Mixed Methods Research and Culture-Specific Interventions

Bonnie K. Nastasi, PhD (Kent State University, 1986, School Psychology & Early Childhood Education), is Professor of Psychology and Co-director of the Trauma Specialization in School Psychology at Tulane University. She uses mixed-methods research designs to develop and evaluate culturally appropriate assessment and intervention approaches for promoting mental health and reducing health risks, within the United States and internationally. She directed a multi-country study of psychological well-being of children and adolescents with research partners in 12 countries from 2008 to 2013. With colleagues, she developed the Participatory Culture-Specific Intervention Model (PCSIM) to guide the design and evaluation of sustainable culturally and contextually relevant programming through partnerships with stakeholders. She is active in the promotion of child rights and social justice within the profession of school psychology. She is president of the International School Psychology Association. John H. Hitchcock, Ph.D. (University at Albany, State University of New York, 2003, Educational Psychology) is an associate professor of Instructional Systems Technology within Indiana University’s School of Education, Bloomington, Indiana, USA. He is also the Director of the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy. Dr. Hitchcock’s research focus is on the use of mixed methods and other types of designs to evaluate interventions and policies that focus on helping students with specialized learning needs. He has served as a principal investigator, methodological lead and content expert for the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education, to complete a systematic review of interventions designed for children with emotional-behavioral disorders. He also served on a panel that drafted standards for assessing the causal-validity of Single-Case Design studies for the WWC. Dr. Hitchcock has served as a co-principal investigator of two large scale randomized controlled trials to assess the impact of reading and math curricula. He has contributed to efforts to develop programs that promote psychological well-being in Sri Lanka since 1998, and he is currently an Associate Editor for School Psychology Review.

"It is very clear that the authors have an extensive experience applying mixed research methodologies to a variety of interventions in multiple contexts. […T]he main strength in what I have read is that they are very successful in connecting these real-life experiences with the theories that they present in the text; this combination brings new life to the text and help readers to easily identify with the content."

• Editors′ IntroductionPrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsChapter 1--Introduction: The Role of Culture and Context in Developing Intervention and Prevention ProgramsIntroductionWhy Should We Attend To Culture And Context?Implementation Science and Translational ResearchLimitations of Standard Research Approaches and Potential Contributions of MMROverview of the Book’s Content and StructureConclusionKey TermsReflective Questions and ExercisesReferencesChapter 2--Conceptual Models for Mixed Methods and Culture-Specific Intervention DevelopmentIntroductionConceptual Models for Intervention DevelopmentMMR Models for Program DevelopmentKey TermsReflective Questions and ExercisesReferencesChapter 3--Use of MMR to Understand Context and Guide Program DesignIntroductionEthnography and Associated MMR Practices for Cultural Study and Program DesignAn IllustrationConclusionKey TermsReflective Questions and ExercisesReferencesChapter 4--Use of MMR to Guide Implementation and AdaptationIntroductionConceptual and Procedural FoundationsMonitoring Program ImplementationProgram AdaptationDetermining Overall Program SuccessCapacity for Sustainability and InstitutionalizationAn IllustrationConclusionKey TermsReflective Questions and ExercisesReferencesChapter 5--Use of MMR to Address Validity Concerns in Program EvaluationIntroductionConceptual and Procedural ConsiderationsSampling, External Validity, and Transferability ConsiderationPulling it All Together: An ExampleConclusionKey TermsReflective Questions and ExercisesReferencesChapter 6--MMR Model Application: A Full ExampleIntroductionContextual and Cultural ConsiderationsProgram DesignProgram Implementation and AdaptationProgram EvaluationPromoting Translation and Capacity BuildingConclusionsReflective Questions and ExercisesReferencesChapter 7--Implementation and Evaluation ChallengesIntroduction: Common Challenges in Program Implementation and EvaluationEstablishing and Maintaining PartnershipsGaining and Maintaining Stakeholder CommitmentForming Sustainable Decision-Making TeamsAddressing Staff Development NeedsResource Acquisition and AllocationCreating Versus Adapting Existing EBIsThinking Through MMR Design QualityCross-Cultural Social Science Research Has Received Inadequate AttentionConclusionKey TermsReflective Questions and ExercisesReferencesChapter 8--Future DirectionsIntroductionImplications for Model DevelopmentApplication of MMR to Intervention Development and EvaluationImplications for Extending Mixed MethodologyAdvancing the Science of Intervention Development and Evaluation: Implications for Implementation ScienceFinal ThoughtsReflective Questions and ExercisesReferencesIndex