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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Arts-Based Research In Education: A Review, Pamela Smithbell Nov 2010

Arts-Based Research In Education: A Review, Pamela Smithbell

The Qualitative Report

What is the difference between research that uses art, research about art, and research through art? Is arts-based educational research (ABER) a method or medium? What does arts-based research look like? How is it used and evaluated? Editors Cahnmann-Taylor and Siegesmund recruited an arresting array of contributors: paradigmatic pioneers, noted artist-scholars, as well as newcomers to the field. This volume condenses the history, unique features, social contributions, and controversy into a readable, scholarly, and practical text. Each artist-researcher develops a chapter comprised of multiple elements: biography, explanation of intent, critique, photos and open-ended questions. True to ABER epistemology, these contributors …


Qualitative Health Research - A Beginner's Guide, Feroza Sircar-Ramsewak Nov 2010

Qualitative Health Research - A Beginner's Guide, Feroza Sircar-Ramsewak

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative Research in Health: An Introduction by Carol Grbich is a research text for beginners in qualitative health research. Grbich explicitly and simply introduces the new researcher to the theoretical issues, concepts, methodologies, processes, techniques, approaches, and debates in qualitative research, with a specific focus on the health sciences. Her easily-readable text gives new researchers an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each qualitative method.


(Inter)Active Interviewing In Childhood Research: On Children's Identity Work In Interviews, Stina Fernqvist Nov 2010

(Inter)Active Interviewing In Childhood Research: On Children's Identity Work In Interviews, Stina Fernqvist

The Qualitative Report

Seeing identity as work produced in interaction is a starting point in this current study, were analyzing interviews with children living in economic hardship, and how everyday life in economic hardship in one way or another becomes significant for their identity work, is the main empirical material. This article is intended to illustrate how to (a) combine James A. Holstein and Jaber F. Gubrium's (1995) active interview approach with elements from Erving Goffman's (1974/1986) frame analysis, and (b) introduce this approach as a fruitful way of analyzing children's narratives. Also, by regarding the interview as interaction and thereby acknowledging the …


A Data-Driven Conceptualization Of Teacher Evaluation, Seyyed Ali Ostovar Namaghi Nov 2010

A Data-Driven Conceptualization Of Teacher Evaluation, Seyyed Ali Ostovar Namaghi

The Qualitative Report

Research perspectives on teacher evaluation present evaluators with a set of possible acts. Local evaluation systems, on the other hand, specify a permissible set of acts from the total universe. The acts specified within a given locality act as conditions for teacher action. Using the sampling and analytical procedures of grounded theory, this study aims at exploring how evaluation of teaching performance in universities of Iran conditions practitioners' action (conditions), what teachers do in the face of these conditions (action), and the effect these conditions and actions have on practitioners' professional life (consequences). The findings will be useful for stakeholders …


Methodology In Seeking Stakeholder Perceptions Of Effective Technical Oral Presentations: An Exploratory Pilot Study, Ena Bhattacharyya, Arun Patil, Rajeswary Appacutty Sargunan Nov 2010

Methodology In Seeking Stakeholder Perceptions Of Effective Technical Oral Presentations: An Exploratory Pilot Study, Ena Bhattacharyya, Arun Patil, Rajeswary Appacutty Sargunan

The Qualitative Report

Engineering communication studies indicate the importance of oral presentations as an indispensable component of workplace oral communication activities; however, since there is limited literature regarding stakeholder perceptions of effective presentation skills and attributes in technical oral presentations or final year engineering project presentations, the authors conducted a mixed method to seek the perceptions of selected members of the academic and professional engineering community involved in technical oral presentations regarding effective presentation skills and attributes required in these technical oral presentations. The paper describes the quantitative and qualitative research methods employed to seek participant feedback involved in the study.


The Role Of Emotions In Fieldwork: A Self-Study Of Family Research In A Corrections Setting, Joyce A. Arditti, Karen S. Joest, Jennifer Lamber-Shute, Latanya Walker Nov 2010

The Role Of Emotions In Fieldwork: A Self-Study Of Family Research In A Corrections Setting, Joyce A. Arditti, Karen S. Joest, Jennifer Lamber-Shute, Latanya Walker

The Qualitative Report

In this study, we document a reflexive process via bracketing techniques and the development of a conceptual map in order to better understand how emotions that arise in the field can inform research design, implementation, and results. We conducted a content analysis of field notes written by a team of researchers who administered an interview to caregivers bringing children to visit an incarcerated family member at a local jail. Our self-examination revealed themes around the team's discomfort connected to the institutional jail setting and intense emotions regarding the life situations of study participants, their treatment by jail staff, and our …


