Browsing by Subject "Mixed methods"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Addressing the 'leadership conundrum' through a mixed methods study of school leadership for literacy
    (2019) Taylor, Nick; Wills, Gabrielle; Hoadley, Ursula
    This paper explores methodological insights from a mixed methods study that aims to understand how school leaders promote literacy development in their schools. The study findings consider both the complementarities and the challenges of the qualitative and quantitative approaches to measuring leadership practices and their linkages with learning across schools. We begin by identifying a conundrum in school leadership and management (SLM) research – strong effects found in qualitative studies and weaker effects in quantitative studies. From the literature we identify some of the central challenges that account for these differences. We then show how these challenges were and were not addressed in the mixed method research we conducted in an SLM study of South African primary schools in challenging contexts. We consider why the central aim of the study – to develop a scalable instrument for measuring SLM – remains elusive.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Domestic and intimate partner violence among pregnant women in a low resource setting in South Africa: a facility-based, mixed methods study
    (BioMed Central, 2018-07-04) Field, Sally; Onah, Michael; van Heyningen, Thandi; Honikman, Simone
    Background Rates of violence against women are reported to be highest in Africa compared to other continents. We aimed to determine associations between mental illness, demographic, psychosocial and economic factors with experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant women in a low resource setting in Cape Town and to explore the contextual elements pertaining to domestic violence. Methods We recruited adult women attending antenatal services at a primary-level maternity facility. Demographic, socioeconomic and psychosocial data were collected by questionnaire. The Expanded Mini- International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) Version 5.0.0 was used to assess mental health status and the Revised Conflict Tactic Scale (CTS2) used to assess IPV in the six months prior to the study. Non-parametric tests, Wilcoxon sum of rank test, Fisher Exact and two sample T test and multicollinearity tests were performed. Descriptive, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify associations between the outcome of interest and key predictors. A probability value of p ≤ 0.05 was selected. From counselling case notes, a thematic content analysis was conducted to describe contextual factors pertaining to forms of domestic violence (DV). Results The prevalence of IPV was 15% of a sample of 376 women. Women who were food insecure, unemployed, in stable but unmarried relationships, had experienced any form of past abuse and were not pleased about the current pregnancy were more likely to experience IPV. MINI-defined mental health problems and a history of mental illness were significantly associated with IPV. Qualitative analysis of 95 counselling case notes revealed that DV within the household was not limited to intimate partners and, DV in this context was often perceived as ‘normal’ behaviour by the participants. Conclusions This study contributes towards a greater understanding of the risk profile for IPV amongst pregnant women in low-income settings. Adversity, including food insecurity and mental ill-health are closely associated with IPV during the antenatal period. Advocates against violence against pregnant women are advised to consider that violence in the home may be perpetrated by non-intimate partners and may by enabled by a pervasive belief in the acceptability of the violence.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Implementation fidelity of a transition program for adolescents with congenital heart disease: the STEPSTONES project
    (2022-02-05) Saarijärvi, Markus; Wallin, Lars; Moons, Philip; Gyllensten, Hanna; Bratt, Ewa-Lena
    Background Although transition programs have been evaluated for adolescents with chronic conditions, these have rarely involved process evaluations. Indeed, outcomes of complex interventions are dependent on how the intervention is implemented in practice and evaluations of implementation process are therefore pivotal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which a transition program for adolescents with congenital heart disease was delivered as intended. Research questions were 1) to what level of fidelity was the program delivered? and 2) what potential moderating factors affected the delivery of the program and overall fidelity? Methods A mixed methods design was used, where a process evaluation was embedded in the STEPSTONES randomized controlled trial in Sweden. The implementation fidelity framework by Carrol (2007) and Hasson (2010) was used to design, collect and analyze data. Quantitative data consisted of intervention records on adherence and were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data on moderators affecting fidelity were collected through interviews, log-books and focus group interviews with healthcare professionals implementing the intervention and participatory observations of the implementation process. Data were analyzed with deductive content analysis. Triangulation was used to integrate quantitative and qualitative data within the fidelity framework. Results Six out of eight components of the transition program were delivered to an extent that adhered to the program theory or achieved a high level of fidelity. However, components involving peer support had a low attendance by the participating sample (32.2%), and the joint transfer meeting was challenging to implement, despite achieving high adherence. Moderators affecting the implementation process were the adolescent’s and healthcare professional’s engagement in the intervention, contextual factors and a lack of standard operating procedures for all components in the program. Conclusion Barriers and facilitators for a future implementation of transition programs have been illuminated in this study. The use of an implementation fidelity framework in the process evaluation proved successful in providing a comprehensive evaluation of factors affecting the implementation process. However, implementation fidelity must be considered in relation to adaptations to the local and personal prerequisites in order to create interventions that can achieve fit.