Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Preparing A Qualitative Research-Based Dissertation: Lessons Learned, Glenn A. Bowen

The Qualitative Report

In this article, a newly minted Ph.D. shares seven lessons learned during the process of preparing a dissertation based on qualitative research methods. While most of the lessons may be applicable to any kind of research, the writer focuses on the special challenges of employing a qualitative methodology. The lessons are: (1) Read, read, read; (2) Consult the experts; (3) Adhere to university regulations; (4) Pay attention to rigor and trustworthiness; (5) Give details of the methodology; (6) Don't be afraid to include numerical data; and (7) Prepare to publish.

Systematic Metaphor Analysis As A Method Of Qualitative Research, Rudolph Schmitt

The Qualitative Report

George Lakoff and Mark Johnsons theory of metaphor (1980, 1999) provides a basis for describing everyday cognitive structures using linguistic models and thus, making it possible to uncover both individual and collective patterns of thought and action. Lakoff and Johnson have not, however, developed a workable system for carrying out qualitative research. This paper outlines the fundamentals of this approach and proposes a procedure for the reconstruction of metaphorical concepts. As is normally the case in qualitative research, such guidelines can only ever represent the interplay between the ability of the researcher to understand the sense of things and the …

Implementation Of An Action Research Course Program For Science Teachers: A Case For Turkey, Mehmet Küçük, Salih Çepni

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to introduce an AR approach to a group of science teachers during an in-service AR course program and learn its contributions to their professional development. Data were gathered through an AR project by working with a group of eight science teachers throughout a four-week period. In the content of the course, knowledge on educational research was given to teachers and then the participants were encouraged to conduct small-scale AR projects. During this process, it was found that project teachers willingly participated in all the meetings, embracing the views of doing research based on their …

Human Nature And Research Paradigms: Theory Meets Physical Therapy Practice, Margaret M. Plack

The Qualitative Report

Human nature is a very complex phenomenon. In physical therapy this complexity is enhanced by the need to understand the intersection between the art and science of human behavior and patient care. A paradigm is a set of basic beliefs that represent a worldview, defines the nature of the world and the individuals place in it, and helps to determine criteria used to select and define research inquiry. A paradigm guides scientific inquiry, not only in the manner in which an investigation is performed, but also in how the investigator defines truth and reality and how the investigator comes to …

Through The Lens Of Postmodernism: Uniqueness Of The Anorectic Families, Zenobia C.Y. Chan, Joyce L.C. Ma

The Qualitative Report

This paper challenges the monolithic assumption of the anorectic families in Hong Kong by blindly adopting the western theoretical framework of family therapy. It is problematic that family therapy lacks indigenous culture-specific knowledge and ignores the voices of these multi-categories of families. It is inappropriate to conceptualize these families as being similar and to stereotype them as experiencing particular difficulties. In order to bridge the homogeneity and address the multiplicity of these families, the paper examines both the ideologies of postmodernism and the process of confession that can enrich the understanding of anorectic families and advance family practice. The paper …

Maps And Meaning: Reading The Map Of The Holy Land, Noga Collins-Kreiner

The Qualitative Report

The research methods of hermeneutics and semiotics were used to analyze maps of the Holy Land. The main conclusion of this study is how those methods could help us to read and understand maps. Other issues of concern are which religious elements actually appear and their form of representation in the range of maps. Narratives identified on the various maps were the holy Christian narrative- which proved the most dominant, the Jewish narrative and the Muslim narrative that was rarely found in the maps, even in those with a Palestinian narrative. A ubiquitous finding was disregarded for political issues, although …

Research As Improvisation: Dancing Among Perspectives, Glenda-Mae Greene, Shirley Freed

The Qualitative Report

This article captures the way research methods were intertwined with core identities to understand the success development of Caribbean-Canadian women. It highlights the importance of researchers experimenting with a blend of perspectives to fit their problem as well as their identity. Viewing the research process through the eyes of the researcher and her dissertation chair, issues of validity and collaboration emerge. Ultimately both authors listen to family voices as they dance among research perspectives.

