Mixed Method Research Paradigm Research Articles

The impact of an outdoor education project on middle school students’ perceptions and awareness of the renewable energy

This study investigated the effects of a nature education project on middle school students’ perceptions on renewable energy by using a mixed method research design. The data was collected from 60 middle school students, who participated in a nature education project in 2017 and 2018. Using a mixed method research paradigm, the views of the participants on renewable energy were explored by collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data was collected from pre and post interviews, whereas the quantitative data was collected from the pretest and posttest applications of the Renewable Energy Perceptions (REP) scale, which was originally developed for university students and adapted to middle school students population in the first stage of this study. The findings from both qualitative and quantitative data agreed on that while the participants had already positive perceptions toward the renewable energy before the study, significant contributions have been made to increase their perceptions and awareness levels about renewable energy during the nature education project.

Exploring the human factor in cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crime victimisation: a lifestyle routine activities approach

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore human factors as the possible facilitator of cyber-dependent (hacking and malware infection) and cyber-enabled (phishing) crimes victimisation and to test the applicability of lifestyle routine activities theory (LRAT) to cybercrime victimisation.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methods research paradigm was applied to address the research questions and aims. The data set of Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) 2014/2015 and 42 semi-structured interviews conducted with victims of cybercrime and non-victim control group participants were analysed via binary logistic regression and content analyses methods.FindingsThis research illustrated that Internet users facilitated their victimisation through their online activities. Additionally, using insecure Internet connections and public access computers emerged as risk factors for both cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crime victimisation. Voluntary and involuntary personal information disclosure through social networking sites and online advertisement websites increased the likelihood of being a target of phishing. Deviant online activities such as free streaming or peer-to-peer sharing emerged to increase the risk of cyber-dependent crime victimisation.Research limitations/implicationsThe binary logistic regression analysis results suggested LRAT as a more suitable theoretical framework for cyber-dependent crime victimisation. Future research may test this result with models including more macro variables.Practical implicationsPolicymakers may consider implementing regulations regarding limiting the type of information required to login to free Wi-Fi connections. Checking trust signs and green padlocks may be effective safeguarding measures to lessen the adverse impacts of impulsive buying.Originality/valueThis study empirically illustrated that, besides individual-level factors, macro-level factors such as electronic devices being utilised to access the Internet and data breaches of large companies also increased the likelihood of becoming the victim of cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crime.

The theory of empowerment: A critical analysis with the theory evaluation scale

ABSTRACT Empowerment has received considerable attention in the past four decades and become a threshold framework in the field of social work. Using the Theory Evaluation Scale (TES), this paper critically analyzed the empowerment theory with regard to coherence, conceptual clarity, philosophical assumptions, historical roots, testability, empiricism, boundaries, client context, and human agency within the environment. Based on a thorough review of the literature, the empowerment theory generated an overall score of 39 on the TES. Contrary to popular criticisms, this score demonstrates the epistemological soundness and overall quality of empowerment as a theoretical model. This paper has implications for theory and research by showing that empowerment is an ideal framework for the mixed-methods research paradigm. This paper also has implications for social work practice where empowerment is seen as a countermeasure to traditional practice models which promoted therapists as experts. That is, the findings suggest that social workers at all levels of intervention – micro, mezzo, and macro – can continue to embrace empowerment as the model to help clients influence their own lives. Finally, the findings have relevance for social work pedagogy by justifying the choice of empowerment as a threshold concept in the social work curriculum.

Effect of Dynamic Geometry Software on 3-Dimensional Geometric Shape Drawing Skills

In order to be able to draw accurately and to interpret the drawings properly, the skills of the students' drawing skills and therefore spatial visualization and spatial orientation must be developed. The studies in the literature are mostly concerned with examining the spatial skills of students with various models or investigating the effects of different methods and techniques on the spatial skills of students. For this reason, the effect of dynamic geometry software on the three-dimensional shapes of elementary school mathematics teacher candidates has been examined in this study. The mixed method research paradigm is chosen as the methodology of this study. This research involves two parts: the first is, under quantitative paradigm, the true experiment and the second is, under qualitative paradigm, case study. In the true experimental design. 30 pre-service elementary mathematic teachers are divided randomly into two groups as control and experiment group. 15 pre-service teachers in the experiment group participated to the Cabri 3D Plus workshop for 3 weeks. According to the results of the research, it is revealed that the candidates of the Cabri 3D program have an effect on the drawing of three dimensional geometric shapes.

