Academic literature on the topic 'Mixed methods case study'

<p> Garden-based environmental education addresses ecological literacy in the context of schoolyard gardens. This study seeks to elucidate the topics and factors that influence student engagement while learning in these schoolyard spaces, through a mixed-methods case study at a San Francisco public elementary school. Data were collected from student work, student interviews, teacher interviews, and educator observations of the garden-based environmental education class. From the data, many themes were identified such as describing student engagement, topics that were particularly engaging, and engaged and disengaged behaviors. Student work and educator observations supported that lessons with a focus on food or animals were particularly engaging for students. The hands-on components of lessons, alignment with state standards, and the schoolyard garden space itself were also found to support student engagement in this study. Though previous research does not address engaging topics in garden-based environmental education, some studies support the engaging nature of hands-on activities, specifically in science contexts. It is my hope that this research informs garden-based environmental education practices, and continues to add to the number of studies regarding it.</p>

From 2010 to 2016, public schools in New York City were required to affiliate with one of approximately 60 Children First Networks (CFN). These networks were designed to provide a broad range of support for instruction, leadership, curriculum, and operations in schools, as well as facilitating collaboration between schools, with the ultimate goal of raising student achievement. Using mixed methods, the research presented in this thesis investigates relationships between these networks and student achievement, and explores processes and interactions relevant to collaboration and school improvement within and between schools and their affiliated networks. The overall explanatory sequential mixed methods design began with a quantitative phase, in which secondary data were analyzed using multilevel modeling to determine whether there was an overall effect of networks on student achievement on state assessments in literacy and mathematics. Contextualised value added (CVA) school effects were also investigated at this stage, and the results were used to inform the sampling of schools for the qualitative strand of the project. Qualitative inquiry used a case study approach, with the "case" defined as the network structure as a whole, and embedded cases consisting of 10 schools in several different networks. Interviews were conducted with various stakeholders (principals, teachers, and network staff) to access multiple perspectives and experiences of network roles, participation and collaboration in networks, and how these relate to school improvement. Main findings from the quantitative analysis demonstrate little evidence of an overall effect of networks on student achievement, but show significant variation between schools' CVA effects. Qualitative findings offer insight relevant to these results, as accounts of participants at different levels of the network structure vary regarding the nature, extent and impact of schools' involvement with networks. Focusing on an under-researched network structure and applying rigorous methods from educational effectiveness research within a mixed methods design to study networking and collaboration in education, this study makes an original and substantive contribution to both of these fields. Findings have the potential to inform relevant policy in New York City, and though results from this context must be generalized cautiously, this research may provide useful considerations for policymakers in other settings by adding to the broader evidence base on the effects of school networks and the processes and interactions within them.

The purpose of the study was to understand what language and strategies instructors and students perceived as conveying caring in online graduate education. Using Nodding’s (1984, 1988, 1995, 2001, 2002) care theory, questions were crafted for structured interviews and a survey. The study was conducted at a Midwestern, midsized university. Structured online interviews were conducted with the instructors, and an online survey was offered to students in the eight participating graduate instructors’ courses with 46/222 students responding. The researcher conducted a quantitative and qualitative analysis of all data, including a document review of the instructors’ course delivery shells, investigating language usage in Announcements, Discussion Boards, and Assignment Feedback in the Gradebook for triangulation of the data. The findings supported the three major constructs of Noddings’ care theory. The first construct was mental attentiveness in which students indicated the importance of the immediacy of feedback. The second construct was affective engagement, in which students expressed that feedback include specific comments and praise with caring language and concern for the students’ personal situations. The third construct was reciprocity, which students conveyed the importance of student-instructor interaction in the discussion board and also of video conferencing in order to promote reciprocal interaction. The findings of this study may lead to actions by instructors that could convey more caring and increase student engagement, satisfaction, and achievement, thereby assisting colleges and universities in their retention efforts. Most importantly, the findings may add to the existing literature of what a caring graduate instructor-student relationship encompasses in online education.<br>Dissertation (Ed.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership

