What is a mixed methods study? What are the advantages of such an approach?

Not all of the information you require will always be in defined sections. You will need to read the paper and make notes. 1. Was there a clear statement of the aims of the research?  Look at the wider literature – why is important that there is a clear statement of the aims of the research? What does the literature say?  Why is it important that the research aims are congruent with the research methodology, design, recruitment selection, data analysis and findings? HINT – if any are inappropriate, you will not be able to rely on the findings.  In the introductory section, did the authors have a clear reason for undertaking the study? Does the research question reflect this? What does the literature say about the importance of this?  Was the research question initially clear? When you looked into the research design section, did you notice any additional aims? If you did, what is the significance of this? 2. Is a qualitative methodology appropriate?  What type of study is Paper B? Show us your understanding here. You will need to access the wide literature to support your discussions and definitions of terms.  Does this sit within the qualitative paradigm?  What is qualitative research?  What do qualitative studies seek to explore?  What type of questions do they ask? What is the purpose of an exploratory question?  How large are their sample sizes and why?  How is the data analysed?  How are the findings used? Compare this approach with the quantitative paradigm • What is quantitative research? • What do quantitative studies seek to explore? • What type of questions do they ask? What is a hypothesis? • How large are their sample sizes and why? • How is the data analysed? • How are the findings used? • What is a mixed methods study? What are the advantages of such an approach?