Investigating the Third Space: A New Agenda for Teacher Education Research

The purpose of this article is to advocate for an expansion of third-space ideology to the research conducted in clinical teacher preparation programs including research designs and methods of data collection. Clinical teacher preparation has been advocated since the 1980s and is now being systematically realized in the early 21st century. Thus, it is time to revisit research designs and data collection related to this model. The author illustrates first-, second-, and third-space programs, including an overview of teacher residency programs, before advocating a mixed methods research paradigm that aims to create democratic spaces for teacher education research. Research and practice implications are discussed.

Institutional preparedness to bus tendering in the context of a fragmented liberalized market: Case study of Harare, Zimbabwe

While competitive tendering in urban public transport has been widely applied in the developed world, in many developing countries, particularly Africa, this has not been the case. In Zimbabwe, competitive tendering was identified in 2012 as a tool to address the urban transport challenges emanating from a deregulated urban public transport market. To date, the tendering option has not been implemented. This paper examines the institutional preparedness to bus tendering in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. A mixed-methods research paradigm was used to obtain data and information from three relevant transport stakeholder clusters comprising public, private and academia sectors. The findings of the study have shown that the key stakeholders have a clear understanding of what competitive tendering entails, but implementation is hindered by inter alia lack of infrastructure and support systems, lack of commitment to policy implementation and a reluctance to interfere with the status quo that generates revenue for the economy through both legal and illegal means. The study is of value to other developing countries, particularly Africa, which may draw lessons from the Zimbabwe experiences. The study recommended the need for a detailed diagnostic study to analyse the deep-rooted political and economic factors or pressures that impede a movement from the status quo.

The impact of microfinance on microenterprises

The provision of and access to financial services, particularly credit, can contribute greatly to the development of microenterprises in South Africa. Such provision has been an issue ignored by conventional banks or formal financial institutions. The problem associated with this ignorance includes high transaction and operation costs, lack of collateral, and the inability to obtain information about microenterprises resulting in difficulties to extend such credit. Microfinance therefore becomes an alternative to conventional banking and a mainstream and sustainable development activity for extending credit to microenterprises. However, the benefits of microfinance, which include, among others, the ability to provide the much-needed financial support for microenterprises, have not been fully harnessed in South Africa. The objective of this article is to evaluate the impact of microfinance on microenterprises in a typical South African township and to propose specialized financial mechanisms to support and improve the provision of credit to microenterprises. The article draws on the findings of a study undertaken in the Ga-Rankuwa township located in the Tshwane Metropolitan area in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It further draws on a wide range of extensive review of literature that documents the impact of microfinance on microenterprises. A case study approach is adopted and mixed method research paradigm (qualitative and quantitative) is used to gather information. Structured questionnaires and interviews were used to solicit information from the randomly selected microfinance institutions and microenterprises in the Ga-Rankuwa township.

Removing the Race Section in Official Documents used by Government and Private Sectors as a Gesture for Sustaining National Harmony: A Malaysian’s Perspective

This paper examines the perception of Malaysian on the proposed removal of race section in official documents used by government and private organizations. The paper employed mixed method research paradigm. A total sample of 1513 Malaysian residents in Peninsular Malaysia was randomly selected from the whole population and data was collected using structured set of instruments, focus group interview and document analysis. The data was analysed using IBM SPSS software version 24 for both descriptive and inferential analysis. The findings shows that majority of Peninsular Malaysians did not support the proposal to remove race section in the official government and private documents. However, the findings revealed that Chinese and Indian communities are keen to support the proposal of removing the race section in the official government and private documents compared to the Malays, so also Sabah/Sarawak Bumiputera living here in Peninsular. Moreover, Gen Z also support the proposal, which contradict from the Baby Boomer, Gen X and Gen Y. Based on the findings of this paper, the removal of the race section in the official government and private documents, can spark race sensitivity and polemic among the multiple race of Malaysia. The paper, however recommends allowing the race section in the official government and private documents in Malaysia.

Dialectical Pluralism

There has been much debate about the role of paradigms in mixed methods research. In the face of past calls for each researcher to operate within a single paradigm, it turns out that some researchers/practitioners find many positive features in more than one paradigm. This “multiparadigmatic perspective” used in mixed methods research needs a systematic framework for the practice of engaging in difference. Also, individuals committed to a single paradigm need a philosophical/theoretical framework for working in multiparadigmatic teams. This article provides such a framework. It is a metaparadigm, and it is labeled dialectical pluralism 2.0 or more simply dialectical pluralism. The word “pluralism” refers to the acceptance and expectancy of difference in virtually every realm of inquiry, including reality, and the age-old word “dialectical” refers to the operative process which is both dialectical and dialogical. Dialectical pluralism provides a way for researchers, practitioners, clients, policy makers, and other stakeholders to work together and produce new workable “wholes” while, concurrently, thriving on differences and intellectual tensions.

