Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Clarifying My World: Identity Work In The Context Of Workplace Bullying, Premilla D'Cruz, Ernesto Noronha

The Qualitative Report

Based on a study rooted in van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology, conducted with agents working in international facing call centers in Mumbai and Bangalore, India, this paper describes targets’ identity work in the context of workplace bullying. Data were gathered through conversational interviews and were subject to sententious and selective thematic analyses. The core theme of “clarifying my world” captures participants’ attempt to reconstruct their identity following the emergence of identity disruptions stemming from the experience of being bullied. Major themes which include building personal security and insulation, recreating equilibrium, maintaining dignity and poise, re-establishing ontological foundations and seeking continuity in …

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Via Exposure And Response Prevention, Dyona Augustin

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, otherwise known as OCD, affects millions of people across the globe every year; and the obsessions/compulsions associated with this disorder can have a negative impact on one’s day to day living (Clark, 2000). Seeing that many people suffer from this disorder, researchers have attempted to determine which treatment methods (e.g., behavioral or pharmacological) are more effective at treating the symptoms/behaviors associated with it. One cognitive-behavioral technique that has shown a lot of promise is exposure and response (or ritual) prevention (ERP) (Allen, 2006). Although ERP may not be 100% effective at treating the symptoms of OCD, the research …

Biculturalism: Its Implications For The Family System, Josie Augustin

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Many people of different ethnic groups migrate to the U.S. in hopes of finding opportunities to prosper for themselves and their families. However, with this migration comes many issues in the family system, particularly when dealing with a family that has first generation American adults and second generation American children. This mix of cultures gives rise to another population, one of bicultural or multicultural individuals. Biculturalism or multiculturalism implies that one has two or more cultural identities, respectively (Benet-Martínez & Haritatos, 2005). These identities can come to cause bicultural and multicultural families many issues, many relating to differing rates of …

The Epistemological Status Of Theoretical Simplicity, Yineth Sanchez

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

In this paper, I argue that theoretical simplicity is not an epistemic virtue. Therefore, we need not prefer the simpler explanation of two competing scientific theories. First, I clarify the concept of theoretical simplicity as it figures into discussions in the philosophy of science. Next, I evaluate the strongest arguments in favor of this view as a criterion of theory selection. Then, I present two instances where theoretical simplicity is not preferable as such a criterion. Lastly, I show that while there may be a number of nonepistemic criteria of theory choice, including simplicity, none of them bears upon truth. …

Investigation Of The Role Of The Family In Anorexia Nervosa Treatment, Katie Dabrowski

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Anorexia nervosa burdens individuals with an unyielding obsession with weight loss and food restriction, ultimately leading to extreme emaciation and even death (Kaye, Fudge, & Paulus, 2009). This disorder most often plagues adolescent females, with estimates of prevalence in 0.2% to 1% of adolescent girls (Mirsa et al, 2011). Current literature suggests family relationships and dynamics, rather than blaming individual family members, are essential in understanding and ultimately treating the disorder for adolescent girls. This paper will review the literature on family relationships and dynamics conducive to disordered eating among daughters, as well as examine the findings regarding supportive family …

Announcements And Plenary Address – The Creative Habit: Curiosity And The Qualitative Researcher, Valerie J. Janesick

The Qualitative Report Conference

In this session I will describe and explain how creativity can be a good habit to nurture for the qualitative researcher. I will draw upon my experience in dance and in qualitative research to discuss the habits of observation, interviewing, writing, analyzing and disseminating research findings. Curiosity is a key component of working in the qualitative arena. In order to be creative and curious you have to prepare for it. By looking at exemplars in the arts, sciences and social sciences we can learn a great deal about becoming curious.

