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Jennifer's research strengths and challenges

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Jennifer's research strengths and challenges

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Strengths: Visual and verbal
Challenges: Numeric and information-technology

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1. "The two traditions privilege empirical and primary research. This means that the authors of the study are the people who actually conduct the research, collect observable information (data), and analyze results. "Think pieces" (reflective and theoretical essays) and secondhand, filtered accounts of what "research says" are not included in primary, empirical research" (pg. 5).
2. Re mixed methods: "The philosophy that undergirds these methods is pragmatism...the basic premise of which is the value of an inquiry can best be judged by its practical consequences. Research that combines methods and invents new ones is pragmatic research, which is, in effect, a new paradigm" (pg. 10).

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What are some examples of "new" methods? Are there now commonly used "new" methods that have been used extensively? I'm curious about how researchers designed the methods and what some of them are.

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"The qualitative paradigm is rooted in the philosophy of naturalism, which assumes that people are best studied in their natural settings, and rejects the idea that individuals and human societies can be understood as a single, objective reality." (6)

"(Mixed methods research) combines traditional qualitative and quantitative methods in a single study, in order to respond to broad-based questions that are not adequately addressed by either type of method by itself." (11)

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I love working with numerical data and statistical analysis, within software such as SPSS, however I am generally not engaged in this type of work so I definitely need a refresher on the basics before I were to dive back in. In regards to IT literacy, I am comfortable navigating research databases and such, but sometimes it is easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of research related directly and peripherally to your topic. I am pretty comfortable with visual and verbal literacies, although a statistics refresher would also help me more easily digest visuals grounded in statistical analysis.

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I understand that in a mixed methods study the sample sizes for the quantitative and qualitative research components are different, but what are the major considerations regarding overlap between the two?

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“The quantitative paradigm is rooted in the philosophical school known as positivism, which is based on the assumption that human beings and human societies are subject to laws that are similar to the laws of nature, and which accepts as knowledge only those ideas that are empirically verifiable and grounded in experience.” (p7)

Mixed methods “combines traditional qualitative and quantitative methods in a single study, in order to respond to broad-based questions that are not adequately addressed by either type of method by itself.” (p11)

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At this point, I am not confident enough in my skills to say that I have any real strengths in research literacy. I think it is more honest to say that I have a great deal to learn and it feels overwhelming at the moment. That said, I think my relative strength is in the area of verbal skills. I also have some level of comfort with numeric skills, but I have not had to use these skills deeply for a long time so these skills are rusty when used beyond the surface level. I am weaker with visual and information-technology skills. These are certainly areas of growth for me.

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How do researchers determine which mixed method design suits their inquiry best?

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Qualitative: “Rather, it is based on the assumption that reality is best understood by uncovering how people make meaning of their particular situations.” (p. 6)

Quantitative research: “...the assumption that human beings and human societies are subject to laws that are similar to the laws of nature, and which accepts as knowledge only those ideas that are empirically verifiable and grounded in sensory experience.” (p. 7)

Mixed Methods: “It is different in that it combines traditional qualitative and quantitative methods in a single study, in order to respond to broad-based questions that are not adequately addressed by either type of method by itself.” (p. 11)

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Information/technological literacy is definitely my strength and numeric literacy will be a challenge for me but I have the resources to help guide me through.

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Can it translate easily to the general public?