Advocating mixed-methods approaches in health research

This methods paper provides researchers in Nepal with a broad overview of the practical and philosophical aspects of mixed-methods research. The three authors have a wide-ranging expertise in planning and conducting mixed-methods studies. The paper outlines the different paradigms or philosophies underlying quantitative and qualitative methods and some of the on-going debates about mixed-methods. The paper further highlights a number of practical issues, such as (a) the particular mix and order of quantitative and qualitative methods; (b) the way of integrating methods from different philosophical stance; and (c) how to synthesise mixed-methods findings

Investigating information systems with mixed-methods research

Mixed-methods research, which comprises both quantitative and qualitative components, is widely perceived as a means to resolve the inherent limitations of traditional single method designs and is thus expected to yield richer and more holistic findings. Despite such distinctive benefits and continuous advocacy from Information Systems (IS) researchers, the use of mixed-methods approach in the IS field has not been high. This paper discusses some of the key reasons that led to this low application rate of mixed-methods design in the IS field, ranging from misunderstanding the term with multiple-methods research to practical difficulties for design and implementation. Two previous IS studies are used as examples to illustrate the discussion. The paper concludes by recommending that in order to apply mixed-methods design successfully, IS researchers need to plan and consider thoroughly how the quantitative and qualitative components (i.e. from data collection to data analysis to reporting of findings) can be genuinely integrated together and supplement one another, in relation to the predefined research questions and the specific research contexts

Mixed-methods approaches in health research in Nepal

Combining and integrating a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods in one single study is widely used in health and social care research in high-income countries. This editorial adds a few words of advice to the novice mixed-methods researcher in Nepal

Perceptions of physiotherapists towards research: a mixed methods study

OBJECTIVES: To explore the perceptions of physiotherapists towards the use of and participation in research. DESIGN: Concurrent mixed methods research, combining in-depth interviews with three questionnaires (demographics, Edmonton Research Orientation Survey, visual analogue scales for confidence and motivation to participate in research). SETTING: One physiotherapy department in a rehabilitation hospital, consisting of seven specialised areas. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five subjects {four men and 21 women, mean age 38 [standard deviation (SD) 11] years} who had been registered as a physiotherapist for a mean period of 15 (SD 10) years participated in this study. They were registered with the New Zealand Board of Physiotherapy, held a current practising certificate, and were working as a physiotherapist or physiotherapy/allied health manager at the hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The primary outcome measure was in-depth interviews and the secondary outcome measures were the three questionnaires. RESULTS: Physiotherapists were generally positive towards research, but struggled with the concept of research, the available literature and the time to commit to research. Individual confidence and orientation towards research seemed to influence how these barriers were perceived. CONCLUSION: This study showed that physiotherapists struggle to implement research in their daily practice and become involved in research. Changing physiotherapists' conceptions of research, making it more accessible and providing dedicated research time could facilitate increased involvement in the physiotherapy profession

Mixed methods in health care research. Paradigms and philosphy

When to use mixed methods is one of the most challenging issues that health care researchers currently face. The predominance of quantitative methods have not been enough to respond to many relevant questions on health care, that need a multiple approach. Mixed methods have been developed to tackle those problems that pose a complex intervention, or have different and more than two interacting components within the experimental and control interventions, and so many other situations. In this conference issues about when to use mixed methods, how to use them and which approaches of mixed methods are available to be used in health care research.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Use of mixed methods designs in substance research: a methodological necessity in Nigeria

The utility of mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) is becoming increasingly accepted in health sciences, but substance studies are yet to substantially benefit from such utilities. While there is a growing number of mixed methods alcohol articles concerning developed countries, developing nations are yet to embrace this method. In the Nigerian context, the importance of mixed methods research is yet to be acknowledged. This article therefore, draws on alcohol studies to argue that mixed methods designs will better equip scholars to understand, explore, describe and explain why alcohol consumption and its related problems are increasing in Nigeria. It argues that as motives for consuming alcohol in contemporary Nigeria are multiple, complex and evolving, mixed method approaches that provide multiple pathways for proffering solutions to problems should be embraced

Mixed-methods in brand research: the relationship between metaphors, settings and behaviour

People describe with words their thoughts but sometimes it is not really easy to describe a concept especially when it is not so clear in the mind of the person too. That is the reason why people use metaphor in their everyday lives: to better explain and express thoughts or feelings. In this study we concentrate on the metaphors used in order to express the image that a brand has in two different contexts and in two different countries (e.g. Italy and Austria). The brands examined are Adidas, the well known sport brand and Red Bull, the famous energy drink. We chose a sport and a leisure setting so that both brands could have had an application and a meaning in those situations. The field in which this research can be collocated is the cross-cultural one, where cultural and translation issues come up. . The aim of the research is to investigate how young people describe and consider the brands taking into consideration the possible differences between the words and expressions used by Austrian and Italian students. The following questions to be answered are: are there any behavioral implications and if yes, are them different among the two countries? The reason why we chose that brands is because both are familiar with students (our target) and it has been proved with the pre-test. Also the setting has been chosen through the validation of the pre-test

Toward a Conceptualization of Mixed Methods Phenomenological Research

Increasingly, researchers are recognizing the benefits of expanding research designs that are rooted in one tradition (i.e., monomethod design) into a design that incorporates or interfaces with the other tradition. The flexibility of phenomenologically driven methods provides one such example. Indeed, phenomenological research methods work extremely well as a component of mixed methods research approaches. However, to date, a mixed methods version of phenomenological research has not been formally conceptualized. Thus, the purpose of this article is twofold. First, we provide a philosophical justification for using what we call mixed methods phenomenological research (MMPR). Second, we provide examples of MMPR in practice to underline a number of potential models for MMPR that can practically be used in future research

Surveying the Landscape of Mixed Methods Phenomenological Research

As the popularity and scope of mixed methods research (MMR) develops, there is increasingly a need to map the growing body of literature in order to provide more inclusive frameworks of this form of research. Whilst mixed methods phenomenological research (MMPR) has been recently conceptualized, there is a lack of systematic evidence that outlines how this approach is being adopted by researchers. Thus, the purpose of this article was to explore the current implementation of MMPR within empirical research studies in order to provide a clearer picture of how, why, and where this research approach is being adopted. Findings demonstrated that whilst the prevalence of MMPR is increasing, the majority of this work is conducted within the health sciences and prioritises the phenomenological phase. Further, a model of the five key purposes of conducting MMPR is proposed. Finally, it is concluded that MMPR articles often fail to outline adequately their methodological procedures