Digital Commons Network^™

Method As Method: A Play In Three Acts, Gabriel Huddleston, Samuel D. Rocha

The Qualitative Report

The authors present a play in three acts that we hope speaks for itself on some level. While we recognize that context is important, we do believe in the power in audience interpretation of a work of art. For more information, please refer to the prologue.

Multiple Sclerosis And Maternity: A Psychological Explorative Qualitative Research, Maria Carlino, Roberta Lanzillo, Alessandro Chiodi, Roberto Vitelli, Luigi Lavorgna, Vincenzo Brescia Morra, Giorgia Margherita

The Qualitative Report

Considering women living with multiple sclerosis (MS), motherhood may represent a complicated event. Our aim in this study is to explore the personal meanings related to maternity and illness in women living with this disease. We have involved twenty women suffering from MS and we have administered an open interview introduced by a trigger question as a prompt aimed to elicit a narrative of their experience of illness, wishes, doubts, fears and life-projects with regard to motherhood. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim in order to carry out an analysis of the textual corpus. We have performed the textual …

Expanding Qualitative Research Interviewing Strategies: Zoom Video Communications, Lisa M. Gray, Gina Wong-Wylie, Gwen R. Rempel, Karen Cook

The Qualitative Report

The proliferation of new video conferencing tools offers unique data generation opportunities for qualitative researchers. While in-person interviews were the mainstay of data generation in qualitative studies, video conferencing programs, such as Zoom Video Communications Inc. (Zoom), provide researchers with a cost-effective and convenient alternative to in-person interviews. The uses and advantages of face-to-face interviewing are well documented; however, utilizing video conferencing as a method of data generation has not been well examined. The purpose of this paper is to examine the specific attributes of Zoom that contribute to high quality and in-depth qualitative interviews when in person interviewing is …

Comparative Study Of Spectral Sensitivity, Irradiance Sensitivity, Spatial Resolution And Temporal Resolution In The Visual Systems Of Aratus Pisonii And Ocypode Quadrata, Ruchao Qian

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Autrum’s studies (1950, 1958) on terrestrial arthropods first revealed that the visual systems of arthropods reflected their lifestyles and habitats, demonstrating that rapidly moving predatory diurnal species tend to have better temporal resolution than slower moving nocturnal species. In order to test Autrum’s hypothesis that visual adaptions are driven by predator/prey interactions, the visual physiology of a nocturnal fast-moving predatory crab, the Atlantic ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata), and a diurnal herbivorous crab, the mangrove tree crab (Aratus pisonii), was examined and compared. Spectral sensitivity, irradiance sensitivity, and temporal resolution of the crabs were quantified using the …

Remote Monitoring Technologies In Dementia Care: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Family Caregivers’ Experiences, Martha Snyder, Laurie Dringus, Manon Maitland Schladen, Ronald Chenail, Elizabeth Oviawe

The Qualitative Report

The desire to maintain an independent lifestyle is one shared by an increasing number of older adults. Adult children, spouses, siblings, and other relatives, also known as family caregivers, play an integral role in helping their loved ones maintain independence. Remote monitoring technologies (RMTs) such as wearable sensors, mobile emergency devices, smartphone apps, and webcams can be used to monitor, sense, record, and communicate a person’s daily activities. However, understanding is limited of the family caregiver’s needs and perceptions of RMTs used in a home-based setting. The purpose was to explore how family caregivers perceive RMTs and their use for …

Struggles, Coping Mechanisms, And Insights Of Childless Teachers In The Philippines: A Descriptive Phenomenological Approach, Randy Ale Tudy, Ida G. Tudy

The Qualitative Report

The phenomenon of childlessness has elicited interest among professionals all over the world. However, this phenomenon received little interest, particularly in the Philippine context. The purpose of this study was to describe the struggles, coping mechanisms, and insights of childless teachers in the Philippines. We employed a descriptive phenomenological research design. Ten childless teachers participated in the semi-structured key informant interview (KII), and the data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Results revealed the following themes: embarrassment, incompleteness, and pressures for their struggles; escapism and optimism for their coping mechanism; and work commitment and acceptance for their insights. Although being childless …

The Sourcing Of Stories On Sugar And The Supermarket Industry In The British Press, Martina Topić Dr

