Mixed Methods Research is an Effective Method of Enquiry for Community Health Research
Sharon Andrew
Department of Acute Care, Faculty of Health and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, United Kingdom
PP: 145 - 153
Abstract
Rapid social change, the pressure of contemporary living, an aging population and an increase in chronic disease have a significant impact on community health. The complex issues underlying research into community health offer significant challenges to the researcher.
The use of mixed methods research is growing in popularity in a range of disciplines, although its application is less well understood. This paper will outline the utility of mixed methods research for community health research and demonstrate how this methodology can be used to enhance the richness of data obtained.
Keywords
mixed methods, triangulation, community health, methodology, pragmatism
References
Baldry E, Bratel J, Dunsire M and Durrant M (2005) Keeping children with a disability safe in their families, Practice 17(3): 143-56.
Begley CM (1996) Using triangulation in nursing research, Journal of Advanced Nursing 24(1): 122-28.
Creswell JW (2003) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches 2nd edn, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.
Foss C and Ellefsen B (2002) The value of combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in nursing research by means of method triangulation, Journal of Advanced Nursing 40(2): 242-48.
Ganong LH (1995) Current trends and issues in family nursing research, Journal of Family Nursing 1(2): 171-206.
Greene JC, Caracelli VJ and Graham WF (1989) Toward a conceptual framework for mixed-method evaluation designs, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 11(3): 255-74.
Halcomb EJ and Andrew S (2005) Triangulation as a method for contemporary nursing research, Nurse Researcher 13(2): 71-82.
Harkness S, Moscardino U, Bermudez MR, Zylicz PO, Welles-Nystrom B, Blom M, Parmar P, Axia G, Palacios J and Super CM (2006) Mixed methods in international collaborative research: the experiences of the international study of parents, children, and schools, Cross-Cultural Research 40(1): 65-82.
Jackson D, Mannix J, Faga P and Gillies D (2004) Raising families: Urban women's experiences of requiring family support, Contemporary Nurse 18(1/2): 97-107.
Johnson BR and Onwuegbuzie AJ (2004) Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come, Educational Researcher 33(7): 14-26.
Kendall S and Bloomfield L (2005) Developing and validating a tool to measure parenting self-efficacy, Journal of Advanced Nursing 51(2): 174-81.
Kong SKF and Lee DTF (2004) Factors influencing decision to breastfeed, Journal of Advanced Nursing 46(4): 369-79.
Kroll T, Neri MT and Miller K (2005) Using mixed methods in disability and rehabilitation research, Rehabilitation Nursing 30(3): 106-13.
Lee C and Porteous J (2002) Experiences of family caregiving among middle-aged Australian women, Feminism and Psychology 12(1): 79-96.
Mactavish JB and Schleien SJ (2004) Re-injecting spontaneity and balance in family life: Parents' perspectives on recreation in families that include children with a developmental disability, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 48(2): 123-41.
McAuley C, McCurry N, Knapp M, Beecham J and Sleed M (2006) Young families under stress: Assessing maternal and child well-being using a mixed-methods approach, Child and Family Social Work 11: 43-54.
Mertens DM (2005) Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods 2nd edn, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, California.
Morgan DL (1998) Practical strategies for combining qualitative and quantitative methods: Applications to health research, Qualitative Health Research 8(3): 362-76.
Morse JM (1991) Approaches to qualitative-quantitative methodological triangulation, Nursing Research 40(2): 120-3.
Onwuegbuzie AJ and Leech NL (2004) Enhancing the interpretation of significant findings: The role of mixed methods research, Qualitative Report 9(4): 770-92.
Polit DF and Beck CT (2006) Essentials of nursing research: Methods, appraisal and utilization 6th edn, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia.
Risjord MW, Dunbar SB and Moloney MF (2004) A new foundation for methodological triangulation, Journal of Nursing Scholarship 34(3): 269-75.
Sandelowski M (2000) Combining qualitative and quantitative sampling, data collection, and analysis techniques in mixed-method studies, Research in Nursing and Health 23(3): 246-55.
Schillaci MA, Waitzkin H, Carson EA, Lopez CM, Boehm DA, Lopez LA and Mahoney SF (2004) Immunization Coverage and Medicaid Managed Care in New Mexico: A Multimethod Assessment, Annals of Family Medicine 2(1): 13-21.
Shepard MP, Orsi AJ, Mahon MM and Carroll RM (2002) Mixed-Methods Research With Vulnerable Families, Journal of Family Nursing 8(4): 334-52.
Tandon SD, Parillo KM and Keefer M (2005) Hispanic Women's Perceptions of Patient Centeredness During Prenatal Care: A Mixed Method Study, Birth 32(4): 312-17.
Ungar M, Lee AW, Callaghan T and Boothroyd RA (2005) An international collaboration to study resilience in adolescent cultures, Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation 6(1): 5-23.
Williamson GR (2005) Illustrating triangulation in mixed-methods nursing research, Nurse Researcher 12(4): 4-18.
eContent Home
