PLEASE REBUTTAL, RESPOND, AND ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS OR POST STATEMENTS. MUST BE 150 WORDS (PLEASE), WRITE IN 3RD PERSON. ONLY ONE REFERENCE CAN BE USED FOR EACH ANSWER.

DQ1

Greenberger (2015) explains that "research should help enhance the breadth and depth of knowledge in a field of study" (p. 2). The advantage of using mixed-method design will help me expand my research in a way that a single research approach cannot. By offering a statistical analysis, along with observation; using the mixed-method research will allow a more comprehensive analysis. Mixed-methodology will provide a broader landscape and it may advance the timeline of a debate by offering more data for future discussions and research (GCU, 2012).

One disadvantage of using mixed-method research in my dissertation is that collection and analyzation of both quantitative and qualitative data can also be confusing because of the amount of data (GCU, 2012). Greenberger (2015) explains that "the use of mixed-methods research is not preferred for dissertations at GCU because of the time constraints, work, research expertise and financial resources" (p. 19) which is also disadvantage. I have dentified my research method as qualitative to ensure that my research adds value to the community of Christians who still debating what the role of women in Christian ministry.

References

Grand Canyon University. (GCU). (2012). Lecture 8: Mixed methods research design. [HTML document]. Retrieved from https://lc-grad2.gcu.edu

Greenberger (2015). Foundation of empirical research. In Grand Canyon University. (Eds.), GCU doctoral research: Foundations and theories. Retrieved from
http://lc.gcumedia.com/res850/gcu-doctoral-research-foundations-and-theories/v1.1/chapter/2

DQ2

Landrum and Garza (2015) discuss the differences between qualitative and quantitative research and how these might be combined in mixed methods research with proper respect to the differences. The writers simplify the areas of differentiation to "numeric and non-numeric data" and "inductive and deductive frameworks (Landrum & Garza, 2015). In order to successfully mix the two research methods, researchers may use an approach to qualitize or quantitize data; that is, they use quantitative data to draw qualitative conclusions or vice versa (Landrum and Garza, 2015). In addition, Cresswell , Klassen, Plano-Clark, and Clegg-Smith (2010) propose approaches of connecting or embedding qualitative and quantitative data to produce the mixed methods research design. Landrum and Garza (2015) warn prospective researchers that mixed methods design must be warranted by the purpose of the study and should not be used unless one approach will clarify the results of the other.

The revised purpose of my study is to describe upper elementary student perceptions of conceptual mathematics instruction and the concurrent feelings of academic success or struggle that they may experience. My effort in the revision process was to create a purely qualitative study. To add in a quantitative element for a mixed methods design, I could link the qualitative responses to quantitative test score data. Thus the resulting purpose would be: To describe upper elementary student perceptions of conceptual mathematics instruction and their concurrent feeling of academic success or struggle and to correlate these with standardized test performance. The concepts of success and struggle would be defined by percentile cut-offs as defined by the testing entity in the qualitative data set.

According to available literature, the appropriate mixed methods design for my research would be the "concurrent, transformative strategy" in which both qualitative and quantitative data are collected concurrently and used to validate or confirm each other (Cresswell, 2009). For example, while conducting the interviews with students, I would compare their responses about feelings of academic struggle or success with their actual standardized test scores. The test score data would be used as a supplementary source of data, which would already be readily available from schools (Cresswell, 2009). This comparison would affirm whether or not the students' feelings were connected to their actual performance in the subject area.

In my study, mixed methods would strengthen the meaningfulness of the results. I would be able to determine if the students' feelings were actually connected to the reality of their performance. Or, the data could show that student affect was separate or not entirely correlated to test performance. Such findings could affect how educators approach student affect and help students prepare for standardized testing.

Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications

Creswell, J., Klassen, A., Plano-Clark, V., Clegg-Smith, K. (2010, November). Best Practices for Mixed Methods Research in the Health Sciences. The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Retrieved from http://obssr.od.nih.gov/scientific_areas/methodology/mixed_methods_research/pdf/Best_Practices_for_Mixed_Methods_Research.pdf

Landrum, B., & Garza, G. (2015). Mending fences: Defining the domains and approaches of quantitative and qualitative research. Qualitative Psychology, 2(2), 199-209. doi:10.1037/qup0000030

Part 2

DQ 1

Mixed-method research methodology is appropriate because it encourages the use of multiple worldviews or paradigms rather than the typical paradigms for quantitative researchers and others for qualitative researchers. It also creates a paradigm that might encompass all of quantitative and qualitative research. In this study, the mixed-method research approach is appropriate to study factors and processes that initiate sustainability in colleges and universities. According to McNamara (2010) the mixed method research design is sequential in examining the relationship from leadership strategies that are used to "initiate, manage and support the role and participation of constituents in the change process" (p. 49). The advantage for using a strictly quantitative research method was to measure "the means and variances used to provide information about characteristics of the institutions responding to the questionnaire details regarding the sustainability initiatives and the implementation process" (p. 50).

