Project Summary: Mixed Methods Approach The popularity of mixed methods approaches in evaluation has increased significantly over the last decade, although there is still some controversy regarding these approaches. The mixed methods approach has gained traction in the field of policy evaluation since it represents both a compromise and a challenge for proponents of more conventional evaluation work. Mixed methods studies can range from quantitative work supplemented by case studies at one end, to qualitative work supplemented by secondary or survey types of analyses on the other. The difficulty often arises when methods employing different views of reality or methods designed for different purposes are employed in the evaluation. In addition, mixed methods may attempt to combine different approaches to bias, causality, validity, and sampling. There are also considerations having to do with levels of analyses, concurrent or sequential data collection, and triangulation. QUESTION: Submit by a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following: Assume you were to employ a mixed methods approach to your Final Project. Explain how you would integrate both qualitative and quantitative methods in your design. Using the guidelines from the USAID (2013) resource, describe your formulation and explain your reasoning: o What qualitative method will you use? o How will your qualitative analysis method supplement your quantitative methods? o Will you use triangulation? _____________________________________________________________________________________ The Qualitative and Mixed Methods Approach Introduction Assume you are in the process of conducting a quantitative evaluation and are in the process of designing a survey to collect data on the effectiveness of your program. How do you know that the questions you are asking represent the most important factors to the recipients or beneficiaries of the program? Programs can have multiple characteristics and complex features. If you do not ask the right questions or you omit an important factor, it could lead to flawed or erroneous conclusions. Here is where a qualitative exploratory survey using open ended questions with a small group can help. The qualitative approach can also explain or help to illuminate what may be observed anomalies in your quantitative findingsthe occasional exception, residual, or outlier observation that cannot be explained. Better yet, this approach may help explain the causal process inherent in your program. Your Learning Resources this week serve to illustrate some of the issues in qualitative and mixed methods designs. These also illustrate the different approaches to validity, sampling, bias, and flexibility in quantitative and qualitative evaluations. You will examine the types of questions that qualitative approaches can address that quantitative methods cannot. You will also gain insight into the integrative nature of the mixed methods approach and how quantitative and qualitative evaluators use the mixed methods approach in different ways. Learning Objectives Students will: Evaluate qualitative and mixed methods approach used to address evaluation problems Analyze mixed methods approach for integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in evaluation designs ____________________________________________________________________________________ Required Resources Readings McDavid, J. C., Huse, I., & Hawthorn, L. R. L. (2013). Program evaluation and performance measurement: An introduction to practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. o Chapter 5, Applying Qualitative Evaluation Methods (pp. 187224) Hancock, B., Ockleford, E., & Windridge, K. (2009). An introduction to qualitative research. Retrieved from http://www.rds-yh.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/5_Introduction-to-qualitative-research-2009.pdf USAID. (2013). Conducting mixed-method evaluations. Retrieved fromhttp://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1870/Mixed_Methods_Evaluations_Technical_Note.pdf The World Bank. (2011). Integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches in program evaluation.Retrieved from http://go.worldbank.org/3XUVY74PN0 Optional Resources Bamberger, M. (2012). Introduction to mixed methods in impact evaluation [Video file]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN_AmhPZGTU Bowers, B. (2008). An overview of qualitative research methods [Video file]. Retrieved fromhttp://videos.med.wisc.edu/videos/3420 Collier, D., Brady, H. E., & Seawright, J. (2004). Sources of leverage in causal inference: Toward an alternative view of methodology. Retrieved fromhttp://faculty.washington.edu/swhiting/pols502/Collier_Brady_Seawright.pdf Hearn, J., Lawler, J., & Dowswell, G. (2003). Qualitative evaluations, combined methods and key challenges. Evaluation, 9(1), 3054. King, J., & Greenseid, L. (2007). The oral history of evaluation, part 5: An interview with Michael Quinn Patton. American Journal of Evaluation, 28(1), 102114.