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Analyzing Flying Chameleons: Using Autoethnography To Explore Change In The Female Educator, Leslie Pourreau Dec 2014

Analyzing Flying Chameleons: Using Autoethnography To Explore Change In The Female Educator, Leslie Pourreau

The Qualitative Report

What is a chameleon in the world of education? What defines her professionally, personally, and why? In this autoethnography, I explore the chameleon metaphor for meanings and implications in my personal and professional identity as a female educator by seeking answers to questions stemming from Mitchell and Weber (2005): Just who do I think I am? Just who do I think I am? Just who do I think I am? Just who do I think I am? I analyzed my own autobiographical journals using the four-part Listening Guide (Gilligan, Spencer, Weinberg, & Bertsch, 2003) coupled with theme-based family coding to …


Caught In The Middle: Chat(Ting) About Black School Leaders, Demetricia L. Hodges Dec 2014

Caught In The Middle: Chat(Ting) About Black School Leaders, Demetricia L. Hodges

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this article is to “chat” about my experience using Eurocentric theories in racial and culturally centered qualitative inquiry. The challenge I face is that I believe researchers can use Eurocentric theories to conceptualize ‘appropriate’ frameworks to conduct rigorous culturally responsible and sensitive research that contributes to existing scholarly dialogue and empirical literature on culturally sensitive designs in the field of qualitative research. In this paper I use my research experience to address the question, “How can researcher(s) conduct culturally responsible and sensitive research?” I use autoethnography and writing as a method of inquiry to (re)present the multi-layers …


Collaborative Course Design And Inquiry-Based Approaches In Geoscience Education, Paul E. Baldauf, Robert Hill Dec 2014

Collaborative Course Design And Inquiry-Based Approaches In Geoscience Education, Paul E. Baldauf, Robert Hill

Quadrivium: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Conceptions Of Mental Illness: Cultural Perspectives And Treatment Implications, Lena Hall Dec 2014

Conceptions Of Mental Illness: Cultural Perspectives And Treatment Implications, Lena Hall

Quadrivium: A Journal of Multidisciplinary Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Using Ethnography To Understand Meaning: A Review Of Sam Ladner's Practical Ethnography: A Guide To Doing Ethnography In The Private Sector, Richard H. Rogers Nov 2014

Using Ethnography To Understand Meaning: A Review Of Sam Ladner's Practical Ethnography: A Guide To Doing Ethnography In The Private Sector, Richard H. Rogers

The Qualitative Report

Ethnography is a qualitative research methodology that explains the meaning of a culture within context. Ethnographers take the emic position, participants’ point of view, and try to understand their language, concepts, categories, and opinions that defines their research. The author, Sam Ladner, wrote a thorough text that bridges the research and the practical use of ethnography in the private or public sector. An experienced or new researcher could gain knowledge by reading this text and implementing the methods in his or her private or public sector job. If a client wants to understand why consumers make certain decisions, the methods …


Qualitative Perspectives Toward Relational Connection In Pastoral Ministry, Jonathan W. Young, Michael W. Firmin Nov 2014

Qualitative Perspectives Toward Relational Connection In Pastoral Ministry, Jonathan W. Young, Michael W. Firmin

The Qualitative Report

We present the results of a phenomenological, qualitative research study in which 13 Southern Baptist (SB) pastors were administered in-depth interviews. The sample was selected from a total of 37 exemplars, identified in the quantitative component of a larger mixed-methods study, regarding the pastors’ perspectives toward relational connection in pastoral ministry. Three themes emerged from the data regarding relational connection in pastoral ministry. First, pastors indicated the need to be intentional about pastoral connection. Second, the pastors stressed the importance of being available to congregants who specifically desire pastoral connection. Finally, the participants related that pastors should give particular attention …


Fiction Strengthens Research: A Review Of Patricia Leavy's Fiction As Research Practice: Short Stories, Novellas, And Novels, Richard H. Rogers Nov 2014

Fiction Strengthens Research: A Review Of Patricia Leavy's Fiction As Research Practice: Short Stories, Novellas, And Novels, Richard H. Rogers

The Qualitative Report

Arts-based research (ABR) is a form of qualitative research that includes genres such as poetry, music, theatrical scripts, visual art, novels, and short stories. Fiction-based research is one type of ABR that utilizes the strength of fiction to connect with readers and to portray real life and genuine human experiences. The author, Patricia Leavy, wrote a text that thoroughly explains the meaning and evaluation of fiction-based research. In addition, she provides exemplar pieces and uses her eight criteria to assess the research. Lastly, the text explains why fiction is an important pedagogy to use with students. Twenty-first century skills and …