The Qualitative Report

This paper looked at the nature of sourcing stories in the press coverage of the anti-sugar debate and the supermarket industry in the UK. The research design was a mixed-method study founded in an interpretivist epistemology. Content analysis has been conducted on 454 articles from national and regional press and this analysis provided an answer on who influences the news agenda. Qualitative interviews with journalists explored what sources journalists use when selecting and sourcing stories. The findings show that NGOs are regularly used as a source for stories in the British press, while the news agenda is largely driven by …

Factors Affecting Ict Integration During Teaching Practices: A Multiple Case Study Of Three Indonesian Universities, Akhmad Habibi, Rafiza Abdul Razak, Farrah Dina Yusop, Amirul Mukminin, Lalu N. Yaqin

The Qualitative Report

Information and communication technology (ICT) is a strong force for economic, social, political, and educational reforms happening throughout the world including in developing countries. In this qualitative inquiry, we aimed at elaborating factors affecting ICT integration during teaching practices in pre-service teacher training programs (PTTPs) of three Indonesian universities from the perspectives of fifty-five pre-service teachers. The thematic analysis of this study revealed two major themes, barriers and enablers, which affected the integration of ICT during teaching practices. Based on the themes, this study led to the development of a conceptual model of factors affecting the ICT integration. Recommendations are …

“Listen And Let It Flow”: A Researcher And Participant Reflect On The Qualitative Research Experience, Charity Anderson, Monique Henry

The Qualitative Report

Ethnographic research involves prolonged and often personal interaction between the researcher and research participants. This paper is a collaboration between a social work researcher and a research participant who became acquainted through the researcher’s ethnographic fieldwork for her dissertation. Despite differing in numerous and significant ways, not the least of which are age, class, education, and race, the two women developed a quasi-friendship after the researcher exited the field–a time when many researcher-participant relationships wane or terminate entirely. The two recorded and transcribed a series of informal conversations wherein they reflected on their experiences in the research process. Of particular …

Symbiosis And Bioinvasive Dynamics Of Durusdinium Trenchii And Its Acroporid Coral Hosts, David Craig Lawson

HCNSO Student Capstones

Biological invasions are a growing threat to coral reef ecosystems, as increasing anthropogenic transport and changing environmental patterns allow invasive species to establish and spread. Durusdinium trenchii is a dinoflagellate that has invaded the Greater Caribbean reef system and established symbioses with coral hosts. Establishment and persistence of invasive endosymbionts like D. trenchii could indicate a shift in the clade composition of coral holobionts worldwide. Statistical analyses were performed on the GeoSymbio database (Franklin et al. 2012) to determine whether differences in clade composition have occurred over time. Factors that influence biological invasions in marine ecosystems were assessed and analogous …

Measuring Intergroup Forgiveness: The Enright Group Forgiveness Inventory, Robert D. Enright, Julie Johnson, Fu Na, Tomaz Erzar, Matthew Hirshberg, Tina Huang, John Klatt, Chansoon (Danielle) Lee, Benjamin Boateng, Preston Boggs, Tung-En Hsiao, Chelsea Olson, Mei Ling Shu, Jacqueline Song, Peiying Wu, Baoyu Zhang

Peace and Conflict Studies

Until recently, researchers operationalized and measured the psychological construct of forgiveness at the individual, rather than the group, level. Social psychologists started applying forgiveness to groups and examining the role intergroup forgiveness may have in conflict resolution and peace efforts. Initial attempts to define and measure forgiveness at the group level either assumed individual and group capacities were the same, or insufficiently described what intergroup forgiveness meant. We developed a new measure of intergroup forgiveness, and a novel group administration process, that operationalized the construct in a philosophically coherent way. Our conceptualization of intergroup forgiveness was rooted in what groups, …

Critical Habitats And Biodiversity: Inventory, Thresholds And Governance, Alex Rogers, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Ward Appeltans, Jorge Assis, Lisa T. Ballance, Philippe Cury, Carlos M. Duarte, Fabio Favoretto, Joy Kumagai, Catherine Lovelock, Patricia Miloslavich, Aidi Niamir, David Obura, Bethan C. O'Leary, Gabriel Reygondeau, Callum Roberts, Yvonne Sadovy, Tracey Sutton, Derek P. Tittensor, Enriqueta Velarde

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Key Messages:

• Evidence suggests that ocean biodiversity at all levels is being lost as a result of the direct and indirect impacts of human pressures. The main drivers of biodiversity loss are overexploitation and human pressures in coastal environments (development, habitat loss, pollution, disturbance). Increasingly, climate change and ocean acidification are and will be drivers of biodiversity loss especially in sensitive coastal ecosystems.
  
