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

Roped Into Intimacy, Clare Kessi

Communication Studies Undergraduate Publications, Presentations and Projects

The bondage community is largely stigmatized and misunderstood by normative culture (Moser & Madeson, 2002). Using ethnographic fieldwork, this qualitative study explores how participants in the rope play (BDSM) community in a US west-coast city develop intimacy with their play partners through embodied communication. Research methods such as participant observation, thick description, and semi-structured interviews were employed to acknowledge, uncover, and respect the unique perspectives and experiences of members of this community. This study demonstrates how this subculture uses “hyper-communicative” behaviors such as breathwork, touch, and attuned listening breathwork to create intimacy between play partners. The study found that these forms ...

Non-Traditional Church Involvement As A Life-Course Turning Point: Qualitative Interviews With Religious Offenders, William Hunter Holt

Dissertations

This research project conducted and then analyzed qualitative interviews from former and current addicts and criminal offenders who are voluntarily participating in the Christian faith at the same non-traditional, Protestant church. An abridged case study of this church is also provided for background and context. Life-course theory and grounded theory are utilized.

Both the offenders and this church were chosen in an attempt to better understand how the offenders’ involvement at this house of worship, along with their faith in general, have impacted them. Obtaining the perspectives of the offender is essential for three reasons. First, qualitative research conducted in ...

Fomo, Liquid Courage, And The Intoxicated Self, Lindsay Pressman

Senior Theses and Projects

“Binge-drinking” cannot simply be recognized as a feature of campus culture, but as the product of a profoundly alienating one, made strikingly evident by our creation of a separate world (“drunk world”). We have created a small world of impossible possibles that exists in the corners of the actual; a separate world, in which the imagining of the self, other, and the world, is not only permissible but promoted. At the heart of college students’ “partying hard” is a longing, hope, and dogged determination that the liberating and unifying aspects of this world can overwhelm the actual...and in the ...

Recommendations For Secondary Analysis Of Qualitative Data, Sheryl L. Chatfield

The Qualitative Report

Publications and presentations resulting from secondary analysis of qualitative research are less common than similar efforts using quantitative secondary analysis, although online availability of high-quality qualitative data continues to increase. Advantages of secondary qualitative analysis include access to sometimes hard to reach participants; challenges include identifying data that are sufficient to respond to purposes beyond those the data were initially gathered to address. In this paper I offer an overview of secondary qualitative analysis processes and provide general recommendations for researchers to consider in planning and conducting qualitative secondary analysis. I also include a select list of data sources. Well-planned ...

A Model Of Research Article Writing Sociolinguistic Competence (Rawsc): Evidence From Qualitative Meta-Synthesis And Follow-Up Interviews, Reza Khany, Saeedeh Mohammadi

The Qualitative Report

The knowledge of sociolinguistic factors can be a remarkable component of competence in research article writing for learners’ successful handling of scholarly writing tasks in English for academic purposes (EAP) programs. This study aimed to present a model of Sociolinguistics Competence (SC) in writing EAP research articles. Give this, two stages were followed. Firstly, a meta-synthesis approach was adopted to investigate the available literature on various aspects of SC and extract the latent themes and concepts in the target model. As a result, two categories emerged from the combination of five concepts and 258 codes. Secondly, an introspective stage was ...

Toward A Meta-Framework For Conducting Mixed Methods Representation Analyses To Optimize Meta-Inferences, Julie A. Corrigan, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this article is to propose a meta-framework for conducting what we term mixed methods representation analyses (MMRA). We define MMRA as the appropriate selection of sampling design (i.e., the sampling frame [random] or sampling boundary [purposive]; sampling combination, comprising the mixing dimension [partial/fully], time dimension [concurrent/sequential], emphasis dimension [dominant/equal status], and relationship among/between samples [identical/parallel/nested/multilevel]; sample size; and number of sampling units [e.g., of people, cases, words, texts, observations, events, incidents, activities, experiences, or any other object of study]) in order to obtain representation and concomitantly meta-inferences consistent ...

