Avances en estudios observacionales de ciencias del deporte desde los mixed methods

Desde ser un movimiento emergente a finales del siglo XX hasta la actualidad, destaca el impulso, fortaleza, y sostenibilidad con que han crecido y se han desarrollado los mixed methods, tanto genéricamente, como en el ámbito especifico de Ciencias del Deporte, aunque en menor medida, y de forma desigual según las modalidades deportivas. Se presenta el recorrido durante los últimos quince años, y se puede comprobar la rapidez de su expansión, aunque limitado a pocas modalidades deportivas. Analizando las posibles razones que han influido en una utilización mucho más exigua que en otros ámbitos, consideramos que son superables, y que en la actualidad no existen limitaciones que objetivamente sigan incidiendo en un uso reducido. Muchos de los estudios observacionales realizados en el ámbito del deporte ya son estudios mixed methods. Finalmente, se desarrolla un apartado que comporta una novedad de planteamiento en un estudio que se pretende actúe como referente, pero que en la práctica investigadora diaria se viene aplicando de forma claramente sostenida a lo largo de las dos últimas décadas, y es la consideración de la metodologia observacional como mixed method en sí misma, dado que comporta la integración de elementos cualitativos y cuantitativos en la práctica totalidad de los casos.

Do Children's Health Resources Differ According to Preschool Physical Activity Programmes and Parental Behaviour? A Mixed Methods Study

Preschool can have positive effects on the development of a healthy lifestyle. The present study analysed to what extent different conditions, structures and behavioural models in preschool and family-children's central social microsystems-can lead to differences in children's health resources. Using a cross-sectional mixed methods approach, contrast analyses of "preschools with systematic physical activity programmes" versus "preschools without physical activity programmes" were conducted to assess the extent to which children's physical activity, quality of life and social behaviour differ between preschools with systematic and preschools without physical activity programmes. Differences in children's physical activity according to parental behaviour were likewise assessed. Data on child-related outcomes and parent-related factors were collected via parent questionnaires and child interviews. A qualitative focused ethnographic study was performed to obtain deeper insight into the quantitative survey data. Two hundred and twenty seven (227) children were interviewed at 21 preschools with systematic physical activity programmes, and 190 at 25 preschools without physical activity programmes. There was no significant difference in children's physical activity levels between the two preschool types (p = 0.709). However, the qualitative data showed differences in the design and quality of programmes to promote children's physical activity. Data triangulation revealed a strong influence of parental behaviour. The triangulation of methods provided comprehensive insight into the nature and extent of physical activity programmes in preschools and made it possible to capture the associations between systematic physical activity promotion and children's health resources in a differential manner.

From the human rights-based approach to an ecological approach on how to achieve successful inclusion in international disability education

The barriers that people with disabilities face around the world are not only inherent to the limitations resulting from the disability itself, but, more importantly, these barriers rest with the societal technologies of exclusion. Using a mixed methodology approach, I conduct a quest to revealing several societal factors that limit full participation of people with disabilities in their communities, which will contribute to understanding and developing a more comprehensive framework for full inclusion of people with disabilities into the society. First, I conduct a multiple regression analysis to seek whether there is a statistical relationship between the national level of development, the level of democratization, and the level of education within a country’s population on one hand, and expressed concern for and preparedness to improve the quality of life for people of disabilities on another hand. The results from the quantitative methodology reveal that people without disabilities are more prepared to take care of people with disabilities when the level of development of the country is higher, when the people have more freedom of expression and hold the government accountable for its actions, and when the level of corruption is under control. However, a greater concern for the well-being of people with disabilities is correlated with a high level of country development, a decreased value of political stability and absence of violence, a decreased level of government effectiveness, and a greater level of law enforcement. None of the dependent variables are significantly correlated with the level of education from a given country. Then, I delve into an interpretive analysis to understand multiple factors that contribute to the construction of attitudes and practices towards people with disabilities. In doing this, I build upon the four main principles outlined by the United Nations as strongly recommended to be embedded in all international programmes: (1) identification of claims of human rights and the corresponding obligations of governments, hence, I assess and analyze disability rights in education, looking at United Nation, United States, and European Union Perspectives Educational Rights Provisions for People with Disabilities (Ch. 3); (2) estimated capacity of individuals to claim their rights and of governments to fulfill their obligations, hence, I look at the people with disabilities as rights-holders and duty-bearers and discuss the importance of investing in special capital in the context of global development (Ch. 4); (3) programmes monitor and evaluate the outcomes and the processes under the auspices of human rights standards, hence, I look at the importance of evaluating the UN World Programme of Action Concerning People with Disabilities from multiple perspectives, as an example of why and how to monitor and evaluate educational human rights outcomes and processes (Ch. 5); and (4) programming should reflect the recommendations of international human rights bodies and mechanisms, hence, I focus on programming that fosters development of the capacity of people with disabilities, that is, planning for an ecology of disabilities and ecoducation for people with disabilities (Ch. 6). Results from both methodologies converge to a certain point, and they further complement each other. One common result for the two methodologies employed is that disability is an evolving concept when viewed in a broader context, which integrates the four spaces that the ecological framework incorporates. Another common result is that factors such as economic, social, legal, political, and natural resources and contexts contribute to the health, education and employment opportunities, and to the overall well-being of people with disabilities. The ecological framework sees all these factors from a meta-systemic perspective, where bi-directional interactions are expected and desired, and also from a human rights point of view, where the inherent value of people is upheld at its highest standard.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for older people in a community setting: a mixed methods feasibility study

