A Transformative Mixed Methods Assessment of Educational Access and Opportunity for Undocumented College Students in the Southeastern United States

Abstract

The Southeastern United States is home to one of the most culturally resistant arenas for undocumented immigrant students to pursue postsecondary education. Using a transformative mixed methods approach, we explore the multidimensional dynamics of contention that are present as campus administrators navigate the process of serving a group of students who are marginalized due to their unresolved immigration status. Our article contributes to the methodological literature by exemplifying how transformative mixed methods are powerful tools for understanding how the oppression of vulnerable populations is institutionalized in organizational settings.

In This Issue

“…She examines three aspects relative to the scaffolding of mixed methods methodology with migration research: (1) the addition of qualitative research into a field that arguably has tended to emphasize quantitative research, (2) using multisite research that connects communities and families across borders, and (3) collaboration of researchers across strategies and across borders. Barnhardt, Reyes, Vidal-Rodriguez, and Ramos (2018), with backgrounds in education and educational policy and leadership, use the example of undocumented immigrants in undergraduate education to illustrate the power of transformative mixed methods research for explicating institutionalization of oppression of vulnerable populations in organizational settings. They use a transformative organizational assessment process framed to resist the oppression of undocumented immigrant students in the Southeastern United States by understanding collective norms, needs, and meaning-making.…”

“…Barnhardt, Reyes, Vidal-Rodriguez, and Ramos (2018), with backgrounds in education and educational policy and leadership, use the example of undocumented immigrants in undergraduate education to illustrate the power of transformative mixed methods research for explicating institutionalization of oppression of vulnerable populations in organizational settings. They use a transformative organizational assessment process framed to resist the oppression of undocumented immigrant students in the Southeastern United States by understanding collective norms, needs, and meaning-making.…”

Virtual Special Issue on “Mixed Methods Designs, Integration, and Visual Practices in Educational Research”

“…They argued that focus groups and individual follow-up interviews were important for building relationships with their participants. Barnhardt et al (2018) demonstrated the importance of setting clear methodological priority. These researchers sought to “avoid privileging” the institutional practices collected via quantitative data (p. 423).…”

Mixed-Methods Research in Nutrition and Dietetics

“…One of the best ways to become familiar with strengths and limitations for mixing data is to critically review other empirical MMR manuscripts, such as those found in Journal of Mixed Methods Research. Examples of multistage, 22 exploratory sequential, 23,24 embedded, 25,26 concurrent parallel, 27 explanatory sequential, 28 and transformative 29 designs are available for review. Critically interpret the convergence and divergence of your MMR data.…”