The Effect of Task Based Language Teaching on Writing Skills of EFL Learners in Malaysia

This quasi experimental study has validated the effectiveness of Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in promoting writing skills of EFL learners enrolled in undergraduate programs at public sector Malaysian universities. TBLT is emerging as an essential part of curricula in language pedagogies in several countries around the globe and advocated by prominent SLA researchers along with ELT practitioners. In current study research participants were divided into an experimental and a control group. The data were collected following a Mixed Method Research paradigm during pretest and posttest. A Paired Samples T-test was used to determine the statistical significance of the learners’ scores in pretest as compared to the posttest. The vast majority of the learners opined in their reflective journal that TBLT was the most interesting and a learner centered approach enabling learners to use their existing linguistic resources. The use of existing linguistic resources is a fundamental principle of TBLT as it leads the EFL learners to be fluent and confident users of English language both inside and outside the classroom in real life situations.

Broadening the application of mixed methods in sales research

Mixed method research designs can be extremely useful in extending knowledge in the sales domain. A bevy of mixed method designs are at the disposal of sales researchers seeking to reap the benefits of this combination of research approaches. However, application of mixed methods in sales research has been rather limited, focusing primarily on exploratory sequential designs. The purpose of this article is to provide an exposition of mixed method research in the sales domain and offer avenues of extension that employ underutilized mixed methodological approaches. Accordingly, a definition of mixed methods along with its benefits and drawbacks is espoused followed by guidance in conducting mixed method research. A review of sales-related mixed method studies is then provided and articles containing both quantitative and qualitative methods are analyzed to glean insight on the state of mixed methods research in sales. Future avenues for mixed method research are then provided focusing on best practices and techniques that have yet to be embraced by sales researchers. This article aims to be a resource for sales scholars in expanding the mixed method research paradigm.

Testing the main determinants of teachers’ professional well-being by using a mixed method

Measuring the perception of professional well-being appears as a problematic issue in past studies. Literature reviews show that previous studies have not yet reached an agreement on measures of teachers’ professional well-being. Furthermore, when we consider the cultural context, a research gap becomes clearer. The aim of this study was to delineate measures of teachers’ perceptions of professional well-being in the framework of positive psychology. The study tested the theoretically suggested measures using quantitative and qualitative data gathered from different sample sizes in line with the mixed-method research paradigm. Data belonging to a large sample size (n = 3637), medium sample size (n = 679) and small sample size (n = 29) were analysed through a mixed method with a multiple phase design. The study concludes that the main determinants of teachers’ professional well-being are self-efficacy, job satisfaction and recognition.

Factors Influencing Trainee Teachers’ Choice of Schools on Deployment after Completion of Training

Teachers have different conceptions on the different conditions that should be found in and around the schools in which they work, hence, preferences and choices made in selecting schools to work in. The study sought to examine factors influencing trainee teachers’ choice of school on deployment after training. A mixed method research paradigm was employed and a case study design was utilised. A convenient sample of sixty-one trainee teachers in one teacher training college in Zimbabwe participated in the study. Data were collected through a semi structured questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed statistically with aid of SPSS version 21 statistical software. Qualitative data were analysed through thematic content analysis. The study found that factors related to basic living conditions and teaching and learning constituted the most important factors influencing respondents’ choice of schools. The study concludes that trainee teachers’ views on factors influencing their choices of schools on deployment had serious implications on teacher deployment policies and practices. Recommendations were made. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n16p346

Skills Lecturers Possess for Quality Delivery of the Clothing and Textiles Curriculum

The delivery of the Clothing and Textiles in Zimbabwean universities has been marred by a lot of challenges and lecturer competency is one of the crippling factors. This study sought to establish how lecturer competency impact on the delivery of the Clothing and Textiles curriculum. The study employed a mixed method research paradigm. The sample comprised 60 respondents (32 lecturers, 2 Heads of Department, 24 students and 2 Operations managers). Questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, observations and document analysis were used as data collection instruments. Qualitative data was analysed through the use of themes and quantitative data was analysed using the SPSS software. Findings revealed that lecturers were finding difficulties in teaching the core courses in Clothing and Textiles due to incompetency. This study concedes that although lecturers have the suitable minimum requirements to teach in universities, that is Masters and PhD academic qualifications; it is the professional aspect on the delivery of Clothing and Textiles which is a source of the concern. The study recommended that in order to accurately inform early recognition, intervention and training programmes for lecturers who are not competent enough to deliver Clothing and Textiles, their areas of weakness should be identified first so as to enable university administrators to plan accordingly. The quality of the existing lecturing force must be improved mainly through extensive staff development training programmes, including those lecturers who trained long back to acquaint them with technical skills that are in line with the new technologies and global trends. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n16p446

