Qualitative and mixed methods in evaluation:
Maritza is a human service professional who works in a program that provides parenting education and support to women who have been incarcerated.
Maritza works with these paroled women in a weekly group meeting. She provides the women with information about child development and positive parenting techniques. She also leaves time for the women to discuss, within the group, any specific issues that are troubling them with parenting.
Many of the women have not had regular contact with their children for a long time.As you answer the following questions, keep in mind if Maritza can identify exactly what elements of her program help incarcerated women, she may be in a better position to improve those elements by expanding them or providing them to other, similar groups of women.
• Predict what Maritza would find if she used qualitative approach to her research.
• Explain how Maritza”s results would differ if she used a quantitative approach.
• Identify which approach you think would be most helpful. Why?
• If you were Maritza, describe how you would take advantage of both approaches by using the mixed method approach.