The Wellbeing Project
Background
The Wellness Centers, which are the focus of this study, were established by the Older
Women’s Network in NSW to enhance the health and wellbeing of older women, as a
complement to their other advocacy work on behalf of older women. There are currently
six Centers, with plans to develop more. With the exception of one that has a paid part
time coordinator, the Centers are run by volunteers.
The project and its data
The project was initially prompted by the need to provide evaluation data to two funding
bodies (one focused on one Center, the other on the organization as a whole), but has
then extended to also to ask more theoretical questions about what wellbeing means
for older women, and in particular, how wellbeing intersects with health. The project is
evolving, with continuing collection of survey data, and occasionally additional
collections of interview data.
The data available in this project (Phase 1) are drawn from a wide range of source types,
including a group discussion, interviews, literature and website materials, responses
from two evaluation surveys, video, and cultural domain (e.g., free listing) data. Thus far,
these can be best described as exploratory, and of variable quality. Additionally, it
should be noted that some content has been removed as part of the process of
deidentification of the data.
What this project offers to those discovering mixed methods integration and analysis is
the opportunity (a) to see how different types of data can be brought together within a
common framework using the coding and data management tools (coding,
attributes/variables, cases, sets) available in qualitative software, and (b) to think
through how diverse data can be used in a complementary way to generate an
integrated report. The 2016 background report "Not all our bits work perfectly" based on
literature and the early data is included within the project files to illustrate this style of
writing up complementary data.
Recommended mixed methods reading
Bazeley, P. (2018) Integrating analyses in mixed methods research. London: Sage.
This book goes beyond mixed methods research design and data collection to provide a
pragmatic discussion of the challenges of effectively integrating data to facilitate a more
comprehensive and rigorous level of analysis. Showcasing a range of strategies for
integrating different sources and forms of data as well as different approaches in
analysis, it will help you plan, conduct, and disseminate complex analyses with
confidence.
Bazeley, P. (2019) A practical introduction to mixed methods for business and
management. London: Sage.
This book introduces the concepts and debates associated with combining methods,
and illustrates the many benefits, and hazards, of undertaking a mixed methods study.
Example studies from across business and management disciplines bring the text to life
throughout.
The reader is taken step-by-step through the mixed methods process from developing a
mixed methods study, through designing and conducting it, and finally, reporting on the
results.
Suitable for students and researchers undertaking their own mixed methods research in
any social science discipline.
