Researchware, Inc.

Researchware cofounder, Dr. Sharlene Hesse-Biber has authored "Qualitative Approaches to Mixed Methods Practice" for the July 2010 issue of Qualitative Inquiry (Vol. 16, No. 6). This article discusses how methodological practices can shape and limit how mixed methods is practiced and makes visible the current methodological assumptions embedded in mixed methods practice that can shut down a range of social inquiry. The article argues that there is a "methodological orthodoxy" in how mixed methods is practiced that currently favors quantitative methodologies, with a mixed methods praxis that positions qualitative methods second and quantitative methods as primary with an overall mixed methods design that is in the service of testing out quantitatively generated theories about the social world. This article upends the current methodological focus on positivism by centering qualitative approaches to mixed methods practice. A qualitative approach seeks to empower individuals’ stories with the goal of understanding how they how make meaning within their social world. Through intensive case studies this article demonstrates the synergy of combining methods in the service of qualitatively driven approaches. The article can be found here.

Gerard Leavey of the University College London, used HyperRESEARCH to research the role of clergy in mental health care. "U.K. Clergy and People in Mental Distress: Community and Patterns of Pastoral Care" appears in Transcultural Psychiatry, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp 79-104 (2008). The author describes the study: "Despite the advance of secularizing influences in many western societies, religion and faith-based organizations play a significant role in the lives of many individuals and communities. Despite this, little is known about what clergy do when faced with mental health problems among their communities. Based on an analysis of in-depth interviews with U.K. Christian, Muslim and Jewish clergy this article examines models of pastoral care provided within different faith groups. The provision of such care was generally influenced by religious tradition and beliefs, community integrity and mission. Implications of the findings for collaboration with pastoral care are discussed." The paper is online here.

In the Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp 240-250 (Jul 2008), Charles Edmund Degeneffe and Marjorie F. Olney of San Diego State University present the findings of their HyperRESEARCH based qualitative study in "Future Concerns of Adult Siblings of Persons With Traumatic Brain Injury."

Julie Hicks, MSN, RN, CS, FNP, CPON (Children's Mercy Hospital and Clinics), Joy Bartholomew, MSN, RN, CS, FNP, CPON (Children's Mercy Hospital and Clinics), Peggy Ward-Smith, PhD, RN (University of Missouri-Kansas City) and CJ Hutto, BS, RN (Children's Mercy Hospital and Clinics) used HyperRESEARCH to examine "Quality of Life among Childhood Leukemia Patients," appearing in the Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp 192-200 (2003). "The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to allow childhood leukemia patients to describe their quality of life (QoL) in their own words. These personal accounts provide an opportunity for health care personnel to understand the impact that leukemia has on these children. A total of 13 children in three focus group interviews participated. They ranged in age from 5 to 9 years and were either off therapy or had completed at least 6 months of treatment. Four semistructured interview questions were used to guide the interviews. Each question related to a domain identified in previous research as having an effect on QoL. Thus, the areas explored in this study were (a) physical well-being and symptoms, (b) psychological well-being, (c) social well-being, and (d) spiritual well-being. Five themes were identified: (a) fatigue, (b) the effect on activities, (c) medication and treatment effects, (d) relationship changes, and (e) hair loss." Access this paper online here.