The advantage for using a strictly qualitative research method was to gain a "deeper understanding of the sustainability change process" (p. 50). I would not say that there would be a disadvantage for using strictly a quantitative or qualitative research method, because Greenberger (2015) asserts the "worldview and research paradigm of the doctoral learner play a significant role in determining the type of methodology used in the research process" (p. 4)

References

Greenberger (2015). Foundation of empirical research. In Grand Canyon University. (Eds.), GCU doctoral research: Foundations and theories. Retrieved from
http://lc.gcumedia.com/res850/gcu-doctoral-research-foundations-and-theories/v1.1/chapter/2

McNamara, K. H. (2010). Fostering sustainability in higher education: A mixed-methods study of transformative leadership and change strategies. Environmental Practice, 12(1), 48-58.

DQ2

Connelly (2009) explains that the advantage in using a mixed method research design is that this approach "adds richness to the study than only one type of data collection" (p. 31). The mixed methods approach to this study was appropriate because the researcher was able to obtain a large number of participants for the study by recruiting over 300 higher educational institutions which generated 86 respondents. Out of the 86 respondents, McNarmara (2010) had follow-up interviews with 20 individuals from 10 of those intuitions who were instrumental in initiating and guiding the change process at their institutions. Another advantage was that the interviewees were already familiar with the study because of the recruiting process.

Using both methods, through interviews, the participants were able to communicate emotional experiences relative to situations that lead to reasons of unsuccessful change efforts such as communal support, lack of funding, and lack of time, while through regression analysis this information was used as variables to measure the progress on sustainability initiatives (McNarmara, 2010). The possible disadvantage of this study could have been that using both methods was time consuming (Connelly, 2009).

References

Connelly, L. M. (2009). Mixed methods studies. MEDSURG Nursing, 18(1), 31-32.
McNamara, K. H. (2010). Fostering sustainability in higher education: A mixed-methods study of transformative leadership and change strategies. Environmental Practice, 12(1), 48-58.

DQ 3

Mixed method research is growing in its application however the majority of qualitative and quantitative research is still being published separately (Archibald, Radil, Xaiaozhou& Hanson, 2015) McNamara states that he chose the mixed methods model due to the complexity of his study (McNamara, 2010). He is also dealing with a diverse study sample a component of research that lends to the use if mixed method research (Strudsholm, Meadows, Vollman, Thurston, & Henderson, 2016). This being said, I failed to see how McNamara formed his questions in manner that was appropriate for quantitative research. I realize that I am new to this arena and do not have the right to criticize someone else and their work, but I simple do not see how this study should not have been conducted qualitatively. I personally tend to understand the qualitative method more fully and it is more in line with how I process information. Therefore, my answer to this DQ may be a bit jaded in that regard.

This being said, I enjoyed reading the article and learning more about how educational institutions are centers for cultural change. This truth is one of the reasons why I am pursuing my doctoral degree. My hope is to one day be a part on one of these centers of culture change that will shape our world for future generations.

Reference:

Archibald, M. M., Radil, A. I., Xiaozhou, Z., & Hanson, W. E. (2015). Current Mixed Methods Practices in Qualitative Research: A Content Analysis of Leading Journals. International Journal Of Qualitative Methods, 14(2), 5-33.

Strudsholm, T., Meadows, L. M., Vollman, A. R., Thurston, W. E., & Henderson, R. (2016). Using Mixed Methods to Facilitate Complex, Multiphased Health Research. International Journal Of Qualitative Methods, 1-11. doi:10.1177/1609406915624579

McNamara, K. H. (2010). RESEARCH ARTICLE: Fostering sustainability in higher education: A mixed-methods study of transformative leadership and change strategies. Environmental Practice, 12(1), 48-58. doi:10.1017/S1466046609990445