Rationale: In line with complex intervention development, this research takes a systematic approach to examining the feasibility and acceptability of delivering Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) to older people who experience symptoms of depression. Methods: A mixed methods approach was adopted in line with recommendations made by the MRC Complex Intervention Development framework. Quantitative and qualitative methods were combined by administering questionnaires as well as conducting post intervention interviews. A number of trial feasibility factors were examined such as recruitment and attrition rates. Qualitative data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework. Results: Nine participants started the MBCT intervention and six completed the 8-week programme. The results suggest that MBCT for older people is feasible and acceptable. Participants reported improved mindfulness skills. Participants responded positively to being asked to take part in research and appeared to particularly value the group delivery format of the intervention. Conclusions: MBCT is both feasible and acceptable for older people experiencing symptoms of depression. Further research is required with larger sample sizes to allow for more robust statistical exploration of outcome measures, including mechanisms of change.

Augmented Dissent: The Affordances of ICTs for Citizen Protest (A Case Study of the Ukraine Euromaidan Protests of 2013-2014).

This dissertation research project uses the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine to inform and shape a theory of augmented dissent to help explain the complex ways in which protest participants guided by the political, social, and cultural contexts engage in dissent augmented by ICTs in a reality where both the physical and the digital are used in concert. The purpose of this research is to conceptualize the use and perception of ICTs in protest activity using the communicative affordances framework. Through a mixed-method research approach involving interviews with protest participants, as well as qualitative and thematic analysis of online content from social media pages of several key Euromaidan protest communities, the research project examines the role ICTs played in the information and media landscape during the Euromaidan protest. The findings of the online content analysis were used to inform the questions for the 59 semi-structured, open-ended interviews with Euromaidan protest participants in Ukraine and abroad. The research findings provide in-depth insights about how ICTs were used and perceived by protest participants, and their role as vehicles for information and civic media content. The study employs the theoretical framework of social media affordances to interpret the data gathered during the interviews and content analysis to better understand how digital media augmented citizens’ protest activity through affording them new possibilities for dissent, and how they made meaning of said protest activity as augmented by ICTs. The findings contribute towards shaping a theory of digitally augmented dissent that conceptualizes the complex relationship between citizens and ICTs during protest activity as an affordance-driven one, where online and offline tools and activity merge into a unified dissent space and extend or augment the possibilities for action in interesting, and sometimes unexpected ways. Such a conceptual model could inform broader theories about civic participation and digital activism in the post-Soviet world and beyond, as ICTs become an inseparable part of civic life.