A Research Tapestry: Stories Woven Into Stories, Laura Colket

The Qualitative Report

This autoethnography highlights the subjective nature of narrative research and illustrates the ways in which both micro and macro forces impact the research process. Through this article, I present a research tapestry in which the experiences, perspectives and stories of the participants weave together with my own experiences, perspectives and stories. I draw from my dissertation research, a narrative inquiry focused on the experiences of Haitian educational leaders working to create systemic change after the 2010 earthquake.

A Qualitative Study: Military Veterans And Franchise Ownership, Martin J. Mcdermott 4384520, Jason Jackson

The Qualitative Report

This study focuses on the military experience and motivation to become a franchise business owner. Previous research indicated franchisees who were military veterans had a significantly higher level of job satisfaction in owning and operating a franchise compared to franchisees with no military background. This study attempts to provide answers to important research questions like how and why military experience influences satisfaction in owning a franchise. Seven franchise business owners who served in the military participated in this qualitative study using a process of surveying, coding, and thematizing to answer this research inquiry. The findings of this follow-on study indicated ...

The Dynamic Of Performing Social Relations Amongst Managers And Supervisors: A Thematic Analysis, Tri Astuti, Avin Fadilla Helmi, Aniq Hudiyah Bil Haq, Mohamad Dziqie Aulia Al Farauqi

The Qualitative Report

This study investigated the factors, dimensions, and dynamic flow of the manager-supervisor social relationship in a company with family values. This research was a qualitative study with a thematic analysis approach based on the six-step thematic analysis from Braun and Clarke (2006). The authors used open-ended questionnaires and interviews as data gathering tools. This study found that the three factors that influence four interrelated dimensions can result in group cohesiveness, target achievement, and performance improvement. The results of this study can be used in policy-making by considering the social relationship between employees as a supporting factor in achieving organizational goals ...

What Factors Influence Chinese Students To Choose Master Program In Jmc: A Phenomenological Study, Zhiwei Wang Dr., Zhenbiao He Prof., Zhengke Fu Dr.

The Qualitative Report

The number of Chinese postgraduates in JMC has steadily increased with the growing number of JCC master’s programs in in China. Little is known about key factors that influence Chinese students’ decisions in choosing which program attend. In order to fill a gap in the academic field, a qualitative phenomenological approach was applied to examine the experiences of seven Chinese master’s students in JMC from three different universities in Zhejiang province, China. Three important themes have been created including (1) geographical advantages; (2) recommendation of peers and professors; and (3) course design and curriculum. These findings have important ...

The Lived Experiences Of First-Generation College Students Of Color Integrating Into The Institutional Culture Of A Predominantly White Institution, Talisha Lawson Adams, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer

The Qualitative Report

As many colleges and universities continue to increase their enrollment and diversification of their student body, the number of first-generation college students of color will continue to rise. Colleges have been charged with the challenge of not only enrolling this student population but also ensuring that they are connected to the university and persist to graduation. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of first-generation college students of color at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). This study utilized individual in-depth interviews and a focus group to examine how first-generation students of color experienced college ...

How To Access Elites When Textbook Methods Fail? Challenges Of Purposive Sampling And Advantages Of Using Interviewees As “Fixers”, Esra Bakkalbasioglu

The Qualitative Report

Social science methods literature identifies gaining access as one of the main challenges of conducting elite interview research. However, the existing literature mostly fails to provide access strategies other than the “textbook” methods of sending email, letters, faxes, or making phone calls. Many researchers, especially the ones who conduct purposive sampling-based in elite interview research encounter various obstacles when they try to gain access to the potential interviewees. Especially in challenging research environments, textbook methods either fail the researchers using purposive sampling or considerably increase the time and energy spent to gain access to elite respondents. Drawing on the author ...

Project Management Principles For Optimizing Publication Productivity Of Mixed Methods Studies, Abigail Baim-Lance, Anthony Onwuegbuzie, Jennifer Wisdom

The Qualitative Report

Mixed methods research is increasingly valued, although little attention has been placed on how to execute such projects well to achieve optimal publication for impact. Multiple publications from a single study allow scholars to explicate findings that cannot be contained in a single article and which address different aspects of study findings. This article contributes to the fields of mixed methods research by building on their roots in pragmatism, which we argue calls for effective research studies resulting in published findings. This article proposes a project management framework and describes how to optimize mixed methods manuscript production during each of ...