The Evolution Of A Coding Schema In A Paced Program Of Research, Charlene A. Winters, Shirley Curney, Therese Sullivan Nov 2010

The Evolution Of A Coding Schema In A Paced Program Of Research, Charlene A. Winters, Shirley Curney, Therese Sullivan

The Qualitative Report

A major task involved in the management, analysis, and integration of qualitative data is the development of a coding schema to facilitate the analytic process. Described in this paper is the evolution of a coding schema that was used in the analysis of qualitative data generated from online forums of middle-aged women with chronic conditions who participated in a computer support intervention in the rural west. The coding schema evolved over three phases of the research project and included coding tree nodes based on study-driven categories and nodes that arose from the data and changes in conceptual thinking. This paper …


Career Motivation In Newly Licensed Registered Nurses: What Makes Them Remain, Zarata Mann Banks, Jessica H. Bailey Nov 2010

Career Motivation In Newly Licensed Registered Nurses: What Makes Them Remain, Zarata Mann Banks, Jessica H. Bailey

The Qualitative Report

Despite vast research on newly licensed registered nurses (RNs), we don't know why some newly licensed registered nurses remain in their current jobs and others leave the nursing profession early in their career. Job satisfaction, the most significant factor emerging from the literature, plays a significant role in nurses' decisions to remain in their current jobs. This study examined the lived experiences of newly licensed registered nurses early in their careers. The researcher interviewed 14 newly licensed registered nurses to ask why they chose nursing as a profession and to determine factors that would influence their choice to stay in …


The Heroes' Journey: A Young Couple's Experience With Choriocarcinoma, Dan Marlowe, Jennifer Hodgson, Angela Lamson Nov 2010

The Heroes' Journey: A Young Couple's Experience With Choriocarcinoma, Dan Marlowe, Jennifer Hodgson, Angela Lamson

The Qualitative Report

A 20 year retrospective qualitative case study was conducted to investigate the relational impact of choriocarcinoma (a type of gestational cancer) on a couple of child-bearing age. A unique feature to the study was that the primary investigator was the couple's biological son, initiating the first known auto-case study design. Using holistic content analysis, investigators learned that anticipatory grief played a central part in the couple's ultimate detachment and divorce. While the wife began to refocus her emotional energies on her children, in psychological preparation for her possible death, the husband focused on ways to keep the family finances together …


Daughters' Perspectives On Maternal Substance Abuse: Pledge To Be A Different Kind Of Mother, Anne P. Murphy, Joseph G. Ponterotto, Anthony A. Cancelli, Susan P. Chinitz Nov 2010

Daughters' Perspectives On Maternal Substance Abuse: Pledge To Be A Different Kind Of Mother, Anne P. Murphy, Joseph G. Ponterotto, Anthony A. Cancelli, Susan P. Chinitz

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) study was to explore the experiences of racially and culturally diverse young mothers whose own mothers abused substances two decades ago when substance abuse peaked in inner city, urban neighborhoods in the United States and to identify the factors that have influenced how they parent their own children today. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten drug-free mothers who report having been raised by a mother who was addicted to drugs, primarily crack cocaine during their childhoods. The emergent grounded theory is that exposure to maternal substance abuse has a significant …


Asian International Student Transition To High School In Canada, Natalee Popadiuk Nov 2010

Asian International Student Transition To High School In Canada, Natalee Popadiuk

The Qualitative Report

There is a paucity of studies conducted with unaccompanied adolescent international students. In this qualitative inquiry, I present a thematic analysis of the critical incidents that Chinese, Japanese, and Korean participants reported as either facilitating or hindering to their transition to Canada. Using the Critical Incident Technique, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 participants aged 15 to 18 years who were attending three public secondary schools in Vancouver, Canada. I present the findings of seven thematic categories: making decisions, experiencing dilemmas, receiving advice, receiving help, impressed with environment, experiencing local annoyances, and participation in activities. Finally, I address the implications …


A Practical Approach To Qualitative Interviews, Patrice R. Leblanc Nov 2010

A Practical Approach To Qualitative Interviews, Patrice R. Leblanc

The Qualitative Report

Nigel King and Christine Horrocks (2010) provide a functional discussion of multiple topics related to interviewing in their book, Interviews in Qualitative Research. However, the authors present more than just a useful discussion of how to design, conduct, and analyze interviews. They simultaneously introduce the importance of philosophical approaches and ethics in relation to the topics discussed, making connections between these important notions and the qualitative research process they describe. Their practical approach to the topics presented makes their book a wonderful resource for novice researchers.