Benefícios afetivossociais da prática da dança para estudantes dos núcleos de arte da Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro

O propósito desta pesquisa foi investigar o papel atribuído à Dança, no âmbito da dimensão afetivossocial compreendendo como se reflete na vida (pessoal e social) dos jovens estudantes dos oito Centros de Pesquisa e Formação em Ensino Escolar de Arte e Esporte – Núcleo de Arte da Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro – distribuídos em distintas regiões do município do Rio de Janeiro. A base teórica do estudo foi fundamentada pela dimensão afetivossocial em autores de referência da área (Bertine, 2014; Damásio, 2012; 2013; Godoy, 2013; Leme, 2013; Macara 2010a, 2010b; Marques, 2010; 2014; Matos & Tomé, 2012; Monteiro, 2012; Shapiro, 2008; Stinson, 2014; Strongman, 2002; Sawaia, 2014; Varregoso et al., 2014). Com este desígnio, o trajeto metodológico percorrido para construção da tese decorreu em duas fases. A primeira de natureza exploratória, marcada por dois Estudos Preliminares. A segunda de natureza pluri-metodológicos: Pesquisa de Método Misto, com a combinação entre a abordagem quantitativa e qualitativa, marcada por um estudo de campo. Participaram do estudo quantitativo 378 praticantes de Dança de 12 a 18 anos de idade e do estudo qualitativo 52 integrantes do espaço (diretores, professores, coordenador e praticantes e ex-praticantes). O método de análise adotado foi estatístico descritivo e correlação de Pearson pelo SPSS22 e, análise de conteúdo. Todos os dados analisados foram integrados nas duas dimensões do estudo, Dimensão Representação Afetivossocial e Dimensão Transformação Pessoal e Social. Como resultado, verificamos que os jovens sentem-se motivados e incluídos pelo trabalho realizado nas oficinas de Dança nos núcleos, percebem que a Dança é fonte de empoderamento da dimensão afetivossocial pelo despertar da motivação, do bem-estar e da autorealização. No campo afetivo, descrevem o desenvolvimento das competências emocionais pelas sensações, emoções e sentimentos gerados no corpo e nas experiências relacionais na Dança, despertando o conactus (Damásio, 2012; Leme, 2013) e a potência de ação (Sawaia, 2014), capazes de transformar estados emocionais, situações e coisas em benefício próprio. O desenvolvimento das competências sociais transcorreu pela mudança comportamental em casa, pela tríade interação-participação-transformação social no núcleo, família, escola e comunidade despertando sentimentos na construção da dimensão afetivossocial e promovendo liberdade de ser e estar no mundo. Com o desenvolvimento destas competências, estes jovens percebem-se incluídos na sociedade despertando para muitos o desejo de prosseguimento na carreira (Amadora ou Profissional).

A multi-method study of the transformation of the carbonaceous skeleton of a polymer-based nanoporous carbon along the activation pathway

The change in the carbonaceous skeleton of nanoporous carbons during their activation has received limited attention, unlike its counterpart process in the presence of an inert atmosphere. Here we adopt a multi-method approach to elucidate this change in a poly(furfuryl alcohol)-derived carbon activated using cyclic application of oxygen saturation at 250 °C before its removal (with carbon) at 800 °C in argon. The methods used include helium pycnometry, synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction (XRD) and associated radial distribution function (RDF) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and, uniquely, electron energy-loss spectroscopy spectrum-imaging (EELS-SI), electron nanodiffraction and fluctuation electron microscopy (FEM). Helium pycnometry indicates the solid skeleton of the carbon densifies during activation from 78% to 93% of graphite. RDF analysis, EELS-SI, and FEM all suggest this densification comes through an in-plane growth of sp2 carbon out to the medium range without commensurate increase in order normal to the plane. This process could be termed ‘graphenization’. The exact way in which this process occurs is not clear, but TEM images of the carbon before and after activation suggest it may come through removal of the more reactive carbon, breaking constraining cross-links and creating space that allows the remaining carbon material to migrate in an annealing-like process.

Developing a Process to Create and Validate an Instrument Assessing Student Attainment of Competencies at an Intercultural University in Mexico

