Students\u27 persistence in the University of Nebraska -Lincoln Distributed Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership in Higher Education: A mixed methods study

The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to understand what impacted students\u27 persistence in the in the Distributed Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership in Higher Education offered by the University Nebraska - Lincoln. In the first, quantitative phase of the study, the research questions focused on identifying the predictive power of ten composite variables, representing selected internal and external factors to students\u27 persistence in the program. The data were collected via a web-based survey (N = 278), using a self-developed instrument. The response rate was 74.5%. First, the participants\u27 answers to separate items on the survey scales were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A discriminant function analysis identified five variables best predicting the group membership: program, online learning environment, student support services, faculty, and self-motivation. In the second, qualitative phase, four case studies, selected on typical response and maximal variation principle, one from each of the four participant groups (Beginning, Matriculated, Graduates, and Withdrawn/Inactive), explored the results from the statistical tests in more depth. The data collection included multiple sources. Four themes related to the participants\u27 persistence in the program emerged in the thematic analysis of each case and across the cases: quality of academic experiences, online learning environment, support and assistance, and self-motivation. In each case, the themes differed in the number and similarity of categories comprising them. There were more similarities between the participants still in the program, than with the graduated or withdrawn/inactive members. The quality of the program and students\u27 academic experiences learning in the online environment was the most discussed theme. Quality and online learning environment were also the reasons for withdrawal from the program. The results of the quantitative and qualitative phases were integrated while interpreting the outcomes of the entire study. Based on the findings from the quantitative and qualitative phases of the study, a preliminary model of students\u27 persistence in a distributed doctoral program was developed

Mixed methods applications in action research : from methods to community action

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Mixed methods applications in action research : from methods to community action

The book is applicable to broad audiences with different levels of research skills, including students learning how to conduct research in practical settings, practitioners faced with the need to address pertinent issues in their professional practices, community leaders seeking to inform policy changes, and college faculty who teach research methods and conduct funded research in collaboration with practitioner-researchers and community stakeholders. A wide variety of pedagogical features make it appropriate for use as an instructional text aimed at developing skills in designing, conducting, implementing, and reporting an action research study that integrates mixed methods

Designing A Mixed Methods Study In Primary Care

BACKGROUND Mixed methods or multimethod research holds potential for rigorous, methodologically sound investigations in primary care. The objective of this study was to use criteria from the literature to evaluate 5 mixed methods studies in primary care and to advance 3 models useful for designing such investigations. METHODS We first identified criteria from the social and behavioral sciences to analyze mixed methods studies in primary care research. We then used the criteria to evaluate 5 mixed methods investigations published in primary care research journals. RESULTS Of the 5 studies analyzed, 3 included a rationale for mixing based on the need to develop a quantitative instrument from qualitative data or to converge information to best understand the research topic. Quantitative data collection involved structured interviews, observational checklists, and chart audits that were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. Qualitative data consisted of semistructured interviews and field observations that were analyzed using coding to develop themes and categories. The studies showed diverse forms of priority: equal priority, qualitative priority, and quantitative priority. Data collection involved quantitative and qualitative data gathered both concurrently and sequentially. The integration of the quantitative and qualitative data in these studies occurred between data analysis from one phase and data collection from a subsequent phase, while analyzing the data, and when reporting the results. DISCUSSION We recommend instrument-building, triangulation, and data transformation models for mixed methods designs as useful frameworks to add rigor to investigations in primary care. We also discuss the limitations of our study and the need for future research

Examining decisional needs and contextual factors influencing fertility status assessment among young female survivors of childhood cancer: A sequential mixed methods study protocol.

IntroductionFemale cancer survivors who received gonadotoxic cancer treatment are at risk for profound diminished ovarian reserve and/or primary ovarian insufficiency with resulting infertility, which can be associated with distress and decreased quality of life.. Despite prioritizing future parenthood, many survivors are unsure of the impact of their treatment on their future fertility, and little is known about the perceived reproductive health needs and factors associated with receipt of a fertility status assessment (FSA). There is a lack of developmentally appropriate reproductive health decisional support interventions available for emerging adult cancer survivors. This study will explore the perceived reproductive health needs of emerging adult female survivors of childhood cancer and to identify decisional and contextual factors that influence pursuit of FSA using an explanatory sequential quantitative to qualitative mixed methods design.Methods and analysisThis study will enroll 325 female survivors (aged 18 to 29 years and >1-year post treatment; diagnosed with cancer < age 21 years) from four cancer centers in the United States. Sociodemographic and developmental factors, reproductive knowledge and values, decisional needs, and receipt of an FSA will be assessed through a web-based survey. Informed by survey findings, a subset of participants will be recruited for qualitative interviews to explore decisional factors associated with uptake of an FSA. Clinical data will be abstracted from the medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models will be developed to identify factors associated with FSA and qualitative descriptive analysis will be used to develop themes from the interviews. Quantitative and qualitative findings will be merged using a joint display to develop integrated study conclusions and direct future interventional research

How family caregivers of persons with advanced cancer assist with upstream healthcare decision-making: A qualitative study.

AimsNumerous healthcare decisions are faced by persons with advanced cancer from diagnosis to end-of-life. The family caregiver role in these decisions has focused on being a surrogate decision-maker, however, little is known about the caregiver's role in supporting upstream patient decision-making. We aimed to describe the roles of family caregivers in assisting community-dwelling advanced cancer patients with healthcare decision-making across settings and contexts.MethodsQualitative study using one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with community-dwelling persons with metastatic cancer (n = 18) and their family caregivers (n = 20) recruited from outpatient oncology clinics of a large tertiary care academic medical center, between October 2016 and October 2017. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.FindingsCaregivers averaged 56 years and were mostly female (95%), white (85%), and the patient's partner/spouse (70%). Patients averaged 58 years and were mostly male (67%) in self-reported "fair" or "poor" health (50%) with genitourinary (33%), lung (17%), and hematologic (17%) cancers. Themes describing family member roles in supporting patients' upstream healthcare decision-making were: 1) seeking information about the cancer, its trajectory, and treatments options; 2) ensuring family and healthcare clinicians have a common understanding of the patient's treatment plan and condition; 3) facilitating discussions with patients about their values and the framing of their illness; 5) posing "what if" scenarios about current and potential future health states and treatments; 6) addressing collateral decisions (e.g., work arrangements) resulting from medical treatment choices; 6) originating healthcare-related decision points, including decisions about seeking emergency care; and 7) making healthcare decisions for patients who preferred to delegate healthcare decisions to their family caregivers.ConclusionsThese findings highlight a previously unreported and understudied set of critical decision partnering roles that cancer family caregivers play in patient healthcare decision-making. Optimizing these roles may represent novel targets for early decision support interventions for family caregivers