Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons^™

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 …

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, …

Teaming Up For Safer Cities: A Report From The Implementation Assessment Of The National Forum On Youth Violence Prevention (2012), Jeffrey A. Butts, Caterina Gouvis Roman, Kathleen A. Tomberg

Publications and Research

The efforts inspired by the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention will take time to develop, but survey results from the first 15 months of implementation suggest that the initiative may be generating some important changes. In five communities, survey respondents report a number of potentially valuable improvements. The results imply that the cities involved in the National Forum may be increasing opportunities for youth and improving the extent to which violence prevention approaches draw upon the perspectives and expertise of a broad range of community members. There are also indications that some cities are developing better overall capacity to …

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 …

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, …

Behind The Seams: An Ethnographic Study Of The Performative Nature Of Theatrical Costumes, Emily M. Lindholm

Student Publications

Actors are said to bring a play to life, but what about the garments that they wear? Like set production, light design, and direction, the role of the costume plays an important part in informing and enchanting the audience. However, this is not all that they do. This paper acts as an in-depth examination of the culture of costume creation and destruction at Gettysburg College, researching their roles as garments, as well as how the garments themselves "act" around others. Imbued with their own set of responsibilities, the costumes are expected to behave certain ways, perform specific functions, and put …

On The Social Construction Of Hellenism Cold War Narratives Of Modernity, Development And Democracy For Greece, Despina Lalaki

Publications and Research

Hellenism is one of those overarching, ever-changing narratives always subject to historical circumstances, intellectual fashions and political needs. Conversely, it is fraught with meaning and conditioning powers, enabling and constraining imagination and practical life. In this essay I tease out the hold that the idea of Hellas has had on post-war Greece and I explore the ways in which the American anti-communist rhetoric and discussions about political and economic stabilization appropriated and rearticulated Hellenism. Central to this history of transformations are the archaeologists; the archaeologists as intellectuals, as producers of culture who, while stepping in and out of their disciplinary …

Plan And Assess: The Basics Of Learning Outcomes And Survey Development, Larry D. Long, Angela Baugher, Jess Turuc

Larry D. Long

No abstract provided.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Professional Deceit: Normal Lying In An Occupational Setting, Janet M. Ruane, Karen Cerulo

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Normal lies are those that social actors legitimate as appropriate means to desirable outcomes. Such lies have been acknowledged in the literature as tools for maintaining social order. Yet, little has been done to document the social structural sources of normal lying. This paper offers a first step in filling this research gap, examining aspects of occupational structure and their connection to the practice of normal lying. Specifically, we discuss four dimensions of occupational structure — occupational rewards and entry requirements, occupational loyalties, social control styles within an occupation, and an occupation's level of professionalization — and we explore the …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Homelessness In Brattleboro: An Examination If A Poor Community In Brattleboro, Vt, What Services Are Available, And How The Community Could Benefit From Sustainable Development Practices., Emily Clever

Capstone Collection

Decades ago the Federal Government created a system of systems to assist in eradicating extreme poverty, however in 2011 the poverty rate was at its highest rate in almost two decades leaving millions of families and individuals searching for assistance. Given today’s statistics it should not come as a shock that more and more families and individuals have accessed the system and government spending has significantly increased. The deterioration of the safety net has left many lost, looking for answers and for change to happen.

This research study focused on a small community in Brattleboro, Vermont and asked: What are …

Existential Cycling, Rodger E. Broome Phd

Rodger E. Broome

As I reflected on my thoughts, I reflected on my reflections while my body was hammering through the revolutions of the machine I was riding. I was feeling alive! Pulse racing, hard breathing, and beginning to sweat, I could feel myself cutting through the air as my race carved a rut through the light breeze. There is a transcendence that can be experienced when one is overcoming his or her normal human limitations. Driving power through this highly engineered piece of metal, carbon fiber, and rubber machinery to propel my body at 20 MPH down a city street is expansive …

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 …

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 …