  
• Despite advances in understanding the distribution of species and habitats in the ocean, many aspects of marine biodiversity remain poorly understood. As a result, changes in marine biodiversity are difficult to ascertain and there is a critical …

The Microscopic Threat With A Macroscopic Impact: Microplastics Along The Southeast Florida Reef Tract, Emma Wightman

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Microplastics have been found in large quantities in marine water samples and biota around the world. These microplastics, when present in the marine environment, decrease water quality and negatively impact marine life. This research quantified and classified marine plastic pollution along the Southeast Florida Reef Tract (SEFRT), in order to understand how this plastic is entering the ocean and the scope of the microplastic contamination in the northern SEFRT. Surface and bottom water samples were collected at 7 sites along the SEFRT for 6 months, filtered, and microscopically analyzed for microplastic content and composition using Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR). Classification …

Understanding The Toxicity Of Single Hydrocarbons, Oil, And Dispersed Oil: A Species Sensitivity Assessment For Five Atlantic Coral Species, Nicholas R. Turner

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are keystone coastal ecosystems that are at risk of exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons from a range of sources, including oil spill incidents and chronic runoff, and are usually one of the highest valued natural resources for protection in Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA)/Spill Impact Mitigation Assessment (SIMA) of response methods and environmental damage. Previous research evaluating hydrocarbon impacts to corals has resulted in no clear characterization of sensitivity, as work has generally focused on higher-level effects, compounded by significant variability in experimental methodology. This represents an important knowledge gap in oil spill preparedness and response as it relates …

El Trastorno Por Déficit De Atención / Hiperactividad (Tdah) Según Apoderados De Escolares, Romina F. Ferretti Mg., Joaquín Gaete Dr.

The Qualitative Report

El diagnóstico de trastorno por déficit de atención/hiperactividad (TDAH) es el más frecuente en la población escolar de Chile. La búsqueda de ayuda profesional para esta condición es mayoritariamente gestionada por los apoderados de los escolares, quienes experimentan esta situación (y toman decisiones) a partir de su propia comprensión del TDAH. El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar la “situación” del apoderado TDAH, y en particular, cómo su experiencia se configura a partir de los discursos culturalmente disponibles acerca del TDAH. Mediante un análisis situacional (Clarke, 2005) se encontró que los apoderados toman cinco posiciones subjetivas a la hora de …

A Temporal Analysis Of The Euphausiid Assemblage In The Gulf Of Mexico After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, With Notes On Seasonal Reproduction, Nathan A. La Spina

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the results of the first multi-year study on the euphausiid assemblage in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS), covering depths down to 1000 m. There are no data on the euphausiid assemblage from this region prior to the oil spill; therefore, the data in this study were analyzed with respect to year (samples collected in 2011 vs. those collected between 2015 – 2016), and season (May vs. August) to determine if any trends were present. These results presented here show a statistically significant decrease in both abundance and biomass between 2011 and 2015 – …

Predation Efficiency And Prey Choice Of Estuarine Organisms Under Varying Anthropogenic Light Types And Intensities, Carmen Montalvo

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The coastlines of Florida are becoming highly urbanized, and the growing human population is affecting many mangrove and estuarine habitats. Exploring the predation efficiency and prey choice of estuarine organisms under varying anthropogenic light types and intensities could help determine anthropogenic effects. Mangrove habitats support both relatively large predators such as Blue Striped Grunt (Haemulon sciurus) and Gray Snapper (Lutjanus griseus), and a diversity of smaller taxa that occupy lower trophic levels, including Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) and Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki). Understanding how predation (or predation evasion) efficiencies are affected by different …

A Survey Of The Order Tetraodontiformes On Coral Reef Habitats In Southeast Florida, Anne C. Sevon

