in the survey task, and how their stancetaking on survey items is virtually equivalent to ‘votes’ that are later aggregated to create second-order group-level stances. Mixed methods researchers then transform both qualitative and quantitative first-order stances into second-order stances that serve to describe and model social life. (Mixed methods, discourse devices, indexicality, normativity, interview, survey)

Observing Participants: Digital Ethnography in Online Dating Environments and the Cultivation of Online Research Identities

This article offers a critical methodological reflection on how we undertook covert digital ethnographic research on Spanish young people and their use of online dating apps with a focus on the potential risk attached to using them. We were interested in showing how we approached the fieldwork, how we developed different research identities and how those identities were able to draw out raw data which reflected the risk attached to the online dating apps. While the project as a whole used a mixed-methods framework which also encompassed open-ended interviews and surveys, we provide a series of critical reflections attuned to digital ethnography. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to show how the methodological techniques cultivated ‘identities’ for our ethnographer that became effective in teasing out attitudes to risk and sexual exploration. We also hope that the paper can facilitate similar studies in the future, thus paving the way for other researchers. For this reason, we highlight the problems we encountered during the fieldwork and discuss the ethical issues related to this specific field.

Farm typology analysis and technology assessment: An application in an arid region of South Asia

The design and diffusion of context-specific technologies is centrally important in the multi-dimensional, complex farming systems in arid and semi-arid regions. This paper uses a mixed-method framework to characterize the complexity and heterogeneity of smallholder farming systems and identifies constraints to and opportunities for sustainable intensification. Specifically, the study: (i) characterized farm household typologies based on the diversity of livelihood assets; (ii) co-designed context- specific interventions through an iterative participatory process; and (iii) ex-ante evaluated such interventions to inform multiple stakeholders. We explored farming system diversity using data from 224 farm households in western Rajasthan, India. Employing multivariate statistical techniques and participatory validation, we identified 7 distinct farm household types. Participatory appraisal with multiple stakeholders revealed heterogeneity across farm household types. For instance, the interest of farmers in integrating perennial fruit trees even among the rainfed farm household types markedly varied: household type 1 preferred the multipurpose forestry tree, khejri which requires low labor inputs; household type 2 preferred market-oriented horticulture production; household type 3 did not opt for perennials but for small ruminants; and household type 4 (dominated by women) opted for small horticulture kitchen gardens. The study demonstrated the utility of a mixed-methods approach that addresses multi-dimensional heterogeneity to generate insights and assist in co-designing locally appropriate technologies across different farm types and agro-ecological regions to achieve sustainable intensification.

Efl undergraduate students’ self-regulation in thesis writing: help-seeking and motivation-regulation

Type Undergraduate thesis writing necessitates EFL students to self-regulate themselves, particularly in overcoming the difficulties they encounter and maintaining their motivation. To date, there has been little research on EFL undergraduate students’ self-regulation, help-seeking, and motivation-regulation in thesis writing, especially in Asian context. Under explanatory mixed-method framework, this research aimed to investigate how Indonesian EFL undergraduate students self-regulated their thesis writing process and to what extent their self-regulation assisted them to seek help and regulate their motivation. The results showed that the students generally demonstrated a high level of self-regulation, help-seeking, and motivation-regulation. Furthermore, it was revealed that self-regulation had a positive, significant, and moderate correlation with help-seeking (r=.461), and a positive, significant, and high correlation with motivation-regulation (r=.648). The findings suggested that self-regulation, help-seeking, and motivation-regulation were important for students to finish their challenging undergraduate thesis. However, even when the overall measured results were good, the support from other people including from the university staff were needed, especially in cultivating students’ self-regulatory mechanism. This research offers implications for the university and thesis advisors.

The evaluation of nurse navigators in chronic and complex care.

With increasing age and chronicity in populations, the need to reduce the costs of care while enhancing quality and hospital avoidance, is important. Nurse-led co-ordination is one such model of care that supports this approach. The aim of this research was to assess the impact that newly appointed Navigators have on service provision; social and economic impact; nurses' professional quality of life and compassion fatigue; and analysis of the change that has occurred to models of care and service delivery. A concurrent mixed-method approach was selected to address the research aims. The research project was funded in July 2018 and will conclude in December 2020. Several cohorts will be studied including; patients assigned to a navigator, patients not assigned to a navigator, family members of patients assigned a navigator; and a sample sized estimated at 140 navigators. This study provides a comprehensive international longitudinal and mixed method framework for evaluating the impact of nurse navigators on quality of care outcomes for patients with chronic conditions. IMPACT-WHAT PROBLEM WILL THE STUDY ADDRESS?: Even with specialty focused co-ordinated care, patients get lost in the system, increasing the incidence of non-compliance and exacerbation of condition. Navigators work with patients across service boundaries allowing for care that is patient responsive, and permitting variables in clinical, social and practical elements of care to be addressed in a timely manner. This novel nurse-led approach, supports hospital avoidance and patient self-management, while encouraging expansion and opportunity for the nursing and midwifery workforce.