
Introduction
Research Questions
- What is the data analysis plan for each data source?
- What is the plan for analysis and synthesis across data sources?
2M Research and the Urban Institute, in partnership with the Administration for Children and Families and Health Resources and Services Administration, are conducting a mixed-methods study to assess the challenges and opportunities for administering human services programs in rural contexts. This report presents a detailed plan for analyzing, integrating, and triangulating the diverse data sources included in the study’s research design.
Through a mixed-methods research design, including administrative and secondary data and 12 site visits, the project aims to (1) provide a rich description of human services programs in rural contexts, (2) determine the unmet need for human services in rural communities, and (3) identify opportunities for strengthening the capacity of human services programs to promote the economic and social well-being of individuals, families, and communities in rural contexts.
The study will examine several human services programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood; Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting; Health Profession Opportunity Grants; and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, as well as programs on early childhood development, family development, employment, and higher education and technical training.
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to identify the research goals and data sources that will inform the study’s analysis, as well as plans for combining findings from the different data sources.
Key Findings and Highlights
The analysis and triangulation plan outlines approaches we will take to address the study’s three aims through various data sources and analysis methods. First, we will identify the rural counties with higher levels of unmet human services needs that human services programs could target in the future. Then, we will conduct a thematic analysis of 12 rural counties to offer deeper insight and richer descriptions of human services programs within and across cases.
By comparing findings across data sources and building off the first and second goals’ findings, we will identify opportunities for strengthening human services program capacity. Using this approach, we can achieve a more robust understanding of human services programs in rural contexts.
Methods
In collaboration with rural human services stakeholders, we developed a series of research questions in response to the study’s three primary aims. Next, we identified quantitative and qualitative primary and secondary data sources to inform these questions. Finally, we developed a mixed methods design involving qualitative analysis, descriptive statistics, GIS mapping, spatial hotspot analysis, and qualitative comparative analysis to analyze and integrate the data sources, and to triangulate findings for the study research questions.
Citation
Elgin, Dallas J., Kelly McAleer, James Murdoch, Laurie Hinnant, Heather Hahn, and Corianne Payton Scally. (2021). Human Services Programs in Rural Contexts: Mixed Methods Analysis, Integration, and Triangulation Plan, OPRE Report # 2021-214, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.