DIGI 760 Methodology: Mixed Methods

Advanced study of mixed methods research methods. The course will utilize qualitative and quantitative methods to develop insights from data in the communication field.

Prerequisites:

Advanced study of mixed methods research methods. The course will utilize qualitative and quantitative methods to develop insights from data in the communication field.

The objective of this course is to teach students what a mixed methods approach to research is, as well as how to properly conduct a mixed methods study in communication research. Students will be taught about the foundations of mixed methods research, the different designs of studies, and how to successfully complete mixed methods research. At the end of the course, students will have completed a mixed methods study.

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Course Requirement Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will introduce him/herself to others in the course by posting a thread and responding to classmates.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, discussions allow the student to interact with others while sharing his/her own knowledge on a given topic. In this course, the student will provide three (3) initial discussion posts and two replies. Initial posts are to be a minimum of 800 words, and each reply should be at least 400 words. Each initial discussion must have at least 5 scholarly sources. Each reply must incorporate at least 3 scholarly citation(s) in APA format. Replies or initial posts should contain a biblical perspective/source. Current APA format is required for this posting. 

Research Article Identification Assignment

The student is responsible for finding four (4) mixed methods articles in the field of communication. These cannot include the ones that are posted in the course. For each article, the student will need to: identify which of the mixed methods designs the study uses, identify the qualitative and quantitative measures and instruments used, identify the research questions/hypotheses, identify the results, and how the data was integrated. This assignment should be turned in as a 4–6 page paper in current APA format.

The student will submit a one-page description of his/her chosen communication research topic, mixed methods research design, and research questions for the student’s Mixed Methods Research Proposal Assignment. The student must present the communication research topic and support it with at least one scholarly source (3-4 sentences), describe his/her chosen mixed methods research design (1-2 sentences) and list the research questions/hypotheses. The assignment must be in current APA format.

A quantitative practice assignment will help the student better understand the individual quantitative methods used in mixed methods research. The assignment consists of choosing one of the named methods and one of the attached data sets to complete the appropriate statistical analysis for a proposed research question. The assignment must be 500-650 words in length and must be completed in current APA format.

Similar to the quantitative assignment, the qualitative assignment will help the student practice methodology. The student is required to choose one of the named qualitative methods and come to a conclusion to the proposed research question provided. The student needs to identify which approach would best work for the proposed questions and follow the individual assignment instructions associated with his/her chosen method. The assignment must be 1,000-1,250 words and must be completed in current APA format.

The student will practice mixed methods integration and visualization by presenting mixed methods data in a joint display table. The student will choose from a list of approved mixed methods research articles. They will analyze the methodology, results, and discussion of the article to determine how the author(s) integrated the data. The student will then create a joint display table of the integrated results. In 3-5 pages, the student will present a minimum 600-word discussion of the mixed methods integration followed by the joint display table. The assignment must be in current APA format.

In 4-6 pages, the student will develop the second phase for a mixed methods research study. The student will choose from a list of approved single-method research articles. After analyzing the methodology and results of the student’s chosen research article, he/she will develop a second phase by building on the results of the research article. The assignment must be in current APA format. 

The student will complete a 16-18 page mixed methods research proposal on a communications topic of his/her choosing. This paper should be in current APA format and include all of the necessary appendices required for the study. For this class, topics in the cultural, critical, and rhetorical communication perspectives are not allowed. The student will utilize the chosen mixed methods research design submitted in his/her Choosing a Mixed Methods Research Design Assignment.