How To Read And Review A Book Like A Qualitative Researcher, Ronald J. Chenail Nov 2010

How To Read And Review A Book Like A Qualitative Researcher, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

Reading a book with the intention of composing a review demands certain skills on the part of the reader that may differ when the goal of the read is for pleasure or scholarship. To help these reviewing readers to produce creative and useful review, the employment of qualitative research perspectives and procedures is suggested for reading books in a systematic matter leading to reviews that not only share the contents of the texts, but also transform the meaning of the texts producing new insights for the texts' authors and readers alike.


Observing The Observer: Understanding Our Selves In Field Research, Michelle A. Manley Nov 2010

Observing The Observer: Understanding Our Selves In Field Research, Michelle A. Manley

The Qualitative Report

In Observing the Observer, Shulamit Reinharz (2011) provides students and the novice researcher with an insightful and descriptive framework in which to understand the theoretical underpinning of ethnographical studies. The author presents an outline for comprehending unidentified and identified characteristics of the researcher in the fieldwork setting, making the self an essential tool of fieldwork.


Using Focus Groups In Preliminary Instrument Development: Expected And Unexpected Lessons Learned, Slyvia C. Nassar-Mcmillan, Mary Wyer, Maria Oliver-Hoyo, Amy Ryder-Burge Nov 2010

Using Focus Groups In Preliminary Instrument Development: Expected And Unexpected Lessons Learned, Slyvia C. Nassar-Mcmillan, Mary Wyer, Maria Oliver-Hoyo, Amy Ryder-Burge

The Qualitative Report

Focus groups can be utilized effectively across various stages of instrument development. This article details selected aspects of a process in which they were employed at the initial stages of item generation and refinement in a study of occupational stereotyping. The process yielded rich contextual information about the worldview and corresponding terminology of participants. In addition, the use of a tool developed and previously employed as an approach to clinical case notes (i.e., SOAP notes), produced surprising benefits in documenting the focus group data. The purpose of this paper is to describe this process and highlight the insights that emerged. …


Exploring Asian Female Pastors' Leadership Roles In The Church: Using Deborah's Story, Yu-Fen Lin, Chi-Sing Li, Beverly J. Irby, Genevieve Brown Nov 2010

Exploring Asian Female Pastors' Leadership Roles In The Church: Using Deborah's Story, Yu-Fen Lin, Chi-Sing Li, Beverly J. Irby, Genevieve Brown

The Qualitative Report

Women in many Christian cultures are told that men are strong and should lead the church. Consequently, some women rationalize that they should not assume top leadership roles in the church. When they do assume such roles, many female pastors experience challenges. The purpose of our qualitative case study was to give voice to Asian female pastors (AFPs) by having them share challenges they experienced in the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church and relate those challenges to the experiences of Deborah in the biblical story found in Judges 4 and 5. Reported in this paper are the results of focus groups centered …


A Grounded Theory Approach: Conceptions Of Understanding In Engineering Mathematics Learning, Henry Khiat Nov 2010

A Grounded Theory Approach: Conceptions Of Understanding In Engineering Mathematics Learning, Henry Khiat

The Qualitative Report

Mathematics is of utmost importance in engineering courses but studies on engineering students' conceptions of understanding in mathematics learning are found lacking in the literature. Therefore, this research attempts to address the above issue by answering the research question: "What are engineering students' conceptions of understanding in mathematics learning?" It employs the grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1990, 1998) and data are collected from in depth interviews with a total of 21 students and six lecturers. The substantive theory of engineering mathematics understanding (comprising of conceptual, functional, procedural, disciplinary and associational understanding) emerges in this study. The emergence of …


Heuristic Inquiry: A Personal Journey Of Acculturation And Identity Reconstruction, Ivana Djuraskovic, Nancy Arthur Nov 2010

Heuristic Inquiry: A Personal Journey Of Acculturation And Identity Reconstruction, Ivana Djuraskovic, Nancy Arthur

The Qualitative Report

Heuristic methodology attempts to discover the nature and meaning of phenomenon through internal self-search, exploration, and discovery. Heuristic methodology encourages the researcher to explore and pursue the creative journey that begins inside one's being and ultimately uncovers its direction and meaning through internal discovery (Douglass & Moustakas, 1985). The purpose of this paper is to familiarize readers with using heuristic methodology in research. I (Ivana) share my personal notes of how I decided to use heuristic methodology in my research. In the discussion, I address the nature of heuristic methodology, including its limitations. Finally, I present excerpts from a creative …


