Creswell, Dyson, and Genishi

Creswell, Dyson, and Genishi

In John Creswell’s final chapter, he discusses in detail the use of a Mixed Methods research design.  He lines out not only the details and benefits of this method, but he also discusses some of the limitations this mixed design creates.  Continuing the structure of the previous chapters, Creswell examines this method from beginning to end.  He begins by explaining the convergence of Mixed Methods research in the academic world; he also explains that because this method is relatively new in the different fields of research, one should pay attention to different reasons he or she is implementing it: “Because mixed methods is relatively new in the social and human sciences as a distinct research approach, it is useful to convey a basic definition and description of the approach in the proposal” (204).  By explaining the reasoning behind the mixed method in a research study, one would be able to legitimize his or her methods of research (a checklist is provided on 205). 

Creswell continues the chapter by explaining the planning, designing, and implementing aspects of mixed methods research.  He different parts of sequential and concurrent designs and details the different types that are used in research (Sequential Transformative Strategy, Concurrent Triangulation Strategy, etc.).  At the end of the chapter, Creswell not only explains the data collection and presentation aspects of this type of research, but he also provides multiple examples of mixed methods research:  “The actual data was collected from 182 students and parent participants from surveys over a 4-year period of time and from 56 students and their parents in interviews” (222).  This example was explaining a concurrent strategy of inquiry, which was presented by Hossler and Vesper in 1993; this presentation of mixed methods research and others were provided to show data analysis and validation as well as to further represent the different styles of mixed methods research.

In Anne Haas Dyson and Celia Genishi’s first chapter of On the Case: Approaches to Language and Literacy Research, they juxtapose the lives of different children (both are pre pubescent girls in different types of communities with different social practices).  The first girl, who is used predominantly in the chapter, is named Madlenka; she is a fictional character from a book by Peter Sis.  Dyson and Genishi explain the tooth-loosing anecdote of this little girl.  They show her excitement about loosing a tooth and illustrate her different social confrontations that develop.  The other explanation comes from the researchers observations of different elementary classrooms.  The authors utilize this classroom environment to explain the different meanings behind different social interactions: “In contrast (to Madlenka’s community interactions), in some neighborhoods and classrooms, children share one language that is not English, for example, Chinese or Spanish.  In their classrooms there is the audible complexity multiple languages, with a teacher often speaking English” (15).

Both of these assigned chapters remind me of my previous position with Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM).  I was a Program Support Specialist for the Wesley Nurses (a group of nurses who perform health advocacy in varying communities).  During my time working for MHM, I saw the implementation of the mixed methods research design.  Because the 80 nurses work in 80 different communities around Texas, the administrative staff, when developing protocols for education and logistics, has to keep all 80 communities in mind – this was done by not only examining statistics of the different regions, but also by interviewing the individual patients and the nurses who treated them.  Although Creswell provides us with many different facets of mixed methods, I definitely believe that the research done by MHM was concurrent in its design; in other words, both qualitative and quantitative methods were dependent on each other.  This has also helped in planning for my own research.  Although Creswell does lay out the flaws of this new research design, I can see the potential of its effectiveness on a multitude of different audiences.