‘What Motivated Them to Become Teachers?’ An Examination of Trainee Teachers’ Motives of Training as Teachers

The reasons why people choose different professions are varied, multifaceted and often controversial. The present study sought to establish trainee teachers’ motivating reasons to train as teachers. A mixed method research paradigm was employed and a case study design was utilised. A convenient sample of seventy trainee teachers in one teacher training college in Zimbabwe participated in the study. Data were collected through a semi structured questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed statistically with aid of SPSS version 21 statistical software. Qualitative data were analysed through thematic content analysis. Among the major findings were that trainee teachers chose to train as teachers owing to perceived personal attributes consistent with the teaching job, had influence from some close friends and relatives and also had some anticipated positive results associated with being a qualified teacher. The study concludes that there were multiple and multi-faceted factors that influenced trainee teachers to train as teachers and these are personal and environmental factors. Recommendations were made. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n7p482

Conceptualisation of ambiguous-mixed-methods within building and construction research

Purpose– The use of mixed-methods research (MMR) within building and construction research (BCR) is studied in detail. A new MMR paradigm, defined as ambiguous mixed-methods research (AMMR), is conceptualised within a BCR context. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach– Informal and inductive methodology combines experiential and anecdotal knowledge with synthesis of extant literature, to detail a cogent representation of the BCR research paradigm continuum. From this, the AMMR design is presented and its conceptualisation highlighted by reference to a small sample of published BCR studies.Findings– Paradoxically, the BCR paradigm continuum is dichotomous in its quantitative and qualitative extremes; while between these, coalesced paradigms permeate it. Influenced predominantly by worldview, many BCR researchers select a methodology that aligns with either continuum extreme. But, the authors conceptualise, in practice this often relies on ambiguous AMMR characteristics.Research limitations/implications– AMMR offers BCR research and beyond, a new approach for making, designing and defending methodological decisions.Originality/value– The AMMR paradigm was designed by the authors and is therefore entirely novel.

Paradigms Lost and Paradigms Regained

Almost a year since my inaugaral editorial: Managing Movement, Leading Change (Freshwater, 2012) where I highlighted the importance of challenging philosophical and epistemological stances; we are taking the opportunity to do just that in relation to the elusive concept of ‘‘paradigm’’ through the highly versatile and dialogic form of the editorial. Conceptualizing the concept of paradigms as ‘‘elusive’’ is an important metaphor and one to which we will allude througout this editorial. In our editorial: Why Write (Freshwater & Cahill, 2012), we put into tension some competing definitions of paradigm in order to open up the debate on what constitutes a paradigm and to outline why we felt it is important for this debate to be held in the mixed methods community. Since that editorial, we have had a very interesting response from the coeditor, Donna Mertens: What Comes First? The Paradigm or the Approach? (Mertens, 2012). Mertens argued against the school of thought that paradigms can be methdological in their foundation (Freshwater & Cahill, 2012) and offered the use of ‘‘paradigms as philosophical frameworks that delinieate assumptions about ethics, reality, knowledge, and systematic enquiry’’ as a way of ‘‘[clarifying] the basis of disagreements’’ (Mertens, 2012, p. 256) with regard to the use of paradigms in mixed methods research. At this juncture we would like to take a step back, into the nexus of the disagreements themselves: We believe that ‘‘disagreement’’ offers a more interesting space in which to hold a debate and refine a discourse rather than the seemingly solid ground of a solution. And one that potentially continues to delineate paradigms as philsophical frameworks that lead to choices in methods. We contend that engaging with disagreements and their constructions and deconstructions can underpin some of the most progressive and innovative of debates. Rather like this one, we hope! As an exemplar, we draw on some of the argument presented by Mertens (2012) in the October editorial. Mertens (2012) cites Greene and Hall who caution against using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods as labels for paradigms—arguing that this is to ‘‘reify and essentailize them and thereby disregard their constructed nature . . .’’ (p. 255). The association of a paradigm with a reified and essential entity is interesting in this context. We would argue that understanding the constructed nature of paradigms is key, and in this context we would question the association of paradigms with something that is ‘‘reified’’ or ‘‘essential.’’ As noted in our editorial Why Write (Freshwater & Cahill, 2012), discourse development (including the discourses that underpin paradigms) is inherently relational, iterative, and responsive—and subject to its own deconstruction. That is why it would be misleading to associate paradigms and the paradigmatic structures

What Comes First? The Paradigm or the Approach?