Alternative Interventions Used To Help Mexican-American Students Improve Academic Achievement In Grades 9 - 12, Alberta M. Reyes

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study employing a cross-case analysis on previous case studies is to better understand the engagement of Latino students in a small number of cultural sensitivity programs and the teaching practices that are factors in the development of their academic achievement. In the traditional infrastructure of public schools, assimilation is built on fundamental values aligned with the U.S. political establishment rather than on the value of adaptation to the demands and conflicts of other cultures. Thus, less-empowered groups are at a disadvantage resulting in subgroups abandoning their ideas and reducing their contributions to human capital. …

Latino Parental Acceptability Towards The Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine, Linda M. Kondilis

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined parental acceptability of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination among Latino parents. The role that acculturation may play in Latino parents' acceptability of the vaccine was also examined. A survey conceptualized using the Health Belief Model and two acculturation measures were administered to participants (N = 130). Approximately 70% of parents endorsed that they would vaccinate their daughters with the HPV vaccine. A regression analysis revealed that perception of susceptibility, perception of seriousness, perception of benefit, and cues to action significantly predicted parental acceptability, with 57% of the variance accounted by these variables. Acculturation was not a …

How Successful Is Homework Success For Children With Adhd?, Alexis Resnick

Theses and Dissertations

ADHD-diagnosed children generally display multiple difficulties with academic functioning (DuPaul, 2007; Loe & Feldman, 2007; Raggi & Chronis, 2006; Rogers, Wiener, Marton, & Tannock, 2009) and tend to show more frequent and intense homework problems than their peers (Power, Karustis, & Habboushe, 2001). Traditionally, treatments for ADHD have included medication and/or behavioral interventions (DuPaul & Weyandt, 2006; Loe & Feldman, 2007); however, interventions targeting the homework problems of children with ADHD have been limited. One such intervention for the treatment of children with ADHD and homework problems, the Homework Success Program (HSP), has yet to be empirically evaluated with individual …

Wayfinding In Boise, Students Of Crp503 Plan Making And Implementation, Thomas Wuerzer

Thomas Wuerzer

Executive Summary

This document reviews the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of wayfinding within the Boise and downtown areas. This project was done in coordination with the City of Boise Parks & Recreation (Boise P&R) Department as an in-class Service Learning component of the Community and Regional Planning course “CRP 503 Plan Making and Implementation” at Boise State University.

The purpose of this project is to develop a quality set of findings and recommendations that adhere to accepted planning processes and sound methodology. The goal from the onset is to develop content that is broad-based, all-inclusive, and will be helpful …

Grandparental Death: Through The Lens Of An Asian Child, Wing-Fu Lai

The Qualitative Report

Bereavement has been extensively studied over the years, yet scholarly work depicting, with the first-person perspective, the experience of childhood bereavement is severely lacking. The research question I set out to answer here is: What is it like as an Asian child to experience bereavement following grandparental death? As such, self-introspection was exercised, and this, together with the diaries and free writings generated at the time of my grandma’s death, was used as the basis for autoethnographic reflections. It is hoped that my story presented here can offer a psychological portrayal of an Asian child enduring grandparental death, and illuminate …

Organized Labor And U.S. Foreign Policy: The Solidarity Center In Historical Context, G. Nelson Bass Iii

Humanities and Politics Faculty Book and Book Chapters

During the Cold War the foreign policy of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), was heavily criticized by scholars and activists for following the lead of the U.S. state in its overseas operations. In a wide range of states, the AFL-CIO worked to destabilize governments selected by the U.S. state for regime change, while in others the Federation helped stabilize client regimes of the U.S. state. In 1997 the four regional organizations that previously carried out AFL-CIO foreign policy were consolidated into the American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center). My dissertation is an …

A Qualitative Inquiry In The Evaluation Of A Pedagogical Course From The Prospective Teachers’ Points Of View, Banu Yucel Toy, Ahmet Ok

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative inquiry has gained importance in the evaluation of educational settings because it provides in-depth information, shedding light on context, situations, or processes. In this study, a qualitative inquiry was undertaken in order to evaluate a pedagogical course from the prospective teachers’ points of view. In this case study, data were collected through focus group interviews with three groups of prospective teachers. The lack of putting theories into practice, the lack of relating the topics to teaching life, the lack of attention and participation, and the lack of a variety of materials appeared to be the most essential problems. In …

A Case Study Of The Identity Development Of An Adolescent Male With Emotional Disturbance And 48, Xyyy Karyotype In An Institutional Setting, John L. Rausch

The Qualitative Report

The goal of this study was to utilize a phenomenological case study design to investigate the individual and social identity development of an adolescent male who had been placed in a high-security group home setting. The participant had been identified with emotional disturbance (ED), and 48, XYYY karyotype. The participant described his social and emotional development as being impacted by his environment, his level of personal control, and his view of the future.