Transformation Of Rural Teachers Earning Graduate Degrees, Susan A. Santo

The Qualitative Report

This study tells the stories of four successful graduate students within a cohort of learners who were earning graduate degrees in technology for education and training by distance. The students were practicing teachers in the Dakota Interactive Academic Link (DIAL) consortium. Courses were offered by the University of South Dakota, using videoconferencing through the statewide Digital Distance Network (DDN) and WebCT asynchronous discussions. Mezirows 1991 theory of transformative learning suggests that adult learners may experience a transformational experience. Results showed that the four study participants experienced major changes in their way of thinking about learning and themselves. Conducting longitudinal studies …

An Evening Of Grounded Theory: Teaching Process Through Demonstration And Simulation, Frances Huels

The Qualitative Report

Grounded theory can be effectively introduced in a survey course through a combination of lecture/demonstration and simulation. The class session presented here illustrates a way to introduce graduate students to the process of grounded theory and gain hands-on experience through simulation. The lesson utilizes concepts that the students are familiar with, allowing them to focus on the research process, and encourages internalization of concepts through immediate application.

Using Hermeneutics As A Qualitative Research Approach In Professional Practice, Margo Paterson, Joy Higgs

The Qualitative Report

This paper is targeted primarily at doctoral students and others considering hermeneutics as a research strategy. Research using hermeneutics was carried out with occupational therapy educators and clinicians in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. A total of 53 participants engaged in focus groups and individual interviews over a one-year. The paper explores hermeneutics as a credible, rigorous and creative strategy to address aspects of professional practice that similarly need to be flexible, adaptable to particular needs, and justifiable in the contexts of evidence-based as well as client-centred practice. The hermeneutic study produced A Model of Professional Practice Judgment …

Editor’S Reflections: Developing New Programs In Peace And Conflict Studies, Honggang Yang

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

The field of peace and conflict studies has grown remarkably around the globe over the past few decades. In this new millennium, there will be a greater number of educational offerings being considered or launched in various higher education institutions, for the community and the world are in need of such interdisciplinary inquiries and multi-professional applications. As a long-time academic facilitator and administrator, I would like to take this opportunity to share with the PCS readers some of my experiences and observations in this arena, from an administrative and financial perspective. My hope is to assist colleagues and students …

Deconstructing The “War Of All Against All”: The Prevalence And Implications Of War Metaphors And Other Adversarial News Schema In Time, Newsweek, And Maclean’S, Michael Karlberg, Leslie Buell

Peace and Conflict Studies

This study examines and critiques the discursive construction of a Hobbesian “war of all against all” in North American commercial news magazines. The prevalence of war metaphors and related adversarial news schemas is documented over a twenty year period, from 1981 to 2000, through an analysis of TIME and Newsweek, along with their Canadian counterpart Maclean’s. After documenting the pervasiveness of these discursive constructs, the paper discusses the underlying causes and potential consequences of these patterns in commercial news discourse. The paper concludes by asserting that this discursively constructed “war of all against all” is highly problematic and unsustainable in …

Selling Mediation: Mimetic, Distancing, And Appellating Practices In The Marketing Of An Emerging Profession, Andrew Woolford, R. S. Ratner

Peace and Conflict Studies

Individuals both within and outside the legal profession have been drawn by the ‘promise’ of mediation. In it they see a means for facilitating communicative exchanges between actors in conflict, which they view as a dramatic improvement on the adversarial practices of the formal legal system. However, despite the appeal of mediation to potential practitioners, there is not yet sufficient consumer demand to sustain the number of people who possess mediation skills. This has resulted in an overcrowded mediation market in which practitioners are forced to market themselves so as to compete for a limited clientele. In this context, the …

The Cyprus Problem And Greek Cypriot Preferences For A Solution After Their “No” To The Annan Plan, Craig Webster

Peace and Conflict Studies

The Greek Cypriots made a clear choice to reject the Annan Plan for their country in a referendum in April 2004. The Annan Plan offered a dichotomous choice to the electorate to accept or reject a federal solution to reunite Cyprus. In this paper, the author investigates the Greek Cypriot population’s preferences for a solution to the Cyprus Problem by performing multivariate analyses of data obtained from one thousand Greek Cypriots following the April 2004 referendum. The analyses find that preferences for solutions are a function of age and attitudes towards the ability of the two communities to interact successfully. …

Boardroom And Bedroom: Consulting With Organizations And Family Systems, James Hibel, Neil Katz

