Digital Commons Network^™

The Phenomenology Of Revisiting Lived Experience Through Photographic Images: Memory Formation, Narrative Construction And Self-Empowerment, Constantinos D. Nikiforos, Chryssoula Karakitsou

The Qualitative Report

This study examines the way photographs can trigger memories, help us revisit lived experiences and re-evaluate the past. Specifically, it explores how fragments of past experience survive in somebody’s internal world, what actually happens during recollection and how photographs shape someone’s narrative and their construction of meaning about life. The dynamics of memory formation in psychoanalytic theory, schema theory and cognitive neuroscience is discussed, alongside its impact on subjectivity during retrieval and reconstruction. Additionally, the study draws upon the main theories on photographic images and on studies using visual data, which provide a more pluralistic perspective that entails both a …

Collecting Cultural Feedback On Ethiopian Views On Girls, Sport, And Voice, Kathleen Ralls Dr.

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative study used data collected from five interviews conducted to gather cultural and linguistic feedback on a 21-question instrument created for a future study focused on Ethiopian girl athletes. Participants met the following criteria: (a) native to Ethiopia (b) at least 15 years old and (c) proficient English reading and speaking skills. Participants did not complete the questionnaire, rather, they read it and provided cultural and linguistic feedback on its content. Participants provided feedback via interviews both in person and over the phone during a two-week period. The instrument was designed to collect data from members of Girls Gotta …

Out Of The Shadows: A Young Woman's Journey From Hiding To Celebrating Her Identity, Helen C. Collins Ms, Patricia A. Harrison Dr, Marek Palasinski Dr, Marcella (Pseudonym)

The Qualitative Report

In April 2019 the UK government reported that little progress had been made to remedy social outcomes inequality between Roma and the wider population, recommending further recognition of Roma, for example in census data, to enable identification of Roma, their needs, and how to meet those needs. In this article we present an account of one Roma woman’s journey from hiding her identity to celebrating it. We expose five critical incidents that challenge and mould her sense of identity and career aspiration, with insights into her hopes and dreams as she reflects upon the barriers she faces and attempts to …

Negative Emotions In Fieldwork: A Narrative Inquiry Of Three Efl Researchers’ Lived Experiences, Adilur Rahaman, Shuvo Saha

The Qualitative Report

Through narrative inquiry this research depicts and interprets the negative emotions that three English as Foreign Language (EFL) researchers experienced in different research sites during their fieldwork. Narrative inquiry informs the design of this investigation as the approach is particularly useful for understanding lived experiences. The study draws on autobiographical as well as narrative data to report the negative emotions that evolve during English language education fieldwork, an aspect absent in the existing literature. Findings suggest that the researchers experienced a wide range of negative emotions namely ethical dilemma, anger, anxiety, guilt, and shame. These results carry implications for language …

Test Anxiety Among Foreign Language Learners: A Qualitative Study, Selami Aydin, Ferdane Denkci Akkaş, Tülin Türnük, Asiye Baştürk Beydilli, İlknur Saydam

The Qualitative Report

Test anxiety is a strong predictor of achievement in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning process and has considerable influences on proficiency in the target language. Research also has not reached a consensus on the sources and the effects of test anxiety. This study aims to examine the sources of test anxiety among foreign language learners, to find the effects of test anxiety on EFL learners, and explore the strategies used by learners to overcome test anxiety. The sample group of the study consisted of 57 students studying EFL at a preparatory school of a state university in Turkey. …

Power-Laden (Mis)Understandings Surrounding Written Voluntary Informed Consent Procedures In Postcolonial Southern Africa, Michelle R. Brear

The Qualitative Report

Written voluntary informed consent (VIC) procedures are the standard approach for operationalising the ethical principle of respect for persons’ autonomy in qualitative research. However, achieving fully informed and truly voluntary consent is challenging, particularly in qualitative research and/or postcolonial contexts. Evidence about (mis)understandings (i.e., unintended meanings) surrounding VIC comes primarily from participants in quantitative, biomedical research. I aim to advance knowledge about qualitative research participants’ (mis)understandings of VIC. I used ethnographic methods to document the evolving (mis)understandings participants attached to written VIC procedures in two postcolonial settings, Eswatini and South Africa. All participants provided me consent to document their interactions …

Language Deprivation Is A Game Changer For The Clinical Specialty Of Deaf Mental Health, Neil S. Glickman, Charlene Crump, Steve Hamerdinger

JADARA

In this paper, the medical, social and historical forces resulting in much smaller numbers of deaf children having quality access to natural sign languages are presented. These forces mean that people who work in the clinical specialty of Deaf mental health are seeing more clients with atypical or dysfluent sign language. An historical overview of the development of this clinical specialty is outlined, followed by a discussion of how the problem of language deprivation is a “game changer” for the work of mental health clinicians, interpreters, communication assessors, and administrators of Deaf mental health services. Special attention is given to …

