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2012

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Nova Southeastern University

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Articles 1 - 30 of 176

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Expectations In The Foreign Language Classrooms: A Case Study, Olha Ketsman Dec 2012

Expectations In The Foreign Language Classrooms: A Case Study, Olha Ketsman

The Qualitative Report

Research shows the strong correlation between expectations and student achievement across different disciplines. However, little research has been conducted regarding the role of discipline specific classroom expectations in student academic achievement. This multiple instrumental case study discusses expectations in two rural Spanish high school classrooms in which teachers produce d the highest achieving students. The data was collected through classroom observations, one-on-one audiotaped interviews with teachers and exploration of instructional materials. The study provides insights about the role of expectations in foreign language classrooms and offers examples of foreign language pedagogical practices that reflect high expectations. The study concludes that …

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Using Hermeneutics To Understand Burnout And Coping Strategies Utilized By Occupational Therapists, Sangeeta Gupta, Margo Paterson, Claudia Von Zweck, Rosemary Lysaght Dec 2012

Using Hermeneutics To Understand Burnout And Coping Strategies Utilized By Occupational Therapists, Sangeeta Gupta, Margo Paterson, Claudia Von Zweck, Rosemary Lysaght

The Qualitative Report

This research article explores the use of the hermeneutic approach in understanding practice challenges for occupational therapists in the contemporary health care arena. It provides insights into factors that lead to therapist burnout and the strategies they utilize to maintain competent practice. In this mixed methods study, hermeneutics was chosen as the qualitative approach to help understand the meanings occupational therapists ascribe to stressful situations at work and how they cope with those situations. Data was collected by conducting focus groups and semi-structured interviews with seven participants. Demands on time, conflict, lack of respect and autonomy emerged as the main …

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Synthesizing Multicultural, Global, And Civic Perspectivesin Theelementary School Curriculum And Educational Research, Steven P. Camicia, Juanjuan Zhu Dec 2012

Synthesizing Multicultural, Global, And Civic Perspectivesin Theelementary School Curriculum And Educational Research, Steven P. Camicia, Juanjuan Zhu

The Qualitative Report

Social networks and communities are rapidly expanding and changing due to the accelerating pace of globalization. In this article, we examine new possibilities for the reform of curriculum and educational research in a way that is responsive to increasingly multicultural and global communities. Drawing on literatures in the areas of multicultural, global, and civic education, we conducted a critical qualitative case study of four elementary school teachers. The teachers, two in the United States and two in the United Kingdom, are known to be exemplary at synthesizing multicultural, global, and civic education. We, the two authors, one a female from …

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Two Teachers In Dialogue:Understanding The Commitment To Teach, Philip Evan Bernhardt Dec 2012

Two Teachers In Dialogue:Understanding The Commitment To Teach, Philip Evan Bernhardt

The Qualitative Report

In this study the author explores two educators’ understandings about their commitment to the teaching profession. The following question sits at the heart of this investigation: How do two teachers understand the manifestation of commitment within their teaching practices. Hermeneutic inquiry, which quietly situates this work, provides a unique lens to explore the significance of personal and professional experiences, interpret how to make sense of these experiences, and reflect on the meaning of these revelations within the context of one’s life narrative. Findings reveal that while both the participant and researcher both have a deep commitment to positively influence the …

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A Grounded Theory Of Inductive Qualitative Research Education: Results Of A Meta-Data-Analysis, Robin Cooper, Ronald J. Chenail, Stephanie Fleming Dec 2012

A Grounded Theory Of Inductive Qualitative Research Education: Results Of A Meta-Data-Analysis, Robin Cooper, Ronald J. Chenail, Stephanie Fleming