Peace and Conflict Studies

Neil Katz is a loyal St. Louis Cardinals fan and a career organizational consultant. Jim Hibel is a loyal Florida Marlins fan and a career family therapist. Nova Southeastern University brought their professional disciplines under the same roof at the Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences and the Cardinals and Marlins now share the same Spring Training Facility. Over the past several years, Neil and Jim have met regularly for Cardinal and Marlins spring training games, shared their mutual love of the game, and found ways to appreciate their different teams. In between innings, and rain delays they often talked …

Volume 12, Number 1 (Spring 2005), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Intragroup Subgroup Attitude Clustering, External Intervention, And Intergroup Interaction Patterns: Toward A Dynamical Model Of Protracted Intergroup Conflict, Peter T. Coleman, Adam Schneider, Douglass S. Adams, Catherine James Everett, Timothy A. Gameros, Lee R. Hammons, Cecil C. Orji, Ralph M. Waugh, Richard F. Wicker Iii

Peace and Conflict Studies

Scholars and practitioners working with protracted conflicts in polarized communities have long recognized the complex dynamics between intragroup disputes and intergroup relations in these settings. In fact, the multitude of factors interacting within and between groups in these conflicts, and their tendency to change over time, largely contributes to their intractable natures. Unfortunately, the ability of scholars to conduct research on such dynamic phenomena has been largely constrained by the atomistic, linear approach of traditional research models and methods. However, recent advances in dynamical systems theory have provided a new set of tools for developing computer simulations that allow us …

Maternal Postpartum Role Collapse As A Theory Of Postpartum Depression, Linda Clark Amankwaa

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of a theory of maternal postpartum role collapse. The influences of traditional role theory and symbolic interactionism are presented. The development of the maternal postpartum role collapse theory emerged from the study of postpartum depression among African-American women (Amankwaa, 2000). Major components of the theory of postpartum maternal role collapse consist of role stress, role strain, and finally role collapse. A discussion of the extension of role theory to role collapse as it is related to the postpartum mother is offered as an explanation of postpartum depression.

The Rise And Fall Of A Songwriting Partnership, Peter Devries

The Qualitative Report

The working relationship of two novice songwriters is examined in this ethnographic study, which highlights the importance of common goals and values in a songwriting collaboration. Stemming from this core there are a number of sub-themes: the pair saw a popular song as consisting of melody, harmony, and lyrics; they played on the strengths and offset the weaknesses of each others songwriting skills; both writers valued originality; and they believed songwriting had a mystical element to it. Finally, it will be shown how conflict in their status as writing partners resulted in the demise of the collaboration. The difficulty of …

Beyond High Stakes Testing: Rural High School Students And Their Yearbooks, Lynn M. Hoffman

The Qualitative Report

I conducted surveys, focus group interviews, and analyzed the yearbooks of fifty four yearbook students from five rural high schools to investigate students process of yearbook construction and to determine what was meaningful and memorable to them throughout their high school experience. Changs (1992) construct of an adolescent ethos, including the elements of getting along with everyone, being involved, and being independent, provided a conceptual framework, and was affirmed by students responses. References to rites of passage and intensification embedded in the high school program as described by Burnett (1969) confirmed these students perceptions of high school as a four …

Doing Gender In Research: Reflection On Experience In Field, Larisa V. Kosygina

The Qualitative Report

The article shows how doing gender (mutual gender categorization of interacting people and construction of their behavior according to this categorization) can influence research method and research hypothesis. Communication between respondent and researcher during semi-structural interview is in focus.

The Examination Of Change Management Using Qualitative Methods: A Case Industry Approach, Aaron C.T. Smith, Daniel M. Evans, Hans M. Westerbeek

The Qualitative Report

Despite the number of theories explaining the nature and antecedents of change, there is no consensus on a universally applicable model. Competing theories have been tested using deductive methods focusing on hypothesis testing. This study has utilized qualitative methods for collecting data within the sport industry to provide an initial understanding of change within that case industry Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 sport managers across Australian National and State Sporting Organizations and clubs participating in national league competitions. Interviews were transcribed and coded in a grounded interpretation culminating in a typology of change types. Results highlighted that Australian sport …