HCNSO Student Capstones

The economy of south Florida relies, in part, on the recreation and tourism industries; both of which are integrally linked to Florida’s coastal ecosystems. These ecosystems provide tourists the opportunity to explore mangroves and the Everglades, enjoy local beaches, and experience the ocean with fishing charters, scuba diving adventures, and snorkeling. One of the major attractions for tourists is the Florida Reef Tract (FRT), which includes multiple coral reef and hardbottom habitats that extend from St. Lucie Inlet through the Florida Keys and into the Dry Tortugas. The FRT has been a major part of research because a wide range …

Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Analysis Of Mangrove Ecosystems Using Gis, Kayla Caldwell

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is accelerating beyond what is natural due to excessive emissions from human activities. The sea level has been rising for many years and is currently at a rate of 3.6 mm/yr. Mangroves are known to only keep pace with a sea level rate of less than 1.2 mm/yr. Mangroves are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels if they are not able to keep pace through vertical sediment accretion or inland migration. To test the vulnerability of the south Florida mangrove ecosystems to sea level rise, this study analyzed changes in the mangrove forest coverage of the Oleta River …

How Can We Change Gut Microbiota For Healthy Lives?, Elizaveta Shmakova

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Essential And Non-Essential Elements Recorded In Western Arctic Bowhead Whales (Balaena Mysticetus), Samantha L. Shore

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Western Arctic bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus, migrate annually among the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. Foraging along their route, they use keratinous baleen to filter microscopic zooplankton from the water column. A single baleen plate from an adult bowhead whale grows continuously and stores 20+ years of dietary and environmental data. This study utilized induced coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to evaluate concentrations of 14 essential and non-essential elements in baleen samples from nine subsistence-harvested whales, yielding continuous data from 1958–1999 (n=148). Stable isotope data previously reported on these samples provided information on location (Beaufort Sea; Bering/Chukchi seas), season (winter; …

Development Of "Sharkavir": A Hypothetical Inhibitor For Hiv-1 Protease, Matthew Hunt, Feza Abbas, Lyla Abbas, Mina Ghali, Helana Ghali, Alesa Chabbra, Emily Schmitt Lavin, Arthur Sikora

Biology Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects approximately 37 million people worldwide and results in over 1 million deaths annually. A class of drugs first developed in 1995 inhibits the enzyme HIV‐1 protease, thus preventing the maturation of an HIV precursor protein. There are now over 10 protease inhibitors available to treat HIV. Multiple mutations in the protein have made this treatment less effective. The CREST (Connecting Researchers, Educators, and STudents) team at Nova Southeastern University modeled the interaction between HIV‐1 protease and its competitive inhibitors. Darunavir is currently one of the strongest competitive inhibitors, as it binds effectively to the substrate …

Asd Symptoms In Individuals: A Comparison Of Treatments, Ali Khan

BIO4960: Practicum in Biology I

Background: Research, as described in the different articles chosen for comparison, indicates that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly experience difficulties in displaying good memory, proper social communication, and doing physical activities.
Purpose: To determine and compare which treatment type—physical therapy, psychotherapy, or pharmacotherapy—is commonly used and effective for treating what specific symptom of ASD (primarily in children and adolescent diagnosed subjects that are experiencing difficulties).
Methods: 10 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2020 from different Databases, including CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE (ProQuest), and EMBASE.com, were retrieved.
Results: Thorough examination of the 10 selected studies indicate that all 4 …

"I Don’T Even Deserve A Chance": An Ethnographic Study Of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Male Perpetrators Of Intimate Partner Violence, Natalie Hoskins, Adrianne Kunkel

The Qualitative Report

Perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) are more likely to have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACES) than the general population (e.g., Whitfield, Anda, Dube, & Felitti, 2003). Despite this association, occurrence of ACES does not necessarily lead to the development of patterned abusive behavior (Godbout et al., 2017). To understand the link between ACES and IPV perpetration, Godbout et al. (2017) suggest that research must consider a complex array of intra- and interpersonal experiences. For this project, we used ethnographic methods, including participant observation at a local batterer intervention program (BIP) and semi-structured interviews with 15 male IPV …

