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Research That Matters: Testa, Maria, Jennifer A. Livingston, and Carol VanZile-Tamsen. 2011. "Advancing the Study of Violence Against Women Using Mixed Methods: Integrating Qualitative Methods Into a Quantitative Research Program." Violence Against Women 17(2):236-250.

Journal Article 1: Vijayaraghavan, M., Hurst, S., Pierce, J. P. (2016). Implementing tobacco control programs in homeless shelters: A mixed-methods study. Health Promotion Practice, 17(4), 501–511.

Abstract: Background. Tobacco-related chronic diseases contribute significantly to the increased morbidity and mortality observed in the homeless population. Few homeless service settings address tobacco use among their clients. Method. Directors and staff from emergency and transitional shelters in San Diego County completed a questionnaire on no-smoking policies and smoking cessation services and participated in in-depth, semistructured interviews to examine the barriers to and facilitators of implementing smoke-free policies and cessation services in their facilities. Results. Facilities differed in outdoor restrictions around smoking: 61.5% reported having an outdoor designated smoking zone, and 25% reported having a campus-wide ban on smoking. About one-third of the facilities offered on-site resources for smoking cessation. Although directors and staff supported smoke-free policies, they reported that the increased resources needed to “police” the policy created barriers to implementation. Almost all directors and staff expressed interest in developing an on-site tobacco control program, but they reported that lack of expertise among staff posed challenges to implementing such a program. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that for a tobacco control program to be effective in homeless shelters, it should include training and incentives for staff to implement smoke-free policies and cessation services.

Journal Article 2: Kreagera, D. A., Youngb, J. T.N., Hayniec, D. L., Bouchardd, M., Schaefere, D. R., & Zajaca, G. (2017). Where “old heads” prevail: Inmate hierarchy in a men’s prison unit. American Sociological Review, 82(4), 685–718.

Abstract: Research on inmate social order, a once-vibrant area, receded just as U.S. incarceration rates climbed and the country’s carceral contexts dramatically changed. This study returns to inmate society with an abductive mixed-methods investigation of informal status within a contemporary men’s prison unit. We collected narrative and social network data from 133 male inmates housed in a unit of a Pennsylvania medium-security prison. Analyses of inmate narratives suggest that unit “old heads” provide collective goods in the form of mentoring and role modeling that foster a positive and stable peer environment. We test this hypothesis with Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) of peer nomination data. The ERGM results complement the qualitative analysis and suggest that older inmates and inmates who have been on the unit longer are perceived by their peers as powerful and influential. Both analytic strategies point to the maturity of aging and the acquisition of local knowledge as important for attaining informal status in the unit. In summary, this mixed-methods case study extends theoretical insights of classic prison ethnographies, adds quantifiable results capable of future replication, and points to a growing population of older inmates as important for contemporary prison social organization.

Journal Article 3: Hare, S. & Baker, A. (2017). Keepin’ it real: Authenticity, commercialization, and the media in Korean hip hop. SAGE Open, 7(2), 1–12.

Abstract: This article examines authenticity in South Korean hip hop culture. Building on subcultural theory and cultural hybridization theory, it explores authenticity dynamics in this scene, and the role of the local media as a cultural mediator. Data were collected using a mixed-methods approach over two stages. Stage 1 was a quantitative content analysis of seminal South Korean hip hop program, Show Me the Money. Stage 2 comprised of qualitative participant observation in Seoul hip hop night clubs, and eight semistructured interviews with rappers and journalists. Key findings suggest there is a constant struggle between authenticity and commodification, where commodification dominates the South Korean hip hop scene. This work contributes to the interdisciplinary field of journalism studies by aligning itself with cultural theory to widen the Western view of South Korean hip hop.