Research design selection

Cresswell and Plano Clark (2007: 78) ask researchers to think about the research problem that they aimed to study, as the primary consideration was that the research design should match the research problem. Researchers using the exploratory design, are doing just that; exploring. They use qualitative research methods to collect data and explore a phenomenon. This knowledge is utilised to develop the quantitative research approach. Exploratory design allows the researcher to identify the themes within the phenomenon for further testing. This can be done by linking the results from the first phase qualitative data to identify important variables or develop a testing instrument used in the quantitative phase. The challenges associated with the exploratory

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design were not considered limiting for the researchers when selecting this design, and the advantages were numerous.

The limited existing knowledge on the subject created issues with variable and theme identification for the initial stage of the research, this heavily influenced the timing decision (Cresswell and Plano Clark 2007: 81). The study required sequential implementation of each phase. The qualitative and quantitative phases of the study were not able to be run concurrently as the qualitative data were used to influence and develop the quantitative data collection methods. The qualitative data required collection and analysis prior to implementation of the quantitative stage as the first would influence the latter.

The researcher also needed to consider the relative weight of importance to answering the research questions of each phase (Cresswell and Plano Clark 2007: 81-82), each method can have equal weight, or one can hold more than the other. There were several different approaches to how this decision could be made. Morse (1991) suggests a theoretical drive or worldview. Morgan (1998) suggests that the strength of each phase’s data collection method best appropriate to address the research problem should be considered. Cresswell (2014: 281) suggests that practical considerations should also be addressed. Equally weighing both methods uses more resources than an unequally weighted design, as well as considerations for the researcher’s own strengths with each method. Given these considerations, this study is unequally weighted towards the quantitative methods. This is the final phase of the research; the qualitative phase was conducted as a supportive and advisory mechanism for the primary focus of the research, the quantitative research approach.

The final consideration for mixed methods design is the manner in which the qualitative and quantitate methods will be mixed. This applies to the final combination of both data sets. Done inappropriately this may create a study that is a collection of multiple methods (Cresswell and Plano Clark 2007: 83), not a true and strong mixed methods design. The mixing decision is done through merging the data sets, embedding the data sets at the design level, or connecting from data analysis to data collection (Cresswell and Plano Clark 2007: 83).

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Merging the data sets occurs when the researcher takes the data sets and brings them together by either analysing them separately and then merging the results or analysing them together. Embedding the data at the design level is done by embedding one data set within the design of the other. Connecting from data analysis to data collection links the data sets together by using the analysis or one data set to develop the other. This could be done by collecting qualitative results that build to the collection and analysis of quantitative data. The connection is done through specification of research questions, selection of participants or development of a research instrument.

This study used the mixed methods research approach with quantitative methods to follow up on qualitative research; conducted in this fashion, to serve a specific purpose. Morgan (2015) explains that there must be some reason why the strengths of a quantitative method can add to what the qualitative results have already accomplished (Morgan 2015). The key reason for using this approach was to demonstrate that due to limited existing knowledge, the new core concepts uncovered by the qualitative research stage, apply more generally, beyond the original collection of specific cases (Morgan 2015).

3.3.2.1 Ethical considerations

There were ethical considerations to be addressed. The researcher was unable to provide the ethical review board with a finalised quantitative instrument at the time of submission; instead, a temporary survey was provided. The document included a note stating that the survey would be influenced by the results from the qualitative phase and an updated copy of the final document would be submitted as soon as it was available. This was necessary due to the limited factors and variables available to the researcher at the beginning of the project, and the early stages of the research relied strongly on medical workforce literature at the time of ethics approval.

The final challenge was the consideration that participants in the qualitative phase may also be participants in the quantitative stage. This was not considered an issue for the researcher, due to the relatively small number of participants in the first stage, and privacy concerns with the second phase made it impossible to identify any matching participants from both phases. The

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research team discussed this possibility, and concluded that having the same participants in each phase will not be an issue for this study.