My Body, My Stigma: Body Interpretations In A Sample Of People Living With Hiv/Aids In Puerto Rico, Nelson Varas-Díaz, José Toro-Alfonso, Irma Serrano-García

The Qualitative Report

AIDS related stigma continues to impact the lives of People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) negatively. Although the consequences of stigmatization have been widely documented, certain areas of study need to be further addressed in order to better understand their implications for PLWHA; such is the case of the perceptions of the bodys role in AIDS stigma. A qualitative study was implemented including 30 in-depth interviews of PLWHA in Puerto Rico in order to explore their perceptions of the bodys role in the process of stigmatization. Results include: participants perceptions on how their bodies evidence their serostatus, description of past body …

Conducting Qualitative Research On Desertification In Western Lesvos, Greece, Theodoros Iosifides, Theodoros Politidis

The Qualitative Report

The main aim of this article is to present some critical methodological strategies employed in a qualitative research study on local socioeconomic development and desertification in western Lesvos, Greece. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with local producers in western Lesvos, Greece, an effort was made to identify and analyze the links between the local socioeconomic trajectory and environmental marginality. The article concerns the justification of the choice of qualitative investigation on the matter, the main methodological strategies employed in the field, and the basic data analysis processes. In particular, we discuss the gradual development of a coding framework and a conceptual …

Databases Don’T Measure Motivation, Joseph Yeager

The Qualitative Report

Automated persuasion is the Holy Grail of quantitatively biased data base designers. However, data base histories are, at best, probabilistic estimates of customer behavior and do not make use of more sophisticated qualitative motivational profiling tools. While usually absent from web designer thinking, qualitative motivational profiling can be integrated into data base designs. However, qualitative profiling would require that designers add to their repertoire a set of qualitative motivational profiling tools. Clearly the quantitative or qualitative tool must fit the task. This contemporary confusion is corrected by separating the marketing and market research tools into quantitative or qualitative applications according …

Using The Afrocentric Method In Researching Indigenous African Culture, Queeneth Mkabela

The Qualitative Report

The article highlights the realities and dynamics facing researchers researching indigenous African culture. The cultural aspirations, understandings and practices of African indigenous people should position researchers to implement and organise the research process. Suggestions are also made for implementing the Afrocentric method and how to use African indigenous culture as a foundation for the Afrocentric method. The intent of this article is to stimulate enlightened discussion about the definition, mechanisms, and purpose of the Afrocentric method as an appropriate research method for indigenous African culture and how it can be used as a complement to qualitative research methods.

Teacher Perceptions Of Multicultural Issues In School Settings, Danielle Martines

The Qualitative Report

This study employed qualitative methods to analyze teacher's level of multicultural understanding and perceptions of cultural issues when discussing their culturally diverse students in the context of the consultation process. Three school psychologists in urban city high schools, engaged in audio-recorded consultation sessions with consultee-teachers who voluntarily sought services. Audio-recorded tapes of consultation sessions were transcribed and coded by two trained raters and qualitatively analyzed by co-researchers who recorded multicultural thematic issues as categories. Cultural themes and categories indicated that teachers demonstrated cultural awareness and sensitivity regarding their culturally diverse students, yet showed less developed cultural knowledge-base and skill levels. …

The Brazilian-Portuguese Mcmi-Iii: Diagnostic Validity Of The Alcohol Dependence And Drug Dependence Scales, Cristina Lilian Magalhaes

Theses and Dissertations

The Brazilian-Portuguese Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (BP-MCMI-III) is a newly developed translation of the original MCMI-III and requires validation before it can be used in cross-cultural research and clinical settings. This study was the first validation study with the BP-MCMI-III and examined the validity of its Alcohol Dependence and Drug Dependence scales for identifying substance-related disorders in a Brazilian sample. The diagnostic validity of these scales was examined by comparing participants' scores on the BP-MCMI-III against group status (controls versus patients receiving substance abuse treatment) and against clinical diagnoses made based on a DSM-IV-TR symptom checklist. In addition, diagnostic validity …

Tidings, Volume 7, Number 1 - Winter 2005, Nova Southeastern University Libraries

Tidings: A publication of Nova Southeastern University Libraries

No abstract provided.

Handbook Of Field-Based Training Experiences In School Psychology, Nova Southeastern University

CPS Postgraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.