The Qualitative Report

This paper reports on the first stage of a meta-study conducted by the authors on primary research published during the last thirty years that focused on discovering the experiences of students learning qualitative research. The authors carried out a meta-analysis of the findings of students’ experiences learning qualitative research included in twenty-five published articles. Using constructivist grounded theory to analyze the experience of those seeking to learn qualitative research, including factors that appear to support or interfere with their learning experiences, the authors identified three key dimensions of qualitative research students’ learning experiences—affective, cognitive, and experiential. Based on this analysis, …

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Factors Causing Demotivation In Efl Teaching Process: A Case Study, Selami Aydin Dec 2012

Factors Causing Demotivation In Efl Teaching Process: A Case Study, Selami Aydin

The Qualitative Report

Studies have mainly focused on strategies to motivate teachers or the student-teacher motivation relationships rather than teacher demotivation in the English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching process, whereas no data have been found on the factors that cause teacher demotivation in the Turkish EFL teaching contexts at the elementary education level. Thus, this study aims to investigate the demotivating factors in EFL teaching at the elementary level. The study was designed as a qualitative case study, and involved face-to-face conversations, MSN talks and a diary maintained by the subject for data collection. The results showed that the problems were …

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Lived Experiences Of Diversity Visa Lottery Immigrants In The United States, Tekleab Elos Hailu, Bernadette M. Mendoza, Maria K.E. Lahman, Veronica M. Richard Dec 2012

Lived Experiences Of Diversity Visa Lottery Immigrants In The United States, Tekleab Elos Hailu, Bernadette M. Mendoza, Maria K.E. Lahman, Veronica M. Richard

The Qualitative Report

Every year approximately 50,000 people immigrate to the United States through the avenue referred to as the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery. In this article, the authors present a literature review of immigration to the U.S. through the DV Lottery, reflect on their own immigration histories, and utilize phenomenology to investigate and describe participant feelings, expectations, and experiences as DV Lottery immigrants. Participants experienced mixed feelings, including high expectations prior to and difficulties after immigrating to the U.S. Findings presented include (a) life experienced in the U.S.; (b) access to learning and training opportunities; and (c) recommended support future DV Lottery …

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Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention And Intervention In A Community Setting: Perspectives Of Young Adults And Professionals, Donna S. Martsolf, Crystal Colbert, Claire B. Drauker Dec 2012

Adolescent Dating Violence Prevention And Intervention In A Community Setting: Perspectives Of Young Adults And Professionals, Donna S. Martsolf, Crystal Colbert, Claire B. Drauker

The Qualitative Report

Adolescent dating violence (ADV) is a significant community problem. In this study, we examine the perspectives of two groups (young adults who experienced ADV as teens and professionals who work with teens) on ADV prevention/intervention in a community context. We interviewed 88 young adults and 20 professionals. Our research team used Thorne’s (2008) interpretive description methods to determine participants’ perspectives on community views on ADV, community ADV prevention/intervention programs, and ideal ADV prevention/intervention strategies. Participants perceived most communities as being blind to ADV. They perceived prevention programs as unavailable, inappropriate, or impersonal. Young adults indicated that professionals should use a …

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Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Multiple High-Risk Behavior Prevention Program And Delivery Of Universal Programming, Crystal Collier, Richard C. Henriksen Jr. Dec 2012

Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Multiple High-Risk Behavior Prevention Program And Delivery Of Universal Programming, Crystal Collier, Richard C. Henriksen Jr.

The Qualitative Report

Much of the success of high-risk behavior prevention programs rests with teachers who deliver the curriculum however; few studies have investigated teachers' perceptions of program implementation. The objective of this phenomenological study was to answer the question, “What are the experiences of teachers who are asked to be involved in the implementation process when their school adopts a multiple high-risk behavior prevention program”? Participants included 10 teachers at a local, private high school in the Southern United States. Five themes emerged: (a) lack of consistent historical effort, (b) need for program, (c) positive but tentative perceptions, (d) challenges with implementation, …

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Enabling Outcomes For Students With Developmental Disabilities Through Collaborative Consultation, Michelle Villeneuve, Nancy L. Hutchinson Dec 2012