A Critique Of Four Grounded Theory Texts, Lise M. Allen Nov 2010

A Critique Of Four Grounded Theory Texts, Lise M. Allen

The Qualitative Report

This article is a review of Discovery of Grounded Theory by Glaser and Strauss, Basics of Qualitative Research by Strauss and Corbin, Constructing Grounded Theory by Charmaz, and Situational Analysis by Clarke across six categories, including the authors' purposes, structure of the books, practical applications of the books' methods, how the authors approach theory and data emergence, how the authors judge grounded theory research and finally, if the authors have achieved their purposes. For the most part, I found that all books accomplished their purposes. Discovery was weak in practical applications but strong on logical arguments for the usage of …


Applied Interpretation: A Review Of Interpretive Description By Sally Thorne, Sally St. George Nov 2010

Applied Interpretation: A Review Of Interpretive Description By Sally Thorne, Sally St. George

The Qualitative Report

In this book review I focus on the connections between the concepts, applied and interpretive, in conjunction with Sally's Thorne's (2008) emphasis on using interpretive qualitative research to answer the questions that practitioners encounter in their work.


Psychotherapeutic Treatment In Combination With Relaxation In A Flotation Tank: Effects On "Burn-Out Syndrome", Anette Kjellgren, Hanne Buhrkall, Torsten Norlander Sep 2010

Psychotherapeutic Treatment In Combination With Relaxation In A Flotation Tank: Effects On "Burn-Out Syndrome", Anette Kjellgren, Hanne Buhrkall, Torsten Norlander

The Qualitative Report

The focus of this study was to investigate experiences gained from treatment combining relaxation in flotation tank with psychotherapy for sufferers from "burn-out syndrome". Six people participated in a ten week program. They were all interviewed; the data were analyzed using the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological method. Five themes emerged: (a) direct experiences during flotation, (b) effects due to the treatment sessions, (c) psychological transformation, (d) reflections about the treatment program, and (e) demanding and rewarding psychological process over time. All participants went through psychological transformations and improvements in quality of life. At the end of the treatment program, all participants …


Research And Evaluation In Education And Psychology (3rd Ed.) By Donna M. Mertens- A Book Review, Candace H. Lacey Sep 2010

Research And Evaluation In Education And Psychology (3rd Ed.) By Donna M. Mertens- A Book Review, Candace H. Lacey

The Qualitative Report

While Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology (3rd ed.) by Donna M. Mertens (2010) is a beginning research text, in many ways it is advanced in its approach to research design. Like any revised edition, much of the material from the earlier editions is in the present edition. What makes this book different is the call to the reader to reflect on a personal understanding of research. This is accomplished through the use of "Expand Your Thinking" blocks within the text. These brief reflections allow researchers to explore their own assumptions and beliefs and consider the impact of self …


Ethnography Essentials: A Review, Robin Cooper Sep 2010

Ethnography Essentials: A Review, Robin Cooper

The Qualitative Report

Julian M. Murchison has written a thorough and thoroughly practical resource for the newcomer to ethnography. In his new book, Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting, and Presenting Your Research, he guides the novice ethnographer through the research process from conceptualization through presentation of findings. The text also includes discussion of some of the developments and debates within the field of ethnography.


A View From The Inside: An In-Depth Look At A Female University Student's Experience With A Feel-Based Intervention To Enhance Self-Confidence And Self-Talk, Eva Guérin, Isabelle Arcand, Natalie Durand-Bush Sep 2010

A View From The Inside: An In-Depth Look At A Female University Student's Experience With A Feel-Based Intervention To Enhance Self-Confidence And Self-Talk, Eva Guérin, Isabelle Arcand, Natalie Durand-Bush

The Qualitative Report

The primary goal of this investigation was to document, using the participatory paradigm, a female university student's experience with a feel-based intervention intended to enhance the quality of her academic experiences including her self-confidence and self-talk. In this unique qualitative case study, the student participated in a 15-week intervention that included multiple in-depth interviews and regular journaling, both of which prompted regular self-monitoring and self-reflection. A narrative account illustrates how the student learned to regulate the way she felt through the intervention, leading to increased self-awareness and self-control, as well as enhanced self-talk and self-confidence.


