Assignment 2: Annotated Reference List

Annotated Bibliography

Your assignment this week is an annotated bibliography that contains 6 mixed methods research articles on a related topic or from the same field or discipline. It should be apparent from the article titles or the journal ames that the articles are on a related topic. Length restriction: One page, single spaced for each entry.

 Limit your selection to articles that use the words "mixed methods" in the title or abstract. DO NOT USE ARTICLES FROM THE JOURNAL OF MIXED METHODS RESEARCH. See the exemplar.

For each article, use the following headings and provide the following information. If there is not enough information in the article to answer the question, make a note of that.

1. Full reference information, using APA style.
2. Purpose of the Article and Reasons Given for Using Mixed Methods
3. Methods. Describe how the qualitative data were collected and how the quantitative data were collected.
4. Analytical Methods. Describe what procedures were used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data AND what analytical procedures, if any, that combined the two.
5. Value Added. Identify and quote any sentence in the discussion and conclusions sections of the article that address what was gained by using mixed methods.

Up-load your assignment as a Word document. GRADING is based on (1) that you follow the prescribed format; (2) the completeness of your entry for each article, and (3) the extent that the articles hang together and relate to a singular topic, content area, or field.There is a penalty for late submissions.

You will lose credit for an entry if your summary raises a lot doubt that the article, regardless of how it is labeled, is really a reasonably good example of  mixed methods.

EXEMPLAR OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Submitted by: Ryan Earl, Spring 2016

McFerran, K., Roberts, M., & O’Grady, L. (2010). Music therapy with bereaved teenagers: A mixed methods perspective. Death Studies, 34, 541-565.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore whether music therapy groups might be beneficial for bereaved teenagers. The researchers used a mixed-methods approach because they wanted to use qualitative data from two focus groups to expand upon quantitative findings from the Harter Self Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA) and Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS) taken by participants on the first and last session of their respective groups.

Method

Participants in group 1 completed the SPPA on the first and final session of their group. Participants in group 2 completed the Adolescent Coping Scale on the first and final session of their group. Group 1 took place over 12 weeks and Group 2 took place over 14 weeks. Sessions lasted approximately 90 minutes and were focused on using music therapy to allow for expression and contemplation related to the recent death of a loved one. 15 of the participants participated in focus group interviews following the conclusion of their music therapy program. These focus group interviews were semi-structured.

Analytical Methods

Scores for the SPPA and ACS pre and post-test scales were computed and compared. The focus group interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a grounded theory strategy. They used open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The researchers enhanced trustworthiness by including a continuous comparison between data and the major categories. This ensured that the interpreted categories were related to the data contained within them. They also used triangulation and direct quotes from the original data. The focus group interview data was integrated with the quantitative data from SPPA and ACS scores to contextualize the significant differences between the first and final sessions.

Value Added

“Many of the themes that emerged from the previous qualitative analyses of this phenomenon were represented again in the raw data of this study the importance of fun as a springboard for grief processing being the most obvious. However the methodological approach used in this study has also illuminated effects of participation that reach beyond the group.”