The mixed methods community is awash in discussions about philosophical frameworks or paradigms that provide guidance for mixed methods approaches (B. Johnson & Gray, 2010). Part of the reason for the multiplicity of viewpoints about the role of paradigms in mixed methods research emanates from the different uses of the term paradigm. When Thomas Kuhn (1962) brought this term into the academic community through his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, he gave it a particular meaning that characterized a paradigm as a worldview that embodied the beliefs of scientists. He added that different scientists who held different worldviews would be unable to communicate with each other because of the fundamental differences in their definitions of reality and methodology. He argued that the scientific community experienced paradigm shifts when a phenomenon could no longer be understood using past methods and new methods would emerge. Guba and Lincoln’s (1989, 2005) adaptation of the idea of paradigms to the social sciences retained the idea of paradigms as worldviews that reflect researchers’ assumptions about reality and methodology, and they added two other categories of assumptions that constitute a paradigm: assumptions about ethics and epistemology. However, they rejected the idea that researchers would replace one dominating method from the past with a new approach. Rather, they described paradigms in terms of assumptions related to ethics, reality (ontology), and epistemology that lead to different assumptions about the nature of systematic inquiry (Mertens & Wilson, 2012). Hence, Guba and Lincoln set the stage for recognition of different paradigms that start with different philosophical assumptions and that lead to different methodological assumptions and methods choices. This concept of paradigms contrasts with the idea that there are three paradigms: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods (Biesta, 2010; Freshwater & Cahill, 2012; Greene & Hall, 2010). In this editorial, I argue against the school of thought that paradigms can be methodological in their foundations. I am in agreement with Greene and Hall (2010) who wrote,

Integrating Model-Based Learning and Animations for Enhancing Students’ Understanding of Proteins Structure and Function

This paper describes a study conducted in the context of chemistry education reforms in Israel. The study examined a new biochemistry learning unit that was developed to promote in-depth understanding of 3D structures and functions of proteins and nucleic acids. Our goal was to examine whether, and to what extent teaching and learning via model-based learning and animations of biomolecules affect students’ chemical understanding. Applying the mixed methods research paradigm, pre- and post-questionnaires as well as class-observations were employed in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. The research population included 175 grade twelve students, divided into three research groups: (a) hands-on exploration of animations, (b) teacher’s demonstrations of animations, (c) traditional learning using textbooks. Findings indicated that the integration of model-based learning and 3D animations enhanced students’ understanding of proteins’ structure and function and their ability to transfer across different levels of chemistry understanding. Findings also indicated that teachers’ demonstrations of animations may enhance students’ ‘knowledge’—a low order thinking skill; however, in order to enhance higher levels of thinking, students should be able to explore 3D animations on their own. Applying constructivist and interpretative analysis of the data, three themes were raised, corresponding to cognitive, affective, and social aspects of learning while exploring web-based models and animations.

A case study on the effects of campus climate to the cross-cultural norms of Taiwanese students

The dawn of the age of globalization has brought forth the trend in cross-border mobility of population, more specifically for educational purposes, commerce, employment opportunities, and relocation. These phenomena fostered the development of a more diverse culture and multi-language global society. In Taiwan, an increase in international students is observed. In addition, the recent heightened volume of new migrant spouses has triggered the rise in emphasis on cross-cultural related researches. However, most studies are geared towards the cross-cultural adaptability of the visiting individual. In light of these issues, this case study details an empirical analysis of the cross-cultural norms of a host country’s individuals. Participants are 100 randomly selected English as Foreign Language (EFL) students of a Science and Technology University in Taiwan. The mixed-method research paradigm was adapted, with focus-group interviews accomplished to gather insights from Taiwanese students regarding the factors that influenced their cross-cultural flexibility. A survey questionnaire was then generated from the focus-group results and later administered to the participants. Descriptive data analyses were accomplished using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, while the multivariate analysis method Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) was achieved using the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software to analyze the causal relationships between the students’ campus environment and cross-cultural norms. Results show that the students’ exposure to a cross-cultural accepting environment has greatly enhanced their cross-cultural sensitivity and flexibility. In addition, results of SEM show a significant path from the students’ campus environment, individual perspective, and cross-cultural flexibility. Implications suggest that EFL students in Taiwan should be exposed to more cross-cultural opportunities, in order to enhance their cross-cultural competencies.