This paper contrasts mixed methods design with strategic research design. Mixed methods research both advocates for itself as always better than singular research methods, while also seemingly allowing a wide variety of researchers to count their work under the very large umbrella of mixed methods. We argue for strategic research design as a set…

Practical guidance for navigating issues associated with combining mixed methods and case study research approaches is in short supply, particularly for novice researchers who may grapple with numerous decision points in planning and conducting such studies. This methodological discussion examines the decision-making process used in a…

An innovative mixed-methods approach to exploratory focus group design is presented using a case study conducted with smallholder rice farmers in Vietnam. Understanding human decision-making under the uncertainties of a complex and changing social and environmental context requires a flexible yet structured and theoretically grounded approach.…

Deciding what degree to study and where are very important decisions to make for a range of practical and economic reasons, and much research has been undertaken in this area. What has not been considered previously is the decision-making processes of students who have completed an associate degree, such as a Higher National Diploma or Foundation…

This mixed-method case study followed K-5 elementary teachers through their first year of 1:1 iPad adoption in one elementary school. All teachers in the school were surveyed in September and December 2015 and May 2016. Focus groups consisting of two teachers from each grade level were held during these same months. Teacher perceptions were…

Drawing on data from a mixed methods study of the Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit's (SPDU) Facilitator Community, this paper highlights the potential of teacher-led professional learning in developing professional capital through engagement in teacher leadership. Analysis of survey, interview, and observational data revealed the…

A growing number of schools are implementing PLCs to address school improvement, staff engage with data to identify student needs and determine instructional interventions. This is a starting point for engaging in the iterative process of learning for the teach in order to increase student learning (Hord & Sommers, 2008). The iterative process…

This article presents findings from a study which sought to identify the extent to which trainee teachers and their mentors considered their mentoring experiences and approaches to be judgemental or developmental. The article draws on a case study of trainee teachers and mentors on an Initial Teacher Education programme at a further education…

Purpose: Layered with myriad considerations, school closure and rezoning processes in urban school systems are politically fraught with the potential for damaging consequences. This article explores the politics and impacts of a closure and rezoning process in Richmond, Virginia, through the lens of themes applicable to urban school systems and…

This mixed method study examines HRD professionals' decision-making processes when making an organizational purchase of training. The study uses a case approach with a degrees of freedom analysis. The data to analyze will examine how HRD professionals in manufacturing select outside vendors human resource development programs for training,…

This article is written by Heather Murdoch, research consultant for the Seashell Trust, Anne Gough, deputy headteacher at Royal School Manchester/Seashell Trust, Eileen Boothroyd, consultant for the Seashell Trust, and Kate Williams, a creative perfumer for Seven (PZ Cussons). It describes the use of food fragrances with deafblind students who are…

Despite Northern Ireland's deeply rooted religious history and the assumption that its citizens' sexual attitudes and behaviours are more reserved than their English counterparts, comprehensive school-based relationships and sexuality education (RSE) has been statutory for primary and post-primary pupils since 2007. The non-biological aspects of…

This exploratory study combined the process of modified analytic induction with a mixed methods approach to analyze various factors that affected or might have affected participating teachers' decisions to use or not use various primary source based teaching strategies to teach historical thinking skills. Four participating eighth and ninth grade…

Students' perceived self-efficacy and motivation in the context of experiential high school career education was examined through an exploratory mixed methods case study of an elective experiential career education class offered in Saskatchewan public schools. Data were generated by having students (N = 14) complete two measures at the start and…

Current educational reforms call for higher student learning standards. The result is greater accountability for teaching and learning than ever before. School leadership mediates reform implementation so that the intent of the policy is transferred into teaching practice. I suggest that how teachers make sense of leadership reform activities…