Practical Wisdom: A Review Of Foundations Of Ethical Practice, Research, And Teaching In Psychology And Counseling, Fatima A. Cotton

The Qualitative Report

In Karen Strohm Kitchener and Sharon K. Anderson’s Foundations of Ethical Practice, Research, and Teaching in Psychology and Counseling (2011) they use the term practical wisdom or prudence as a way to make right decisions in real life situation. The authors lay the foundation for conceptually dealing with ethical problems for psychologists, counselors, students, and trainees. The book is in two parts. In the first six chapters, the authors focus on the foundations of ethical reasoning. The next part focuses on the ethical issues psychologists and counselors are confronted with in their roles.

Group Supervision Attitudes: Supervisory Practices Fostering Resistance To Adoption Of Evidence-Based Practices, Charles T. Brooks, David A. Patterson, Patrick M. Mckiernan

The Qualitative Report

The focus of this study was to qualitatively evaluate worker’s attitudes about clinical supervision. It is believed that poor attitudes toward clinical supervision can create barriers during supervision sessions. Fifty-one participants within a social services organization completed an open-ended questionnaire regarding their clinical supervision experiences. Results suggest four key areas which appear to be strong factors in workers’ experiences and attitudes regarding group supervision: a. facilitator’s skill level; b. creativity; c. utilization of technology; and d. applicability. For organizations interested in overcoming potential barriers to adopting best practices, effectively addressing workers’ negative attitudes toward group supervision would be a worthy …

Conducting Qualitative Data Analysis: Qualitative Data Analysis As A Metaphoric Process, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

In the second of a series of “how-to” essays on conducting qualitative data analysis, Ron Chenail argues the process can best be understood as a metaphoric process. From this orientation he suggests researchers follow Kenneth Burke’s notion of metaphor and see qualitative data analysis as the analyst systematically considering the “this-ness” of the data from the “that-ness” of the qualitative abstraction drawn about the data. To make this metaphoric pronouncement a convincing case to judges as to the veracity of the juxtaposition of the code to that which is coded, the analyst must employ a recursive process by showing the …

Using Realist Synthesis To Develop An Evidence Base From An Identified Data Set On Enablers And Barriers For Alcohol And Drug Program Implementation, Barbara Hunter, Lynda Berends, Sarah Maclean

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to show how “realist synthesis” methodology (Pawson, 2002) was adapted to review a large sample of community based projects addressing alcohol and drug use problems. Our study drew on a highly varied sample of 127 projects receiving funding from a national non-government organisation in Australia between 2002 and 2008. Open and pattern coding led to the identification of 10 barrier and nine enabler mechanisms influencing project implementation across the sample. Eight case studies (four demonstrating successful implementation; four demonstrating less than successful implementation) were used for depth exploration of these mechanisms. High level theories …

Qualitative Inquiry Into Church-Based Assets For Hiv/Aids Prevention And Control: A Forum Focus Group Discussion Approach, Godwin N. Aja, Naomi N. Modeste, Susanne B. Montgomery

The Qualitative Report

Assets church members believed they needed to engage in effective HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities. We used the three-step forum focus group discussion (FFGD) methodology to elicit responses from 32 church leaders and lay members, representing five denominations in Aba, Nigeria. Concrete resources, health expertise, finances, institutional support, capacity building, and spiritual support connected to the collective interest of members were indicated as useful for church members to engage in HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities. Adequate planning and delivery of cost-effective, appropriate and sustainable health promotion programs require an understanding of perceived church-based assets.

Conversing Life: An Autoethnographic Construction, Christopher N. Hoelson, Rod Burton

The Qualitative Report

This autoethnography is a constructed account of a co-exploration into the nature and effects of a longitudinal dyadic conversation process from a relational constructionist perspective. The conversations, between me as participant autoethnographer and a co-participant, aimed at maximising personal learning for both. Through co-created contexts of mutual engagement and respectful presence, we were able to focus our learning on the spontaneous process and content of the conversations. The qualitative data were sampled purposively from diary entries summarizing the conversations which spanned a period of five years. The data were analysed into themes and together, with selected illustrative examples of significant …

Building Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research Networks: Reflections On Qualitative Research Group (Qrg) At The University Of Manitoba, Kerstin Stieber Roger, Gayle Halas

