Test Your Knowledge: Mixed Methods

Question 1

1. Miller conducted in-depth interviews with 15 people with chronic illness and used the data to develop and test a scale to measure “inner strength.”

A QUAN  qual
B QUAL + QUAN
C qual  QUAN

Answer 1

ANSWER: C qual  QUAN
Miller used a sequential design, in which the Phase 2 quantitative data for psychometrically testing the new instrument had priority.

Question 2

2. Rosen conducted an RCT to test the effects of a health promotion intervention and then conducted in-depth interviews with a subsample of 15 people whose behaviors had not improved.
   A QUAN  qual
   B QUAL + QUAN
   C qual  QUAN

Answer 2

ANSWER: A QUAN  qual
Rosen used a sequential design, in which the Phase 2 qualitative data was used to help interpret findings from the dominant quantitative strand.

Question 3

3. De Sio used unstructured observation of autistic toddlers as a basis for the design and rigorous testing of a parent communication intervention to improve social engagement in these children.
   A QUAN  qual
   B QUAL + QUAN
   C qual  QUAN

Answer 3

ANSWER: C qual  QUAN
De Sio used a sequential design; Phase 1 qualitative data played a role in developing a new intervention that was tested using quantitative methods.

Question 4

4. Wait administered three psychological scales to patients with chronic migraine headaches immediately after interviewing them in-depth about their migraine experiences.
   A QUAN  qual
   B QUAL + QUAN
   C qual  QUAN

Answer 4

ANSWER: B QUAL + QUAN
Wait used a concurrent design in which both qualitative and quantitative data were collected in a single phase with equal priority.

Question 5

5. Gallagher did a survey of 500 nurses to assess their attitudes toward evidence-based practice (EBP) and then had in-depth follow-up interviews with 20 of them 3 months later to explore barriers to EBP in their hospital settings.
   A QUAN  qual
   B QUAL + QUAN
   C qual  QUAN

Answer 5

ANSWER: A QUAN  qual
Gallagher used a sequential design, first collecting quantitative survey data, followed by in-depth qualitative interviews to better understand the meaning of the survey results.