An Exploration Of Collective Meaning-Making Among Migrant Workers, Patturaja Selvaraj Nov 2014

An Exploration Of Collective Meaning-Making Among Migrant Workers, Patturaja Selvaraj

The Qualitative Report

I engaged with workers in India who have migrated from rural districts in the southern state of Karnataka to work in the mess of an academic institute located in a western state of India. These workers faced significant challenges and vulnerabilities due to being part of the unorganised sector. The primary question for my inquiry was to understand how migrant workers negotiated these vulnerabilities and whether they could succeed in processes of informal collectivisation based on shared bonds of language and ethnicity. I interviewed six migrant workers to understand their experiences and difficulties they face. I analysed the data by …


Out Of Our Comfort Zones: Reflections About Teaching Qualitative Research At A Distance, Cheyl A. Hunter, Debora Hinderliter Ortloff, Rachelle Winkle-Wagner Nov 2014

Out Of Our Comfort Zones: Reflections About Teaching Qualitative Research At A Distance, Cheyl A. Hunter, Debora Hinderliter Ortloff, Rachelle Winkle-Wagner

The Qualitative Report

How does an increase in distance technology alter the teaching of qualitative research? This article uses a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (McKinney, 2007) framework in which each author collected data in the form of personal narrative essays about teaching qualitative research from a distance, course products, teaching evaluations, and student comments. Individually we created a narrative reflection on the teaching and learning of qualitative methodology; particularly comparing our individual experiences with both distance and in-person teaching formats. Through these reflective essays, we provide ideas about our teaching of qualitative research via distance technology as a conceptual conversation about the …


Mothers Of Sons With Substance Use Disorders: A Grounded Theory Approach Revealing Maternal Expectations And Three Stages Of Change, Judith A. Nelson, Richard C. Henriksen, Roseanne S. Keathley Nov 2014

Mothers Of Sons With Substance Use Disorders: A Grounded Theory Approach Revealing Maternal Expectations And Three Stages Of Change, Judith A. Nelson, Richard C. Henriksen, Roseanne S. Keathley

The Qualitative Report

Addiction problems in a family present challenges in coping with the addicted family member's behaviors are often described in terms of the psychopathology of the interactions of the family members. The present article describes a qualitative study of the lived experiences of mothers whose male children have struggled or currently are struggling with chemical dependence. Our overall aim in the study was to explore critical stages or events in the experiences of these mothers relevant to their chemically dependent sons. As such, our research question was: What are the lived experiences of mothers of substance abusing sons who are either …


Studying Diplomatic Negotiations: Integrating The Personal And Institutional Aspects, Egle Murauskaite Nov 2014

Studying Diplomatic Negotiations: Integrating The Personal And Institutional Aspects, Egle Murauskaite

Peace and Conflict Studies

Following the Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid in 1991, the Arms Control and Regional Security (ACRS) working group was launched as the first and so far only official regional arms control negotiations. While there have been multiple attempts to distil the lessons of the ACRS process, the aspect of events most conducive to forging trust between the negotiators and their inter-personal dynamics has never been explored. This paper takes an inter-disciplinary approach to studying negotiations: it zooms in on the ACRS process, integrating Middle East studies, decision making processes and nonproliferation literature with negotiations theory and oral history techniques, …


Breaking The Silence Of Mainstream Teachers' Attitude Towards Inclusive Education In The Bahamas: High School Teachers' Perceptions, Janelle Cambridge-Johnson, Yvonne Hunter-Johnson, Norissa G. L. Newton Oct 2014

Breaking The Silence Of Mainstream Teachers' Attitude Towards Inclusive Education In The Bahamas: High School Teachers' Perceptions, Janelle Cambridge-Johnson, Yvonne Hunter-Johnson, Norissa G. L. Newton

The Qualitative Report

There has been a paradigm shift globally regarding the adoption of inclusive education policies and procedures. However, teachers still have varying views, anxieties, and preconceive misconceptions about the successful implementation of inclusive education practices in the general education classroom. This study utilized a qualitative approach to provide an informative exploration of teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education and its implementation, possible factors that influence teachers' attitude, and recommendations for promoting best practices in inclusive education. Data was collected utilizing semi-structured interviews from eight teachers throughout the New Providence District in the Bahamas. The results of the study revealed that teachers generally …


Tie Formation And Cohesiveness In A Loosely Organized Group: Knitting Together, Doris A. Palmer, Atsuko Kawakami Oct 2014