Enabling Outcomes For Students With Developmental Disabilities Through Collaborative Consultation, Michelle Villeneuve, Nancy L. Hutchinson

The Qualitative Report

Collaborative consultation has been widely adopted in school-based occupational therapy practice; however, limited research has examined how collaboration between educators and occupational therapists contributes to students’ outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe the nature of collaborative working in two cases of school-based occupational therapy service delivery. This paper reports a cross-case analysis, comparing findings about the nature of a joint effort in each case study to identify workplace practices that facilitated educator-occupational therapist collaboration. Ethnographic case study methods (Stake, 1995; Wolcott, 2008) and socio-cultural activity theory (SCAT; Engeström, 2001) were used to examine multiple perspectives concerning school-based …

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The Influence Of Informal Music Education In Teacher Formation: An Autoethnography, Rohan Nethsinghe Dec 2012

The Influence Of Informal Music Education In Teacher Formation: An Autoethnography, Rohan Nethsinghe

The Qualitative Report

In this paper I explore how my musical background, teaching skills, understanding and knowledge as well as music-making abilities and skills, have formed my current self as musician, teacher and researcher. An autoethnographical method is used to investigate my background, including the different modes of music education I received. From this qualitative study, it was possible to find that my interests along with the methods of interpretations I practice in the field of multicultural music are influenced by and formulated through my appreciation and understandings of and beliefs gained from education. Most importantly, they are shaped by the social context, …

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What Therapists Learn From Psychotherapy Clients: Effects On Personal And Professional Lives, Sherry L. Hatcher, Adriana Kipper-Smith, Manuela Waddell, Mechtild Uhe, Joanne S. West, Jason H. Boothe, Joan M. Frye, Katherine Tighe, Kelly L. Usselman, Patricia Gingras Nov 2012

What Therapists Learn From Psychotherapy Clients: Effects On Personal And Professional Lives, Sherry L. Hatcher, Adriana Kipper-Smith, Manuela Waddell, Mechtild Uhe, Joanne S. West, Jason H. Boothe, Joan M. Frye, Katherine Tighe, Kelly L. Usselman, Patricia Gingras

The Qualitative Report

While considerable research has examined how clients learn from psychotherapists, there is only sparse literature on what therapists learn from their therapy clients. In a qualitative, exploratory study, nine researchers interviewed 61 psychologists from across North America in order to see what psychotherapists may have learned and how they have been affected by their clients both personally and professionally. Participants responded to nine open-ended questions on learning about life-lessons, relationships, ethical decision-making, coping, courage, wisdom, psychopathology, personality, cultural differences, lifespan development and more. Participants’ richly elaborated responses were coded thematically and narrative data illustrates the most frequent themes. Therapists reported …

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Contextualizing Theories And Practices Of Bricolage Research, Matt Rogers Nov 2012

Contextualizing Theories And Practices Of Bricolage Research, Matt Rogers

The Qualitative Report

Within the last decade, bricolage, as an approach to qualitative inquiry, has gained popularity in academic circles. However, while conceptual and concrete precedents exist, the approach has remained relatively misunderstood, and unpopular, in broader research communities. This may be because the complexity of the approach has stymied widespread discussions and commentary. This article means to address this concern by providing a thick, yet accessible, introduction to bricolage as an approach to qualitative inquiry. While researchers and scholars have conceptualized bricolage, few have attempted to provide an overview of how the concept emerged in relation to qualitative research. Further, while the …

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Shared Journaling As Peer Support In Teaching Qualitative Research Methods, Aine M. Humble, Elizabeth Sharp Nov 2012

Shared Journaling As Peer Support In Teaching Qualitative Research Methods, Aine M. Humble, Elizabeth Sharp

