This case study focuses on issues and dilemmas I faced when collecting data on a social networking site that enabled sociability, communication, and collaboration among teachers. To understand teacher online participation, I used an eclectic mixed-methods design with three phases to collect qualitative and quantitative data. This design allowed me…

This case study draws on my quantitative study of college entrance exam preparation (also known as "test prep") to illustrate how a researcher goes about setting up a quantitative project using existing datasets. I describe how I decided between two different datasets, a decision which required attention to how the research question was…

In 2014, I started working on the PhD project, which aims at understanding the causes and consequences of university graduates following different types of career pathways. On route to achieving this aim, I faced a challenging task of deriving a typology, which was theoretically meaningful and suitable for further quantitative analysis. As the…

The research referenced in this methodological case study chronicles the journey of the researcher in identifying a research design that would utilize both quantitative and qualitative research strategies to explore education reform initiatives across two schools implementing the same whole school reform model. Challenges of selecting the…

This case study provides an account of my experiences and lessons learned in designing and implementing a survey research. The research was part of my doctoral thesis in educational measurement and quantitative methods. The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a Completely Structured Training compared with Partially Structured…

Exploratory Factor analysis is a research tool that can be used to make sense of multiple variables which are thought to be related. This can be particularly useful when a qualitative methodology may be the more appropriate method for collecting data or measures, but quantitative analysis enables better reporting. This case first gives a brief…

We present a case study of the process through which a methodology was developed and applied to a quasi-experimental research study that employed propensity score matching. Methodological decisions are discussed and summarized, including an explanation of the approaches selected for each step in the study as well as rationales for these…

Data in the social sciences often do not conform to what a researcher would like in order to have an unproblematic analysis using some form of linear regression. Especially, when data reflect counts, a number of potential problems arise. This case study discusses challenges that occurred when applying the models and examines the results. Finally,…

This case study provides an account of a semester-long study in an undergraduate sports medicine class; the study was for my PhD dissertation. The aim was to determine whether a peer assessment/feedback training program was effective. I knew that previous research in my field and in education found little quantitative differences for a…

This case study uses structural equation modeling to examine the predictive validity of the Read Aloud Profile-Together, a measure of the distinct behaviors of parents and children during shared book reading, in relation to preschool children's early reading competency. Using secondary data analysis, this case study includes 800 parent-child pairs…

Survey research in education is a popular quantitative research design and is used to determine opinions, attitudes, behavior, habits, and perceptions on a wide variety of topics. While many people are familiar with survey methods, it is often used in a 'quick and dirty' way to get information. This case aims to describe some of the challenges of…

From January to May 2012, we pursued a research project analyzing content themes from nurse educators' teaching philosophy statements. This was the first time that teaching philosophies were explored in the field of nursing education. Prior to this study, research on teaching philosophy statements had been limited to content analysis of teaching…

Researchers who are interested in asking a number of questions about a particular phenomenon are increasingly looking to mixed methods as a useful research approach. In this case study, we discuss how mixed-methods research is situated in current debates about quantitative and qualitative methods. Then, we provide some reasons as to why we, and…

This case study shares the research process of one upper level undergraduate research methods course for Communication Studies and Public Relations students at a mid-sized public college in the Northeastern United States. As a way to demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative research, students worked on survey design for three different…

This research project case study describes the research practicalities and design of a mixed methods dissertation study about the language-learning motivation of students who had attended a language immersion school. Mixed methods research, an approach to research in which elements of both quantitative (numbers-focused) and qualitative…