Tie Formation And Cohesiveness In A Loosely Organized Group: Knitting Together, Doris A. Palmer, Atsuko Kawakami

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to explore the elements of tie formation and group cohesiveness in a loosely organized group with no clearly stated goal, commitment, or purpose. We employed participant observation and personal interviews to discover factors related to group cohesiveness. With inductive approach based on our thick description of the study sites, such as meeting space and group conversations, we found the nature of relationships within these groups is affected by how each group was started and organized. Having an expressive leader may increase group cohesiveness in a loosely organized group, especially when the leader has a …


Ethical Dilemmas Of Emerging Latina Researchers: Studying Schools Serving Latina Communities, P. Zitlali Morales, Lilia D. Monzo Oct 2014

Ethical Dilemmas Of Emerging Latina Researchers: Studying Schools Serving Latina Communities, P. Zitlali Morales, Lilia D. Monzo

The Qualitative Report

This article explores some of the ethical dilemmas we have encountered as emerging Latina researchers in dual language school contexts. Informed by Chicana Feminist Theory, we attempt to analyze power in more nuanced ways, shifting the analysis of ethics away from traditional notions of power based only within the researcher rather than the participants. While we do not offer solutions to these dilemmas, we raise questions that we hope will spur thoughtful reflection and move the field of educational research into more equitable and ethical research practices across contexts.


Qualitative Case Study Guidelines, Saša Baškarada Oct 2014

Qualitative Case Study Guidelines, Saša Baškarada

The Qualitative Report

Although widely used, the qualitative case study method is not well understood. Due to conflicting epistemological presuppositions and the complexity inherent in qualitative case-based studies, scientific rigor can be difficult to demonstrate, and any resulting findings can be difficult tojustify. For that reason, this paper discusses methodological problems associated with qualitative case-based research and offers guidelines for overcoming them. Due to its nearly universal acceptance, Yin’s six-stage case study process is adopted and elaborated on. Moreover, additional principles from the wider methodological literature are integrated and explained. Finally, some modifications to the dependencies between the six case study stages are …


“Finishing Business” The Important Role Of The Psychosocial Worker In The Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Team: A Hypothetical Case, Merridy Rowe, Catherine Turnbull Oct 2014

“Finishing Business” The Important Role Of The Psychosocial Worker In The Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Team: A Hypothetical Case, Merridy Rowe, Catherine Turnbull

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

The assessment of the palliative client and family caregivers by an interdisciplinary team comprising medical, nursing, and allied health allows for all aspects including the physical, social, and psychological and spiritual needs to be incorporated into care planning. This comprehensive level of planning for the care of the client and family caregivers can allow for a client to fulfil their own definition of a good death, or dying well. Whilst the provision of psychosocial support can be the seen as the role of the social worker in the team, all members of the palliative care team, especially in rural and …


Impact Of Various Collegiate Settings On Athletic Trainers’ Definition Of Professional Commitment, Stephine Mazerolle, Christianne M. Eason Oct 2014

Impact Of Various Collegiate Settings On Athletic Trainers’ Definition Of Professional Commitment, Stephine Mazerolle, Christianne M. Eason

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Professional commitment is an individualized concept that combines commitment to a profession and the organization of employment. Currently there is no distinct definition of professional commitment within the context of athletic training. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the impact of collegiate divisional setting on the definition of professional commitment. Methods: Online asynchronous interviews. Inclusion criteria consisted of full-time employment in the collegiate setting with at least 1 year of experience beyond a graduate assistantship. Thirty-three BOC certified ATs employed in the collegiate setting (Division I =11, Division II = 9, Division III = 13) volunteered …


Qualitative Inquiry As A Method To Extract Personal Narratives: Approach To Research Into Organizational Climate Change Mitigation, Jeff Birchall Sep 2014

Qualitative Inquiry As A Method To Extract Personal Narratives: Approach To Research Into Organizational Climate Change Mitigation, Jeff Birchall

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that qualitative inquiry is highly effective at facilitating the extraction of personal narratives of senior managers in the New Zealand (NZ) public sector. Specifically, in this article I lay out the method used to develop theme-based narratives from semi-structured interviews with senior managers responsible for the delivery of the Communities for Climate Protection and the Carbon Neutral Public Service programs in NZ. In doing so, I demonstrate why qualitative inquiry is the ideal methodological approach for this kind of research program. Further, in demonstrating the research approach, this article may provide policy …