“Save My Baby”: The Lived Experience Of Hospitalized Pregnant Women With A Threat Of Preterm Birth, Dua' Yousef Al-Maharma, Inaam A. Khalaf, Fathieh Abu-Moghli, Sajeda Alhamory

The Qualitative Report

Activity restriction in hospital to prevent preterm birth (PTB) is widely used as the first step of treatment. It is associated with adverse physiological and psychological effects on maternal and fetal health that might persist years after birth. A sample of 10 pregnant women who were hospitalized for being at risk for PTB were purposively recruited to describe their lived experience via semi-structured in-depth interview. Five themes were identified, the maternal role establishment and suspending responsibilities, the women's perception of fear of uncertainty and finding support, dissatisfaction of care, the change of routine life and family relationships, and the cultural …

Fighting For Affirmation: A Review Of Patricia Leavy’S The Oxford Handbook Of Methods For Public Scholarship, Alexandra Ch Nowakowski

The Qualitative Report

With The Oxford Handbook of Methods for Public Scholarship, editor Patricia Leavy and a diverse array of contributing authors fight for affirmation of the value of public scholarship in mainstream academic consciousness. The result is an impressively expansive and phenomenally detailed volume that handily demonstrates not only the scientific rigor of public scholarship, but also the irreplaceable value of such work. This handbook both orients readers to the conceptual contributions of various forms of public scholarship and instructs us in concrete skills for practicing these approaches in our own work.

Transforming Difficulties Into Possibilities: Family Training As An Action For Educational Success In Contexts Of Poverty, Blas Segovia-Aguilar, M. Del Mar García-Cabrera, Eva F. Hinojosa-Pareja

The Qualitative Report

This research focuses on the implementation of a series of actions and training workshops with families of a school located in a socially excluded area in the city of Cordoba, Spain. The study explores how the participants perceived the experience and the educational and social benefits of this formative process. The research methodology was based on a participatory action research approach, which involved successive cycles of research and action in different phases: planning and analysis of the problem, action, observation and reflection. Five key informants, selected according to the criterion of structural heterogeneity, participated in the research. Semi-structured interviews and …

Family Resilience: Preventive Solution Of Javanese Youth Klithih Behavior, Casmini Casmini, Supardi Supardi

The Qualitative Report

In the past seven years, the people of Yogyakarta have been confronted with the rampant of brutal behavior of adolescent social behavior, and have led to criminal acts, known as klithih. It is necessary to research about how the resilience of Yogyakarta families in conducting preventive solutions to klithih behavior. Most family resilience study is related to the behavior solution of klithih focusing on the role of parents in parent’s perspective. This study aims to explore family resilience in klithih behavioral preventive efforts in the perspective of adolescents with the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method on three male middle …

Understanding Etiologies Of Road Traffic Crashes, Injuries, And Death For Patients At National Hospital Abuja: A Qualitative Content Analysis Using Haddon’S Matrix, Benjamin D. Holmes, Kristin Haglund, Emmanuel A. Ameh, Oluwole O. Olaomi, Uthman Uthman, Laura D. Cassidy

The Qualitative Report

Road traffic crashes and sequelae are reaching pandemic proportions globally and have currently achieved disproportionately high levels in Nigeria. Quantitative studies are accumulating in the peer-reviewed literature, but there is a paucity of qualitative research in Nigeria. Data for this study of structural and behavioral factors of road traffic crashes and injuries in Federal Capital Territory were collected in semi-structured interviews with crash survivors at National Hospital Abuja. Interviews were analyzed via qualitative content analysis, revealing crash location and participant beliefs about crash etiologies. Units of analysis were developed from participant statements and were structured within four a priori etiologic …

Confronting Shifting Identities: Reflections On Subjectivity In Transnational Research, Jiyoung Kang

The Qualitative Report

As researchers’ identities impact the research process, researchers need to take a reflexive stance toward their positionality in the research. The issue of positionality is especially important for research focusing on multicultural issues, which necessarily involves dynamic power relations among different racial/ethnic groups. Drawing from reflections on my research focusing on South Korean adolescents’ understandings of migrants, this paper illustrates when and how I confronted my positionality. My positionality as a racial/ethnic minority in the United States affected the process of selecting the research topic and the theoretical framework as well as analyzing interview data while my positionality as an …