A review of academic literature revealed a dearth of published research concerning whether dramatherapy might help UK combat veterans recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Furthermore no published research sought to capture veterans’ perspectives during dramatherapy in the UK. My research questions addressed the gap in the research literature: What is the participant’s perspective on the use of dramatherapy in helping British combat veterans a) to recover from PTSD? and b) to adjust to civilian life? The research design was a phenomenological mixed methods case study. The qualitative measures were arts-based. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to examine the transcripts of the dramatherapy sessions. The quantitative measures were the Clinical Outcomes Routine Evaluation (CORE) -34 and CORE-10; Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) and the PTSD Checklist – Military (PCL-M). The multiple methods synthesis raised questions and gave new insights rather than confirming results. The participants were 3 male veterans from the same region of the UK. I was the researcher/dramatherapist. The aim of the research was to achieve an in-depth study underpinned by a participant-centred approach. The research theme was journeying towards recovery. The choice of play-text, an excerpt from The Odyssey, reflected this. The initial 5 dramatherapy sessions were individual and the remaining 3 were group sessions. The IPA indicated that the participants’ perspectives were that dramatherapy might help other veterans towards recovery from PTS. Furthermore dramatherapy might help in their adjustment to civilian life. The use of , imagination and role rehearsal and assisted in reframing of their personal stories. The participants found the use of a novel method developed by myself, from Turner’s Model of Crisis (TMOC) (Turner, 1967) particularly helpful in moving through traumatic memories, utilising metaphor and a problem-solving approach. This led to embodiment of reprised positive military roles in overcoming obstacles on their journeys. They used this method in other situations arising outside of the research and recommended it as potentially having a positive impact on other veterans, seeking recovery. They remained in the clinically significant scoring for PTSD. However, they identified the framework of dramatherapy methods resulted in an increase in confidence, creativity and ability to manage conflict. This was supported by the IPA results.

Stress and mental health issues are now the most common cause of workplace absence. Increasing evidence points to the need for organisations to take steps to enhance well-being at work for employees. Social support has been identified as one key factor affecting employee psychological well-being, however, the definition and conceptualisation of the term continues to be debated. To date, research examining the relationship between social support and well-being at work tends to be predominantly quantitative and to prioritise work-based sources of support above other sources of support. Few workplace interventions aimed at improving employee well-being appear to have a specific focus on enhancing social support. This thesis presents findings from a mixed-methods case study of a large, public sector organisation in Scotland. The study had four phases: an online survey (n=158), semi-structured interviews (n=31), a diary phase (n=11) and a final interview (n=11). Higher levels of social support were associated with a higher level of psychological well-being. Findings highlighted the importance of various work and non-work based sources of social support, such as peer support and support from friends, and various dimensions of support too, such as ‘distant vs. proximal’ support. Potential negative effects of social support were also identified, for example, when perceived as interfering. Women reported higher levels of support and of positive mental well-being than did men. Interview and diary data revealed a range of contextual, organisational and individual factors that affected both access to and availability of social support, and the relationship between social support and employee well-being. Recent organisational changes appeared to be particularly influential. Employee opinion regarding existing organisational well-being initiatives varied on the basis of whether the support was formal or informal and in terms of perceived versus received support. Social support was valued highly by respondents with regard to improving employee well-being. Open and honest communication, physical presence of support and familiarity with context-specific knowledge were of particular pertinence. This thesis contributes to knowledge in three ways. Substantively, the importance of examining social support more holistically is highlighted in order to better understand the relationship between social support and employee well-being. Methodologically, this mixed methods approach proved fruitful in generating a richness and depth of data largely untapped by previous, predominantly quantitative, studies. Finally, the findings have practical implications for HR personnel and policy makers as they offer an insight into the contribution of various sources and dimensions of social support to employee well-being, as understood by employees.