From Learning Comes Meaning: Informal Comentorship And The Second-Career Academic In Education, Joe Barrett, Hilary Brown Sep 2014

From Learning Comes Meaning: Informal Comentorship And The Second-Career Academic In Education, Joe Barrett, Hilary Brown

The Qualitative Report

Informal mentoring relationships develop out of mutual identification and the fulfillment of career needs. As new faculty, we struggled to balance and decipher all the various facets inherent in the research, service, and teaching responsibilities in our new roles. This paper chronicles an informal comentorship collaboration we struck up to support our efforts as second-career academics in the field of education, seeking to navigate our way through institutional resocialization at a mid-sized Canadian university. Using a collaborative autoethnographic approach, we collected data comprising handwritten notes, tape-recorded coversations, e-mail reflections, and metareflections crafted after scheduled meetings over the course of a …


What They Left Behind: A Case Study Of Teachers' Experiences With School Improvement At Evergreen Elementary School, Amy Orange Sep 2014

What They Left Behind: A Case Study Of Teachers' Experiences With School Improvement At Evergreen Elementary School, Amy Orange

The Qualitative Report

With the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act, an unprecedented amount of pressure has been placed upon schools to increase student achievement. During the 2009-2010 school year, Evergreen Elementary School was in Year Four of school improvement for failing to make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) in both reading and math. Drawing on observational and interview data from upper elementary school teachers, this paper will explore how striving to make AYP impacted teachers including increased workloads and stress, and how these factors led to teachers leaving the school, with a focus on a single teacher’s experiences.


Autoethnography As A Transformative Research Method, Dwayne Custer Sep 2014

Autoethnography As A Transformative Research Method, Dwayne Custer

The Qualitative Report

Autoethnography is a qualitative, transformative research method because it changes time, requires vulnerability, fosters empathy, embodies creativity and innovation, eliminates boundaries, honors subjectivity, and provides therapeutic benefits. This article discusses these seven lenses using select passages from “Jesus Christ and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: A Narrative on Homosexual Identity, Spirituality, and Human Development” (an unpublished manuscript) written in 2013.


Bullying In Graduate School: Its Nature And Effects, Rachel H. Gentry, Bernard E. Whitley Jr. Sep 2014

Bullying In Graduate School: Its Nature And Effects, Rachel H. Gentry, Bernard E. Whitley Jr.

The Qualitative Report

Does bullying exist in graduate school? If so, what does it look like? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 graduate students from various departments at a medium-sized, Midwestern U.S. university. Grounded Theory methodology (Glaser, 1978) was utilized to gain insight into the terms and behaviors students used to define bullying in the graduate school context. Through constant comparative analysis (Stern, 1980), categories emerged that provided an understanding of the different perspectives inherent in a bully system, and the meanings attached to bullying behaviors. These findings can provide administrators and counselors with the information necessary to conduct preventative training to help …


Collective Voices: Engagement Of Hartford Community Residents Through Participatory Action Research, Kenneth M. Williamson, Karen Brown Sep 2014

Collective Voices: Engagement Of Hartford Community Residents Through Participatory Action Research, Kenneth M. Williamson, Karen Brown

The Qualitative Report

The article details a Participatory Action Research (PAR) Project that partnered Latino and African and Caribbean American residents with research educators from the Institute for Community Research in Hartford, CT. PAR has been used to engage marginalized people in the process of knowledge production and take action to change the oppressive structures affecting them. Project participants worked together to design research projects on economic opportunities and trainings for Spanish speaking residents, the social, environmental and physical conditions of neighborhoods, and the educational outcomes for Hartford schoolchildren; together they conducted research, analyzed and disseminated the results, and planned and implemented action …


Advancing Grounded Theory: Using Theoretical Frameworks Within Grounded Theory Studies, Donald Mitchell Jr. Sep 2014

Advancing Grounded Theory: Using Theoretical Frameworks Within Grounded Theory Studies, Donald Mitchell Jr.

The Qualitative Report

The founding fathers of grounded theory (GT) claimed it is an inductive methodological approach. Yet, some scholars argue that purely inductive GTs are not possible given researchers’ involvement in data collection and analysis. Subsequently, a constructivist GT approach was introduced. Still, full-length methodological articles that include rationales or detailed explanations for using constructivist GT approaches are limited in peer-reviewed journals. The purpose of this article is to highlight the ways in which the author used a constructivist GT approach in his dissertation. Within the article, the author provides concrete examples and a rationale for the ways in which he used …


Leaders And Recruiters From The Next Generation: A Phenomenological Study, Lautrice M. Nickson, Richard C. Henriksen Jr. Sep 2014

Leaders And Recruiters From The Next Generation: A Phenomenological Study, Lautrice M. Nickson, Richard C. Henriksen Jr.

