Writing Strategies for the Education Dissertation by Diane Bennett Durkin;

Author:Diane Bennett Durkin;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Unlimited)
Published: 2020-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

The writer justifies the design in terms of what is missing from existing research, then the need for correlation between variables, and the benefit of disaggregation of data to identify significance. These are recognized rationales for a quantitative approach.

A rationale for mixed methods needs to argue for both methods, but it also needs to connect them. The following rationale proposes a mixed methods study on the use, nationally, of mixed-reality simulation as a means of teacher trainings, as well as leaders’ perceptions of the effectiveness of its use.

I propose an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design. This design involves collecting quantitative data in the first phase of the study and then using those results to build on the second, qualitative phase (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). For my research, the quantitative results will “inform the types of participants to be purposefully selected for the qualitative phase” (Creswell & Creswell, 2018, p. 222). As such, the survey data – specifically information on the length of time the [simulation] program [for teacher training] has used the technology, the frequency of simulation usage, and the size of the student population exposed to the technology, will serve to inform who is chosen for the qualitative population sample – those leaders whose programs that have the most prolific use of simulation being selected for interviews.

A quantitative design is appropriate to answer the “in what ways” framed research question and sub-question involving [national] simulation use as it includes analysis of scale, percentages, frequencies, and degrees of use. A qualitative design will then deeply investigate the perceptions and opinions of leaders of simulation. Thus, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study is an appropriate method to examine the current use of simulation nationally as well as gain a deeper understanding of how the technology is being utilized, led, and diffused. As this study aims to incorporate users from all U.S. institutions of higher education currently using simulation, a purely qualitative study could not adequately capture its breadth. Similarly, a solely quantitative design could not thoroughly describe the perceptions of simulation leaders related to the research questions.

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