This study took place at one of the intercultural universities (IUs) of Mexico that serve primarily indigenous students. The IUs are pioneers in higher education despite their numerous challenges (Bertely, 1998; Dietz, 2008; Pineda & Landorf, 2010; Schmelkes, 2009). To overcome educational inequalities among their students (Ahuja, Berumen, Casillas, Crispín, Delgado et al., 2004; Schmelkes, 2009), the IUs have embraced performance-based assessment (PBA; Casillas & Santini, 2006). PBA allows a shared model of power and control related to learning and evaluation (Anderson, 1998). While conducting a review on PBA strategies of the IUs, the researcher did not find a PBA instrument with valid and reliable estimates. The purpose of this study was to develop a process to create a PBA instrument, an analytic general rubric, with acceptable validity and reliability estimates to assess students’ attainment of competencies in one of the IU’s majors, Intercultural Development Management. The Human Capabilities Approach (HCA) was the theoretical framework and a sequential mixed method (Creswell, 2003; Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009) was the research design. IU participants created a rubric during two focus groups, and seven Spanish-speaking professors in Mexico and the US piloted using students’ research projects. The evidence that demonstrates the attainment of competencies at the IU is a complex set of actual, potential and/or desired performances or achievements, also conceptualized as “functional capabilities” (FCs; Walker, 2008), that can be used to develop a rubric. Results indicate that the rubric’s validity and reliability estimates reached acceptable estimates of 80% agreement, surpassing minimum requirements (Newman, Newman, & Newman, 2011). Implications for practice involve the use of PBA within a formative assessment framework, and dynamic inclusion of constituencies. Recommendations for further research include introducing this study’s instrument-development process to other IUs, conducting parallel mixed design studies exploring the intersection between HCA and assessment, and conducting a case study exploring assessment in intercultural settings. Education articulated through the HCA empowers students (Unterhalter & Brighouse, 2007; Walker, 2008). This study aimed to contribute to the quality of student learning assessment at the IUs by providing a participatory process to develop a PBA instrument.

Selection and Passage of County Land Preservation Voter Referendum: The Role of Government

County jurisdictions in America are increasingly exercising self-government in the provision of public community services through the context of second order federalism. In states exercising this form of contemporary governance, county governments with “reformed” policy-making structures and professional management practices, have begun to rival or surpass municipalities in the delivery of local services with regional implications such as environmental protection (Benton 2002, 2003; Marando and Reeves, 1993). The voter referendum, a form of direct democracy, is an important component of county land preservation and environmental protection governmental policies. The recent growth and success of land preservation voter referendums nationwide reflects an increase in citizen participation in government and their desire to protect vacant land and its natural environment from threats of over-development, urbanization and sprawl, loss of open space and farmland, deterioration of ecosystems, and inadequate park and recreational amenities. The study’s design employs a sequential, mixed method. First, a quantitative approach employs the Heckman two-step model. It is fitted with variables for the non-random sample of 227 voter referendum counties and all non-voter referendum counties in the U.S. from 1988 to 2009. Second, the qualitative data collected from the in-depth investigation of three South Florida county case studies with twelve public administrator interviews is transformed for integration with the quantitative findings. The purpose of the qualitative method is to complement, explain and enrich the statistical analysis of county demographic, socio-economic, terrain, regional, governance and government, political preference, environmentalism, and referendum-specific factors. The research finds that government factors are significant in terms of the success of land preservation voter referendums; more specifically, the presence of self-government authority (home rule charter), a reformed structure (county administrator/manager or elected executive), and environmental interest groups. In addition, this study concludes that successful counties are often located coastal, exhibit population and housing growth, and have older and more educated citizens who vote democratic in presidential elections. The analysis of case study documents and public administrator interviews finds that pragmatic considerations of timing, local politics and networking of regional stakeholders are also important features of success. Further research is suggested utilizing additional public participation, local government and public administration factors.

La pensée mixte : une approche de la composition par l'interaction des pensées instrumentale, électroacoustique et informatique

La « pensée mixte » est une approche de la composition caractérisée par l’interaction de trois pensées: la pensée instrumentale, la pensée électroacoustique et la pensée informatique. Elle prend la forme d’un réseau où le compositeur fait des aller-retours entre les trois pensées et réalise des équivalences paramétriques. La pensée instrumentale se rattache à la tradition de l’écriture occidentale, la pensée électroacoustique fait allusion aux pratiques du studio analogique et de la musique acousmatique, et la pensée informatique fait référence aux pratiques numériques de la programmation visuelle et de l’analyse spectrale. Des lieux communs existent où s’opèrent l’interaction des trois pensées: la notion du studio instrumental de Ivo Malec, la notion de musique concrète instrumentale de Helmut Lachenmann, la composition assistée par ordinateur, la musique spectrale, l’approche instrumentale par montage, la musique acousmatique s’inspirant de la tradition musicale écrite et les musiques mixtes. Ces domaines constituent les influences autour desquelles j’ai composé un corpus de deux cycles d’œuvres: Les Larmes du Scaphandre et le Nano-Cosmos. L’analyse des œuvres met en évidence la notion de « pensée mixte » en abordant la pensée électroacoustique dans ma pratique instrumentale, la pensée informatique dans ma pratique musicale, et la pensée instrumentale dans ma pratique électroacoustique.