The Qualitative Report

Teaching qualitative research methods (QRM), particularly early on in one’s academic career, can be challenging. This paper describes shared peer journaling as one way in which to cope with challenges such as complex debates in the field and student resistance to interpretive paradigms. Literature on teaching QRM and the pedagogical value of journaling for metacognition are reviewed. The two authors describe key points about their teaching contexts and then demonstrate with journal excerpts how they developed (a) clarity, (b) confidence, and (c) connection through two years of co-creating their journal. The article concludes with recommendations for shared journal writing as …

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Transcription And Analysis Of Qualitative Data In A Study Of Women Who Sexually Offended Against Children, Elizabeth Anne Mcnulty Nov 2012

Transcription And Analysis Of Qualitative Data In A Study Of Women Who Sexually Offended Against Children, Elizabeth Anne Mcnulty

The Qualitative Report

Research on sexual violence is often conducted within the qualitative paradigm. However, many writers have described the lack of specific detail provided with regard to decisions and processes involved in transcribing and analyzing this type of data. In this article, I will provide a description and discussion of the organization, categorization, and analysis of in-depth interviews in a recent study of women who sexually abused children. The study revealed common experiences of sexual and other abuse in the women’s childhood and adult relationships. These experiences created vulnerabilities that appeared to play a significant role in the women’s offenses. Although abused …

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The Relationship Of Researcher And Participant In Qualitative Inquiry: From “Self And Other” Binaries To The Poststructural Feminist Perspective Of Subjectivity, Kinga Varga-Dobai Nov 2012

The Relationship Of Researcher And Participant In Qualitative Inquiry: From “Self And Other” Binaries To The Poststructural Feminist Perspective Of Subjectivity, Kinga Varga-Dobai

The Qualitative Report

Whether approached from a positivist perspective or a more comprehensive postpositivist theoretical and philosophical grounding, the relationship between researcher and participant entails the strong binary opposition of the I-Thou (Buber, 1971) or Self and Other (Bhabha, 2004) within which I or Self is associated with the researcher and Thou or Other represents the research subject. The goal of this paper is to offer an overview of the various theoretical and ethodological approaches to the researcher-participant relationship in qualitative research. The author will first explore how traditional qualitative and emancipatory feminist research have addressed this issue, then she will investigate how …

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African American Women: The Face Of Hiv/Aids In Washington, Dc, Ndidiamaka N. Amutah Nov 2012

African American Women: The Face Of Hiv/Aids In Washington, Dc, Ndidiamaka N. Amutah

The Qualitative Report

In 2007, the estimated HIV and AIDS case rates among adult and adolescent African-American females in the United States was 60.6 per 100,000, as compared to 3.3 per 100,000 for adult and adolescent white American females. Women living with HIV or AIDS often face complex social problems that may inhibit them from accessing resources and healthcare services to assist them in coping with the disease. In-depth interviews and direct observations utilizing open-ended note taking were conducted at an HIV service provider’s office to determine the unique needs that develop because of these complex social issues, specifically among HIV positive women …

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Women In Transition: A Qualitative Analysis Of Definitions Of Poverty And Success, Crystale M. Marsh-Mcdonald, Sybil Schroeder Nov 2012

Women In Transition: A Qualitative Analysis Of Definitions Of Poverty And Success, Crystale M. Marsh-Mcdonald, Sybil Schroeder

The Qualitative Report

A phenomenological approach examined the stories of ten women transitioning from childhood poverty to adult life. Women were chosen from a pool of participants in an Upward Bound program designed to assist low-income and/or first-generation college students in the Midwestern United States. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to retrospectively explore their lived experiences. Recurring themes included facilitators of change, specifically the people, including mental health professionals, family members, romantic partners, and friends who helped make change possible. Another frequent theme found in the research was the impact an education had on the participants. Finally, the participants shared their own insights related …

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Interrelated Processes Toward Quality Of Life In Survivors Of Childhood Cancer: A Grounded Theory, Miranda Tsonis, Janette Mcdougall, Angela Mandich, Jennifer Irwin Nov 2012