"We're Locking The Door": Family Histories In A Sample Of Homeless Youth, Shahid Alvi, Hannah Scott, Wendy Stanyon Sep 2010

"We're Locking The Door": Family Histories In A Sample Of Homeless Youth, Shahid Alvi, Hannah Scott, Wendy Stanyon

The Qualitative Report

It is well known that the pathways to homelessness for young people are embedded in often ongoing negative childhood experiences. Many of these experiences are rooted in multiple and intersecting problems including, but not limited to: family conflict, abuse, addictions, and mental health issues. The authors draw upon qualitative interviews conducted with 15 homeless male and female youth between the ages of 16 and 24 in a suburban area of Southern Ontario, Canada. We describe these young people's perceptions of family experiences and find support for Elliott Currie's (2004) proposition that a broader ethos of individualism and intolerant parenting underpins …


Netnography: A Method Specifically Designed To Study Cultures And Communities Online, Gary M. Bowler Jr. Sep 2010

Netnography: A Method Specifically Designed To Study Cultures And Communities Online, Gary M. Bowler Jr.

The Qualitative Report

With many people now using online communities such as newsgroups, blogs, forums, social networking sites, podcasting, videocasting, photosharing communities, and virtual worlds, the internet is now an important site for research. Kozinets' (2010) new text explores netnography, or the conduct of ethnography over the internet - a method specifically designed to study cultures and communities online. Guidelines for the accurate and ethical conduct of ethnographic research online are set out, with detailed, step-by-step guidance to thoroughly introduce, explain, and illustrate the method to students and researchers. Kozinets surveys the latest research on online cultures and communities, focusing on the methods …


Avoiding Traps In Member Checking, Julie A. Carlson Sep 2010

Avoiding Traps In Member Checking, Julie A. Carlson

The Qualitative Report

Due to the variations of design and protocol in qualitative inquiry, researchers may inadvertently create problems for themselves in terms of the trustworthiness of their research. Miscommunication between participants and researchers can especially arise from the unique and unpredictable nature of human dynamics. In this paper I contend that such problems, or traps, can easily and at times unknowingly be set during the qualitative process known as member checking, threatening the researcher/participant relationship and possibly the stability of the study. In this paper, I examine member checking through five vignettes personally experienced. These vignettes are preceded by a presentation of …


The Four Key Factors That Drive Successful Decisions, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer Sep 2010

The Four Key Factors That Drive Successful Decisions, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer

The Qualitative Report

The mechanisms of language operate as the vehicles for motivation, thinking and deciding. Language is a replica, a model, a representational map of reality. In the same way that a flawed roadmap will misrepresent reality and mislead a traveler, a flawed linguistic rationale will mislead a decision maker in any situation. In high-stakes situations that occur in globalized organizations, such as the current economic meltdown, the importance and consequences of flawed linguistic rationales are obvious. Simple suggestions for self examination of linguistic rationales are offered.


Coming In From The Margin: Research Practices, Representation And The Ordinary, Karen P. Greiner Sep 2010

Coming In From The Margin: Research Practices, Representation And The Ordinary, Karen P. Greiner

The Qualitative Report

This essay explores issues of marginality and representation in research, which emerged during life history interviews with Tammi, an "ordinary" woman living in Appalachia. I examine how my research practices, namely my thirst for drama and marginality, nearly silenced the preferred stories of the woman who shared her life with me. I contrast Tammi's unique yet quotidian accounts with streams of literature reflecting a tendency to neglect the commonplace by representing residents of Appalachia through tragic or heroic extremes. This essay pairs Tammi's stories with a reflection on what may have become of them had I followed my first impulse …


A Synopsis Of Synthesis: A Review Of Major And Savin-Baden's An Introduction To Qualitative Research Synthesis, Christopher W. Smithmyer Sep 2010

A Synopsis Of Synthesis: A Review Of Major And Savin-Baden's An Introduction To Qualitative Research Synthesis, Christopher W. Smithmyer

The Qualitative Report

This review looks at the book An Introduction to Qualitative Research Synthesis: Managing the Information Explosion in Social Science Research, by Claire Howell Major and Maggi Savin-Baden. Following the format for reviewing a book presented by the University of Alberta (2010), this review analyzes the book by audience, point by point, and then gives a general overview of the reviewer's opinion of the book. The book has several strong features, such as the procedural explanations and the clear defense of criticisms of synthesis, few failings, and presents a strong introduction for several audiences. Overall, this is a book well worth …