Barriers and facilitators to initial and continued attendance at community-based lifestyle programmes among families of overweight and obese children: a systematic review

The success of childhood weight management programmes relies on family engagement. While attendance offers many benefits including the support to make positive lifestyle changes, the majority of families referred to treatment decline. Moreover, for those who do attend, benefits are often compromised by high programme attrition. This systematic review investigated factors influencing attendance at community-based lifestyle programmes among families of over-weight or obese children. A narrative synthesis approach was used to allow for the inclusion of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method study designs. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Results suggest that parents provided the impetus for programme initiation, and this was driven largely by a concern for their child's psychological health and wellbeing. More often than not, children went along without any real reason or interest in attending. Over the course of the programme, however, children's positive social experiences such as having fun and making friends fostered the desire to continue. The stigma surrounding excess weight and the denial of the issue amongst some parents presented barriers to enrolment and warrant further study. This study provides practical recommendations to guide future policy makers, programme delivery teams and researchers in developing strategies to boost recruitment and minimise attrition.

La pensée mixte : une approche de la composition par l'interaction des pensées instrumentale, électroacoustique et informatique

La « pensée mixte » est une approche de la composition caractérisée par l’interaction de trois pensées: la pensée instrumentale, la pensée électroacoustique et la pensée informatique. Elle prend la forme d’un réseau où le compositeur fait des aller-retours entre les trois pensées et réalise des équivalences paramétriques. La pensée instrumentale se rattache à la tradition de l’écriture occidentale, la pensée électroacoustique fait allusion aux pratiques du studio analogique et de la musique acousmatique, et la pensée informatique fait référence aux pratiques numériques de la programmation visuelle et de l’analyse spectrale. Des lieux communs existent où s’opèrent l’interaction des trois pensées: la notion du studio instrumental de Ivo Malec, la notion de musique concrète instrumentale de Helmut Lachenmann, la composition assistée par ordinateur, la musique spectrale, l’approche instrumentale par montage, la musique acousmatique s’inspirant de la tradition musicale écrite et les musiques mixtes. Ces domaines constituent les influences autour desquelles j’ai composé un corpus de deux cycles d’œuvres: Les Larmes du Scaphandre et le Nano-Cosmos. L’analyse des œuvres met en évidence la notion de « pensée mixte » en abordant la pensée électroacoustique dans ma pratique instrumentale, la pensée informatique dans ma pratique musicale, et la pensée instrumentale dans ma pratique électroacoustique.

Journalisation dans un Programme de carrière en nouveaux médias : Le rôle de la réflexion par l’action