Interrelated Processes Toward Quality Of Life In Survivors Of Childhood Cancer: A Grounded Theory, Miranda Tsonis, Janette Mcdougall, Angela Mandich, Jennifer Irwin

The Qualitative Report

Past research has not adequately addressed the quality of life (QOL) of survivors of childhood cancer. The purpose of this study was to understand how QOL is experienced for individuals who have survived childhood cancer. Specific research questions included: (a) How do childhood cancer survivors define the concept of QOL and (b) What processes do childhood cancer survivors go through regarding their QOL? Researchers used grounded theory to analyze in-depth interviews conducted with eight survivors. Survivors use a process of specific action strategies and intervening conditions to manage impacts and effects, resulting in life enjoyment, or good QOL. The identification …

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Fostering Change In Organizational Culture Using A Critical Ethnographic Approach, Rosemary A. Brander, Margo Patterson, Yolande E. Chan Nov 2012

Fostering Change In Organizational Culture Using A Critical Ethnographic Approach, Rosemary A. Brander, Margo Patterson, Yolande E. Chan

The Qualitative Report

Healthcare organizations are striving to meet legislated and public expectations to include patients as equal partners in their care, and research is needed to guide successful implementation and outcomes. The current research examined the meaning of customer service as related to the culture of care relationships within a Canadian hospital in southeastern Ontario. The goals were to better understand these expectations, develop shared meanings and influence cultural change from the perspective of the organization’s employees about their interactions with patients, families and work colleagues, and to generate ideas and groundswell for change. An ethnographic approach within the critical research paradigm …

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Front Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies Nov 2012

Front Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

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Volume 19, Number 2 (Fall 2012), Peace And Conflict Studies Nov 2012

Volume 19, Number 2 (Fall 2012), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

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Network Facilitation And Social Capital, Toran Hansen Nov 2012

Network Facilitation And Social Capital, Toran Hansen

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper empirically demonstrates that networks of organizations working together can be facilitated by individual network members, even when no facilitators are formally designated by the network members. Regression analyses also revealed statistically significant relationships between the frequency that facilitation functions were facilitated in the inter-organizational network studied and both the level of trust that the network members had for their inter-organizational network and the level of work coordination experienced by the members of the network. These two dependent variables were utilized as indicators of social capital, which was therefore found to be enhanced by inter-organizational network facilitation in this …

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Linking Process To Outcome: Implicit Norms In A Cross-Cultural Dialogue Program, Karen Ross Nov 2012

Linking Process To Outcome: Implicit Norms In A Cross-Cultural Dialogue Program, Karen Ross

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper examines the link between dialogue mechanisms and potential outcomes. Using the “Soliya Connect Program” as a case study, I focus specifically on dialogue norms, distinguishing between explicit and implicit norms of dialogue, and examine how these norms shape the dialogue space. My analysis suggests that as dialogue mechanisms, these norms both enable and constrain participants’ comfort in expressing themselves, and thus can significantly affect the outcomes of the dialogue process.

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Can The Organization Of Islamic Cooperation (Oic) Resolve Conflicts?, Ibrahim Sharqieh Nov 2012

Can The Organization Of Islamic Cooperation (Oic) Resolve Conflicts?, Ibrahim Sharqieh

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article examines the potential of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to contribute to mediation of conflicts in the Muslim world. Based on interviews with OIC senior officials and government officials from Iraq and the Philippines, as well as research involving other primary and secondary sources, the author analyzes four cases in which the OIC participated in mediation efforts: the Philippines, Thailand, Iraq, and Somalia. The article concludes with an assessment of the advantages and challenges of including the OIC in such mediation efforts, as well as recommendations related to capacity-building and inter-organizational partnerships that might enhance the potential …

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Conversation With An Interpreter: Considerations For Cross-Language, Cross-Cultural Peacebuilding Research, Maureen P. Flaherty, Sonya Starkova Nov 2012