Psychologists' Use Of Touch In Individual Psychotherapy With Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Clients, Caroline M. Kobek Pezzarossi Ph.D, Irene W. Leigh Ph.D, Daniel S. Koo Ph.D

JADARA

The use of touch in psychotherapy is a topic often undiscussed in graduate training programs. Stenzel and Rupert’s 2004 study showed that nearly 90% of clinicians never or rarely offered touch to clients during a session. This study examined the use of touch in a psychotherapeutic setting with culturally Deaf clients, since touch is a culturally accepted, even expected, practice. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference among culturally Deaf therapists compared with the Stenzel and Rupert’s (2004) findings, but there is a statistically significant difference in those who identify as hearing and work with culturally Deaf clients. …

Deaf Cultural Capital And Its Conflicts With Hearing Culture: Navigational Successes And Failures, Ashley Greene-Woods, Natalie J. Delgado, Beverly Buchanan, Misty Sides, Abbas Ali Behmanesh, Brian Cheslik, Caroline K. Koo, M. Diane Clark

JADARA

Despite the creation and implementation of laws intended to support and protect Deaf individuals, stories of limited opportunities and oppression within the workplace still exist and are pervasive. Current research in regard to Deaf individuals’ upward mobility includes a discussion of cultural capital, Imposter Syndrome, and navigational capital. To further understand the experiences of Deaf individuals, the research team conducted a mixed-methods study utilizing surveys and interviews. The results provided insight regarding challenges experienced by the participants in either-or-both their education and employment. The data suggests that the use of navigational capital was the most significant predictor for upward mobility.

Using Geogebra, Photography, And Vocabulary To Teach Mathematics While Aiding Our Esol Populations, Joseph M. Furner, Noorchaya Yahya

Transformations

This paper shares many important examples of using real world photography and GeoGebra software in teaching math to all students including the ESOL population. ESOL learners can benefit immensely from the use of real-world photography imported into GeoGebra software because new vocabulary and math concepts are concretized. Students are often excited and motivated by photography and technology. Thus, this paper will demonstrate how mathematics teachers can insert photos into GeoGebra Software and then explore math concepts relevant in the photographs, i.e. shapes, symmetry, measurement, fractions, parabolas, etc. By using software and a visual approach to teaching math with photographs, many …

Winter 2020

Transformations

No abstract provided.

Insights From Academics Teaching International Students In Australia, Dawn Joseph Dr, Kay Hartwig Dr

The Qualitative Report

Australia continues to be an attractive destination in the world for international students. For higher education institutions to remain globally competitive there is a need to deliver high quality teaching and learning programs and adequate support structures. This paper forms part of a wider study on improving work placement for international students, their mentors and other stakeholders at Deakin University (Australia) and adds to the body of knowledge on international students as seen through the eyes of academic staff. It explores the lived experiences of seven academics as they navigate what is required of them when teaching international students in …

The Problem-Based Learning Approach Towards Developing Soft Skills: A Systematic Review, Sadia Deep, Ali Ahmed, Nazia Suleman, Muhammad Zahid Abbas, Uzma Naza, Hina Shaheen, Abdul Razzaq

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, we review systematically the role of problem-based learning (PBL) in developing soft skills in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and other fields of studies. The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) includes the most recent empirical, review, and conceptual studies from TVET and other multiple fields of studies including medicine, humanities, and engineering between the years of 2001 and 2016 collected from four databases. A qualitative method was used to accomplish the systematic review. After the collection of articles, the selected studies were analyzed through thematic analysis. From this review, we concluded that PBL as an instructional …

An Interviewer’S Reflection Of Data Collection In Building An Archive Of Language Learner Experiences, John G. Patkin

The Qualitative Report

Interviewing is one of the most common data collection tools in qualitative research. It is widely discussed in research methods classes and literature and considered as an invaluable tool for gathering facts and feelings. In this paper, I reflect systematically on the first 270 interviews conducted for a large-scale investigation into the English language learning history of Hong Kong university students. I discuss how existing literature served as a guide to interviewing but once in the field, I reflect on how I adapted and improvised to improve my interviewing skills. I also analyze and discuss the strategies I employed to …

Qualities Of A Good English Language Teacher From The Perspectives Of Textbook Authors In The Field Of Language Teaching, Teachers, And Learners, Mohammad Mohammaditabar, Mohammad Sadegh Bagheri, Mortaza Yamini, Ehsan Rassaei

The Qualitative Report

Researchers in the field of language teaching have long been fascinated by the qualities of good teachers. Such qualities have rarely been approached qualitatively from different angles in a single study. Thus, this research aimed to unearth the qualities in question by employing a qualitative multimethod approach. To this end, 23 randomly selected standard language teaching textbooks were analyzed by two coders using qualitative content analysis. The judiciously adopted codes from the analysis were employed to design and carry out semi-structured interviews with nine effective language teachers as well as ten good learners nominated via purposeful sampling. The data gleaned …

Words And Power In Conflict: Rwanda Under Mrnd Rule, Allan T. Moore Ph.D.

