Mixed Methods Research

Arindam Basu Prepared for PG Meeting, University of Canterbury

Six Blind Men of Hindostan

http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/danielstang/hindostan.html

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail

Three Scenarios
Inter-professional Training Colorectal Cancer Screening Teaching of Telehealth to Physicians
How Can Qualitative alone, Quantitative Research alone, or a combination meet the needs of research questions pursued?

Interprofessional Education
Different Professions, Same Trainees Different Professionals Train the Same People How does one learn about effectiveness of the education process? Whose Perspective? (Trainers? Trainees? External Stakeholders?) How Do We Measure Outputs? Can Everything Be Measured?

How Does One Measure the Effectiveness of Inter-professional Training?

Screening For Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal Cancer is a leading cause of cancer and kill people If this cancer can be detected when it the tumour is very small and localized, then it can be safely removed That detection is done using a stool test called guaiac test. Whats the best strategy?
Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/colon_cancer/article.htm

What Does One Measure?

The Patient (Suffering, Convenience, How Easy)

Ministry of Health (Payer) How Economical? How Many False Cases for reasons of logistics How Many People should be Screened To Identify One case?

The Physician (Provider) How best will the screening test perform? Sensitivity? Specificity?

What is the Effectiveness of Telehealth Training for Physicians?

Trainees (Physicians)

Stakeholders (MoH)

Trainers (Teaching Physicians)

The Truth Out There (Descriptive Data, Relationships)

The Participants Who Contribute to the Truth Seeking Process * Patients Members. Public Preconceptions Life Story ...

The Investigator Who Investigates The Truth Belief Previous Ideas Need for Positive Findings

The Truth Out There (Descriptive Data, Relationships)

1. Rule Out Chance 2. Control for Confounding 3. Eliminate Bias 4. Test for Causality (where Needed)

Quantitative Research Dissociates the Investigator from His Biases

The Participants Who Contribute to the Truth Seeking Process * Patients Members. Public Preconceptions Life Story ... The Investigator Who Investigates The Truth Belief Previous Ideas Need for Positive Findings

The Truth Out There (Descriptive Data, Relationships)

The Participants Who Contribute to the Truth Seeking Process * Patients Members. Public Preconceptions Life Story ...

Qualitative Research: integration between the Researcher, Researchee , Researched

The Investigator Who Investigates The Truth Belief Previous Ideas Need for Positive Findings

The Truth Out There (Descriptive Data, Relationships)

Situated

Quantitative Research

The Participants Who Contribute to the Truth Seeking Process * Patients Members. Public Preconceptions Life Story ...

Qualitative Research

The Investigator Who Investigates The Truth Belief Previous Ideas Need for Positive Findings

The Reality (Interprofessional Education Improves Student Outcomes )

Survey of trainees Items on questionnaires Tallying Numbers

Quantitative Research

The Participants Who Contribute to the Truth Seeking Process * Students narrate their experiences

Qualitative Research

The Investigator Who Investigates The Truth Belief Previous Ideas Need for Positive Findings

The Reality (Telehealth Education through distance improves care process)

Pass/Fail Statistics Student Performance Carbon Saving

Quantitative Research

Trainees tell their Stories on how well They did and what they felt

Qualitative Research

The Investigator Who Investigates The Truth Belief Previous Ideas Need for Positive Findings

The Reality (Telehealth Education through distance improves care process)

Pass/Fail Statistics Student Performance Carbon Saving

Quantitative Research

Trainees tell their Stories on how well They did and what they felt

Qualitative Research

The Investigator Who Investigates The Truth Belief Previous Ideas Need for Positive Findings

These Diverse Views of the World Are Reconciled in Mixed Methods Research

In Mixed Methods

Qualitative

Quantitative

Sequential (Could Be Reversed)

Qualitative

Quantitative

Concurrent, this Can Happen At the Same Time

Balance Between Three

How Much Quantitative Versus Qualitative?

What is the Sequence?

Is it Partially or Fully Mixed Methods?

Research Cycle
Conceptualize (Proposal)

Collect Data
Collect Data

Interpret Data

Analyze Data

Typology of Mixed Methods

An Example from a Recent Study

Reporting of a Mixed Methods

Reporting of Mixed Methods (Continued )

Conclusion
Qualitative + Quantitative = Mixed Methods Qualitative: subjective, perspective dependent Quantitative: objective, neutral view of truth Mixed: Captures Truth both ways Sequential or Concurrent Full or Partial Dominant or Non-dominant

References
Borkan, J. M. (2004). Mixed Methods Studies : A Foundation, 46. doi:10.1370/afm.111.wo Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a Definition of Mixed Methods Research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(2), 112133. doi:10.1177/1558689806298224 Leech, N. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2007). A typology of mixed methods research designs. Quality & Quantity, 43(2), 265275. doi:10.1007/s11135-007-9105-3 Lingard, L., Albert, M., & Levinson, W. (2008). Grounded theory , mixed methods , and action research, 337(August), 459461. doi:10.1136/bmj.39602.690162.47 OCathain, A., Murphy, E., & Nicholl, J. (2007). Why, and how, mixed methods research is undertaken in health services research in England: a mixed methods study. BMC health services research, 7, 85. doi:10.1186/1472-6963-7-85 Sale, J. E. M., & Brazil, K. (2002). Revisiting the Quantitative-Qualitative Debate : Implications for Mixed-Methods Research, 4353.