Conversation With An Interpreter: Considerations For Cross-Language, Cross-Cultural Peacebuilding Research, Maureen P. Flaherty, Sonya Starkova

Peace and Conflict Studies

The ongoing processes of peacebuilding involve dialogue (Lederach 1997) and co-discovery (Freire 1970), which can sometimes be facilitated through academy-initiated research. Qualitative research provides opportunities to move from a positivist approach to a more equal, participatory, interactive exploration that benefits all participants, including the researcher in a “co-production of knowledge” (Karnieli-Miller, Strier, and Pessach 2009 p. 279). Cross-cultural, cross-language research (where researchers and participants do not share the same language), with all its riches, brings particular challenges for all involved. Beyond the issues of power and perceived power in any kind of research (Sprague 2005), in cross-cultural and cross-language research, …

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Armor All: The Self-Conception Of Private Security Contractors, Volker Franke Nov 2012

Armor All: The Self-Conception Of Private Security Contractors, Volker Franke

Peace and Conflict Studies

Whereas the values, attitudes and motivations of soldiers serving in their countries’ armed forces have been widely studied, to date we know very little about the motivations and self-conception of individuals working for the private security industry. Using data obtained through an online survey, this article explores the values, attitudes and identity of more than 200 private security contractors with law enforcement backgrounds and operational experience with a security firm in Iraq. Contrary to media dominating images of ruthless, money-grabbing mercenaries, respondents in this sample adhered to attitudes and values very similar to those of professional soldiers serving in Western …

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Understanding The Culture Of Ahiska Turks In Wheaton, Illinois: A Case Study, Omer Avci Oct 2012

Understanding The Culture Of Ahiska Turks In Wheaton, Illinois: A Case Study, Omer Avci

The Qualitative Report

This study focuses on the cultural characteristics of Ahiska Turks in Wheaton, Illinois in the United States. By trying to understand the culture of the participants, I sought to shed light on how the Ahiska Turks managed to cope with the hardship they experienced and yet preserved their ethnic identities. In this multicase study, I interviewed six male Ahiska Turks. As a result of my analyses, eight themes emerged: family, religion (i.e., Islam), language (i.e., Turkish), communal life, endogamy, authoritarianism, oppression against the preservation of culture and identity, and education for upward mobility. The Ahiska Turks’ agrarian way of life, …

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A Key Challenge In Global Hrm: Adding New Insights To Existing Expatriate Spouse Adjustment Models, Ritu Gupta, Pratyush Banerjee, Jighyasu Gaur Oct 2012

A Key Challenge In Global Hrm: Adding New Insights To Existing Expatriate Spouse Adjustment Models, Ritu Gupta, Pratyush Banerjee, Jighyasu Gaur

The Qualitative Report

This study is an attempt to strengthen the existing knowledge about factors affecting the adjustment process of the trailing expatriate spouse and the subsequent impact of any maladjustment or expatriate failure. We conducted a qualitative enquiry using grounded theory methodology with 26 Indian spouses who had to deal with their partner’s expatriate assignment relocation. The open and axial coding techniques and the process of theoretical sampling are discussed at length. Our investigation reveals the recurrence of several factors earlier studied in previous models such as cultural novelty, family and peer support, the organization’s support and the spouse’s personality. Additionally, we …

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Kitchen Stories: A Review, Dan Wulff, Sally St. George, Sandy Harper-Jaques, Lorne Jaques Oct 2012

Kitchen Stories: A Review, Dan Wulff, Sally St. George, Sandy Harper-Jaques, Lorne Jaques

The Qualitative Report

Using four voices, we created a movie review of Kitchen Stories, a Scandinavian movie ostensibly about a research project, but with layers of meaning extending beyond research into relationships, wider communities, and teaching. As friends and colleagues, our co-authored review/essay allowed each of us room to elaborate numerous themes that can inform and support a variety of researchers and practitioners. This writing also confirmed our belief that contemporary movies can be evocative learning devices for professionals.

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