The Qualitative Report

Studies involving student ambassadors have demonstrated their significance in recruiting prospective students to universities and colleges but they have not included the perceptions of the student ambassadors themselves. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the perceptions and experiences of students who served as student ambassadors for their educational institution. Fifteen student ambassadors provided individual descriptions of their perceptions of being an ambassador. Four themes provided a description of ambassadors’ perceptions: (a) belonging, (b) personal growth, (c) diversity, and (d) recruitment. A discussion of the benefits of student ambassadors as leaders are presented in terms of their ability …


Positionality: Reflecting On The Research Process, Brian Bourke Aug 2014

Positionality: Reflecting On The Research Process, Brian Bourke

The Qualitative Report

Through this article, the author provides a reflection on the role of positionality in research, following the completion of a qualitative research project. Through the research project, the White researcher sought to explore the ways in which students of color experience a predominantly White university. Drawing on literature and findings from the research project, the author highlights potential challenges and opportunities of being cognizant of one’s positionality. These reflections illustrate the significance of positionality and serve as a reminder of its potential effects on the research process, as well as on participants and the researcher. The manuscript concludes with recommendations …


Exploring The Subaltern Voices: A Study Of Community Radio Reporters (Crr's) In Rural India, Dhanraj A. Patil Aug 2014

Exploring The Subaltern Voices: A Study Of Community Radio Reporters (Crr's) In Rural India, Dhanraj A. Patil

The Qualitative Report

Despite India’s remarkable communication media revolution the rural subalterns remained uninformed, unheard and voiceless, who asks the question: Whose Media, Whose Voice? This created a space for community radio (CR) because it is of, for, and by the community. However, in spite of the alternative, counter-hegemonic, and participatory communication ethos, the contribution of CR’s and CRR’s lingered unexplored and unacknowledged. To bridge this gap, within the theoretical framework of alternative-media-theory this study has been undertaken. Based on case studies of India’s pioneer CR’s (Sangam Radio and Radio Bundelkhand) using media ethnography tools a qualitative inquiry was carried out. Findings suggest …


World Of Warcraft: A Family Therapist's Journey Into Scapegoated Culture, Nickolas Jordan Aug 2014

World Of Warcraft: A Family Therapist's Journey Into Scapegoated Culture, Nickolas Jordan

The Qualitative Report

Relational (online) video games are lucrative business. The extremely popular Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, World of Warcraft, boasts over eight million paying users. Video games are also a lightning rod for criticism and contempt by news media, parents and policy makers as the number of mass shootings increases in the United States. There is some research suggesting violent video games increase violent cognition and behavior. There is other research arguing no relationship exist between violent gaming and aggression. The same dichotomy of views exists within the discussion of how relational video games impact intimate partnerships. The purpose of …


The Adaptation Of The Horn Of Africa Immigrant Students In Higher Education, Tekleab Elos Hailu, Heng-Yu Ku Jul 2014

The Adaptation Of The Horn Of Africa Immigrant Students In Higher Education, Tekleab Elos Hailu, Heng-Yu Ku

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges first generation immigrant students from the Horn of Africa encountered in their college learning in the United States and the strategies they used to succeed. The participants in the study were ten first generation immigrant students from the countries in the Horn of Africa. A case study was used as a qualitative methodological approach and three data sources namely questionnaire, intensive interviews, and observations were used to collect and analyze data. The results revealed that language difficulties, financial problems, lack of culture awareness, time constraints, and inadequate guidance are challenges …


Using Debriefing To Foster Task Management Among Anesthesiologist Assistant Students, Llalando Austin Jul 2014

Using Debriefing To Foster Task Management Among Anesthesiologist Assistant Students, Llalando Austin

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: This study evaluated the effect of video-aided oral debriefing on task management of anesthesiologist assistant students through the use of high-fidelity anesthesia crisis simulation scenarios. This information describes an evaluation of student learning that is valuable in student educational and workplace competency. Method: A total of 18 graduate students in an anesthesiologist assistant program voluntarily participated in two anesthesia simulation scenarios separated by one of two debriefing methods (oral debriefing versus video-aided oral debriefing). Task management scores of the scenarios were assessed through the Anesthetists’ Nontechnical Skills system. Task management scores after the pre-intervention scenario were compared to the …