A Review Of Qualitative Methods In Health Communication Research, Liza Ngenye, Gary Kreps

The Qualitative Report

This paper examines the ways that qualitative inquiry can be especially useful for gathering relevant descriptive data that can provide a deep understanding of health communication issues and processes, as well as to provide evidence-based guidance for addressing key challenges of health care delivery and promotion. This article promotes methodological diversity in research designs and illustrates the value of employing qualitative methods such as ethnography and grounded theory in health communication research. It is also provides calls for the application of less-used, unfamiliar qualitative methods such as phenomenology. Our careful bibliographic review of health communication research studies published over the ...

Contemplating Reflexivity As A Practice Of Authenticity In Autoethnographic Research, Adam Wiesner

The Qualitative Report

This personal narrative shares a perspective of a non-binary trans qualitative writer who engages in the reflexive practice of evolutionary astrology. The author focuses on vulnerable, healing and therapeutic aspects of autoethnographic writing, and his quest for being authentic while dealing with difficult emotions related to his “misfit feeling” when crossing the boundary lines within Slovak academia.

Conducting Research In Non-Traditional Settings: Research Assistant Experiences In A Gay Bathhouse, Michael R. Lloyd, Michael P. Dentato, Brian L. Kelly, Hayley Stokar

The Qualitative Report

Research conducted in traditional and non-traditional settings remains essential to understanding behaviors and attitudes among diverse populations. The effective preparation of research assistants is essential in order to conduct ethical research and ensure safety for the participants and those conducting the research. One such example pertains to examining the behavior of men who have sex with men (e.g., gay, bisexual, other MSM) within bathhouse settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among six graduate students and alumni examining their overall interest in conducting research as well as their thoughts and feelings prior to, during, and after collecting data at a gay ...

Eelgrass Health Survey And Results, Nicholas B. Anderson, Catherine M. Ashcraft, Dante D. Torio, Frederick T. Short

Natural Resources and the Environment Scholarship

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire designed, tested, and conducted an eelgrass health survey. The primary goal of the survey was to collect health ratings from respondents who had viewed pre-selected images of eelgrass representing a wide range of health conditions. Survey results were used as a calibration and validation to a novel eelgrass health index developed using video-monitoring. Two secondary goals of this this survey were the identification of plant-specific and environmental characteristics important to respondents and the introduction of the new eelgrass health index. This published dataset includes de-identified survey respondent background and demographic data, the survey ...

"It Is What It Is:" Literacy Studies And Phenomenology, Jason D. Dehart

The Qualitative Report

This investigation of the tenets of phenomenology is based on work completed using this methodology in educational studies. Specifically, the author writes about the way that phenomenology can be used when completing studies in the field of literacy. The author highlights foundational thinkers, along with major elements of methods and data collection that form the working parts of phenomenology. The author frames this article as a partially reflective account, looking at work that has been completed already, while also attempting to compose a descriptive investigation that other researchers can adopt for their own work in other fields.

Contemporary Japanese Career Women: Reflections On Profession, Life, And Purpose, Anne Stefanie Aronsson Aarons

The Qualitative Report

In this article, I explore what motivates Japanese women to pursue professional careers in today’s neoliberal economy and how they reconfigure notions of selfhood while doing so. I ask why and how one fourth of Japanese women stay on a career track, often against considerable odds, while the other three fourths drop out of the workforce. Employment trends indicate that more white-collar professional women are breaking through the “glass ceiling” and more women are now filling managerial posts. These trends have been supported by the recession, which has led to the liberalization of career paths that fit with women ...

Enhancing Trustworthiness Of Qualitative Findings: Using Leximancer For Qualitative Data Analysis Triangulation, Laura L. Lemon, Jameson Hayes

The Qualitative Report

This paper offers an approach to enhancing trustworthiness of qualitative findings through data analysis triangulation using Leximancer, a text mining software that uses co-occurrence to conduct semantic and relational analyses of text corpuses to identify concepts, themes, and how they relate to one another. This study explores the usefulness of Leximancer for triangulation by examining 309 pages of previously analyzed interview data that resulted in a conceptual model. Findings show Leximancer to be an ideal tool for refining a priori conceptual models. The Leximancer analysis provided missing nuance from the a priori model, depicting the value of and connection between ...