The Qualitative Report

As qualitative research methodologies continue to evolve and develop, both students and experienced researchers are showing greater interest in learning about and developing new approaches. To meet this need, faculty at the University of Manitoba created the Qualitative Research Group (QRG), a community of practice that utilizes experiential learning in the context of social relationships to nurture social interaction, create opportunities to share knowledge, support knowledge creation, and build collaborations among all disciplines. While many other qualitative research networks such as the QRG may exist, little has been published on their early development or the activities that contribute to the …

Conducting Qualitative Data Analysis: Reading Line-By-Line, But Analyzing By Meaningful Qualitative Units, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

In the first of a series of “how-to” essays on conducting qualitative data analysis, Ron Chenail points out the challenges of determining units to analyze qualitatively when dealing with text. He acknowledges that although we may read a document word-by-word or line-by-line, we need to adjust our focus when processing the text for purposes of conducting qualitative data analysis so we concentrate on meaningful, undivided entities or wholes as our units of analysis.

Member Checking: Can Benefits Be Gained Similar To Group Therapy?, Melissa Harper, Patricia Cole

The Qualitative Report

Member checking continues to be an important quality control process in qualitative research as during the course of conducting a study, participants receive the opportunity to review their statements for accuracy and, in so doing; they may acquire a therapeutic benefit. The authors of this article suggest that this benefit is similar to some of the components of group therapy, especially in normalizing the phenomenon being experienced. Even if the participants never meet, they can feel a sense of relief that their feelings are validated and that they are not alone.

Residential Grief Camps: An Initial Phenomenological Study Of Staff Perspectives, Tiffany B. Brown, Thomas G. Kimball

The Qualitative Report

Research has focused primarily on the impact of death on family functioning and the stages and tasks of grief, though little attention has been given to grief camps or the experiences of those who work there. This study explored the experiences of staff at a four-day overnight children’s grief camp. Eight participants reported their experience of camp in two major categories: connection to others and independence in grief and five themes. Camp provides the opportunity for campers to connect to others while finding their own path to healing. Clinical implications and future research directions are also discussed.

Manufacturing Change, Una Ruddock

The Qualitative Report

This is a highly accessible presentation of organisational research, which demonstrates how ethnography can elicit a holistic understanding of across section of employees and thereby reveal a workplace culture. It suggests that change efforts fail if culture is ignored and offers a detailed account of how critical incidents translate into tools for change. The data analysis reveals the weakness in working relationships and how blame functions to prevent change. The Ideal Plant project emerges, which validates transformation tools to create cooperative workplace interactions and collaborative problem solving. The past and future, metaphorically represented as two different places, are connected by …

An Exemplar For Teaching And Learning Qualitative Research, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Nancy L. Leech, John R. Slate, Marcella Stark, Bipin Sharma, Rebecca Frels, Kristin Harris, Julie P. Combs

The Qualitative Report

In this article, we outline a course wherein the instructors teach students how to conduct rigorous qualitative research. We discuss the four major distinct, but overlapping, phases of the course: conceptual/theoretical, technical, applied, and emergent scholar. Students write several qualitative reports, called qualitative notebooks, which involve data that they collect (via three different types of interviews), analyze (using nine qualitative analysis techniques via qualitative software), and interpret. Each notebook is edited by the instructors to help them improve the quality of subsequent notebook reports. Finally, we advocate asking students who have previously taken this course to team-teach future courses. We …

Administrator Insights And Reflections: Technology Integration In Schools, Bryan Berrett, Jennifer Murphy, Jamie Sullivan

The Qualitative Report

There are numerous technology tools that educators utilize to support student learning. Often, technology is mandated from the top down with school administrators’ responsible for overseeing the implementation. Innovative technological approaches to learning often meet resistance within schools. The pervasive culture in education is counteractive to technology integration, which may be useful to pedagogy and in the long run may help students deal with the ever growing level of technology present in today’s society. Characteristics are identified at two out of four schools as a way of assessing the progress of technology integration and locating individuals who will help move …

Mixed-Methods Research Methodologies, Steven R. Terrell

The Qualitative Report

Mixed-Method studies have emerged from the paradigm wars between qualitative and quantitative research approaches to become a widely used mode of inquiry. Depending on choices made across four dimensions, mixed-methods can provide an investigator with many design choices which involve a range of sequential and concurrent strategies. Defining features of these designs are reported along with quality control methods, and ethical concerns. Useful resources and exemplary study references are shared.