The purpose of this case study is to report on the use of learning journals as a strategy to encourage critical reflection in the field of graphic design. Very little empirical research has been published regarding the use of critical reflection in learning journals in this field. Furthermore, nothing has been documented at the college level. To that end, the goal of this research endeavor was to investigate whether second-year students in the NewMedia and Publication Design Program at a small Anglophone CEGEP in Québec, enrolled in a Page Layout and Design course, learn more deeply by reflecting in action during design projects or reflecting on action after completing design projects. Secondarily, indications of a possible change in self-efficacy were examined. Two hypotheses were posited: 1) reflection-on-action journaling will promote a deeper approach to learning than reflection-in-action journaling, and 2) the level of self-efficacy in graphic design improves as students are encouraged to think reflectively. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, a mixed methods approach was used to collect and analyze the data. Content analysis of journal entries and interview responses was the primary method used to address the first hypothesis. Students were required to journal twice for each of three projects, once during the project and again one week after the project had been submitted. In addition, data regarding the students' perception of journaling was obtained through administering a survey and conducting interviews. For the second hypothesis, quantitative methods were used through the use of two surveys, one administered early in the Fall 2011 semester and the second administered early in the Winter 2012 semester. Supplementary data regarding self-efficacy was obtained in the form of content analysis of journal entries and interviews. Coded journal entries firmly supported the hypothesis that reflection-on-action journaling promotes deep learning. Using a taxonomy developed by Kember et al. (1999) wherein "critical reflection" is considered the highest level of reflection, it was found that only 5% of the coded responses in the reflection-in-action journals were deemed of the highest level, whereas 39% were considered critical reflection in the reflection-on-action journals. The findings from the interviews suggest that students had some initial concerns about the value of journaling, but these concerns were later dismissed as students learned that journaling was a valuable tool that helped them reflect and learn. All participants indicated that journaling changed their learning processes as they thought much more about what they were doing while they were doing it. They were taking the learning they had acquired and thinking about how they would apply it to new projects; this is critical reflection. The survey findings did not support the conclusive results of the comparison of journal instruments, where an increase of 35% in critical reflection was noted in the reflection-on-action journals. In Chapter 5, reasons for this incongruence are explored. Furthermore, based on the journals, surveys, and interviews, there is not enough evidence at this time to support the hypothesis that self-efficacy improves when students are encouraged to think reflectively. It could be hypothesized, however, that one's self-efficacy does not change in such a short period of time. In conclusion, the findings established in this case study make a practical contribution to the literature concerning the promotion of deep learning in the field of graphic design, as this researcher's hypothesis was supported that reflection-on-action journaling promoted deeper learning than reflection-in-action journaling. When examining the increases in critical reflection from reflection-in-action to the reflection-on-action journals, it was found that all students but one showed an increase in critical reflection in reflection-on-action journals. It is therefore recommended that production-oriented program instructors consider integrating reflection-on-action journaling into their courses where projects are given.

Tracing outsideness: young women's institutional journeys and the geographies of closed space

Understanding confinement and its complex workings between individuals and society has been the stated aim of carceral geography and wider studies on detention. This project contributes ethnographic insights from multiple sites of incarceration, working with an under-researched group within confined populations. Focussing on young female detainees in Scotland, this project seeks to understand their experiences of different types of ‘closed’ space. Secure care, prison and closed psychiatric facilities all impact on the complex geographies of these young women’s lives. The fluid but always situated relations of control and care provide the backdrop for their journeys in/out and beyond institutional spaces. Understanding institutional journeys with reference to age and gender allows an insight into the highly mobile, often precarious, and unfamiliar lives of these young women who live on the margins. This thesis employs a mixed-method qualitative approach and explores what Goffman calls the ‘tissue and fabric’ of detention as a complex multi-institutional practice. In order to be able to understand the young women’s gendered, emotional and often repetitive experiences of confinement, analysis of the constitution of ‘closed space’ represents a first step for inquiry. The underlying nature of inner regimes, rules and discipline in closed spaces, provide the background on which confinement is lived, perceived and processed. The second part of the analysis is the exploration of individual experiences ‘on the inside’, ranging from young women’s views on entering a closed institution, the ways in which they adapt or resist the regime, and how they cope with embodied aspects of detention. The third and final step considers the wider context of incarceration by recovering the young women’s journeys through different types of institutional spaces and beyond. The exploration of these journeys challenges and re-develops understandings of mobility and inertia by engaging the relative power of carceral archipelagos and the figure of femina sacra. This project sits comfortably within the field of carceral geography while also pushing at its boundaries. On a conceptual level, a re-engagement with Goffman’s micro-analysis challenges current carceral-geographic theory development. Perhaps more importantly, this project pushes for an engagement with different institutions under the umbrella of carceral geography, thus creating new dialogues on issues like ‘care’ and ‘control’. Finally, an engagement with young women addresses an under-represented population within carceral geography in ways that raise distinctly problematic concerns for academic research and penal policy. Overall, this project aims to show the value of fine grained micro-level research in institutional geographies for extending thinking and understanding about society’s responses to a group of people who live on the margins of social and legal norms.

Los diseños de método mixto en la investigación en educación: Una experiencia concreta

Recibido 14 de octubre de 2010 • Aceptado 09 de marzo de 2011 • Corregido 02 de junio de 2011  La utilización de los diseños de método mixto se constituyen, día a día, en una excelente alternativa para abordar temáticas de investigación en el campo educativo. Este ensayo plantea una revisión acerca de dichos diseños y los ejemplifica con una experiencia concreta de investigación realizada por la propia autora, en la que fue aplicado un diseño de método mixto para una temática en el campo educativo.