Peace and Conflict Studies

Rwanda under the rule of President Juvenal Habyarimana and the MRND government was a de facto totalitarian governed society, and throughout Habyarimana’s twenty-one year rule, it has been established that there was clear propaganda and hatred directed toward those citizens identified as Tutsi through their national identification records. This article examines the effects of centralized power harbored by Habyarimana and the MRND during this time utilizing a theoretical framework based on the intersection of complementary theory from Foucault, Dahl and Weber. The methodology includes a novel critical discourse analysis (CDA) of transcribed speeches delivered by Habyarimana and Leon Mugesera, as …

Understanding Efl Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices In Efl Classrooms: A Phenomenological Approach To The Impact Of Teacher Education Program In Bangladesh, Abdul Karim, Liza Reshmin, Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan, Faheem Hasan Shahed, Mohammad Mosiur Rahman, Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh

The Qualitative Report

The construction of teacher beliefs through teacher education programs and their impact on classroom practices has drawn enormous attention in the concurrent literature. Yet in Bangladesh, little is known about the construction of teacher beliefs through teacher education programs and the impact of teacher beliefs on their classroom practices. Pertinently, the current study aimed at answering the questions regarding teachers’ beliefs about teaching before and after the completion of the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) programs to identify the changing patterns of their beliefs. In addition, the study explored their classroom practices to examine whether teachers’ beliefs …

Exploring The Final Years Of The Life Of John F. Kennedy Jr.: A Mixed Methods Psychobiographical Case Study, Caitlin R. Ferrer, Joseph G. Ponterotto

The Qualitative Report

This present study utilized a mixed methods design to explore the inner emotional experiencing of John F. Kennedy Jr. during the last five years of his life. A large first-person data set culled from JFK Jr.’s letters and interviews was subjected to a qualitative theme analysis and the quantitative Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) program (Pennebaker, Boyd, Jordan, & Blackburn, 2015). Among the major themes emerging from the qualitative analysis were JFK Jr.’s efforts to balance and integrate his public and private selves; navigating the Kennedy legacy and understanding his family’s place in political history; and establishing George magazine with …

Bourdieu And Jung: A Thought Partnership To Explore Personal, Social, And Collective Unconscious Influences On Professional Practices, Rosa Bologna, Franziska Trede, Narelle Patton

The Qualitative Report

This paper introduces a thought partnership between Pierre Bourdieu and Carl Jung used to explore clinical play therapists’ understanding and critical reflexivity of unconscious influences on their relational practices with parents. The partnership is situated within a broader methodological partnership between Paul Ricoeur and Jung discussed by the authors in another paper in this issue. The purpose of the Bourdieu and Jung partnership is to design a comprehensive theoretical tool kit that enables the exploration of the interrelated nature of personal, social, and collective unconscious influences on professional practices. The paper discusses seven Bourdieusian and ten Jungian thinking tools and …

A Critical Imaginal Hermeneutics Approach To Explore Unconscious Influences On Professional Practices: A Ricoeur And Jung Partnership, Rosa Bologna, Franziska Trede, Narelle Patton

The Qualitative Report

Professional relationships are at the heart of professional practice. Qualitative studies exploring professional practice relationships are typically positioned in either the social constructivist (interpretive) paradigm where the aim is to explore actors’ subjective understandings of their relationships and relational practices, or in the critical paradigm where the aim is to reveal objective unconscious structures and hidden power plays influencing actors’ practices. This paper introduces critical imaginal hermeneutics as a systemic philosophical and methodological approach situated on the juncture of the social constructivist and critical paradigms where the dual aim is to explore both actors’ subjective understanding and meaning-making processes associated …

Key Stakeholders’ Lived Experiences While Implementing An Aligned Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study, Pedro P. Aguas

The Qualitative Report

Furthering innovation in English as a foreign language curriculum has been a concern for the Colombian educational system for many years. Nevertheless, the major attempts at the national level continue to fail. Through this phenomenological study of 12 participants at a an urban public school in grades 6-12 I attempted to answer the phenomenological question, “What were the lived experiences of key stakeholders involved in implementing an aligned curriculum at an urban public school in a northern city in Colombia, South America? “The theoretical framework that guides this study included innovation, the theory of policy attribution, and the learner-centered philosophy. …

“Frozen Up Like An Ice Cube!”: The Influence Of Situated Learning On Pre-Service Teachers' Cultural And Linguistic Awareness, Omran Akasha

The Qualitative Report

The overall goal of this study was to explore the influence of situated learning experiences on pre-service teachers' perceptions and understandings of their future Arab students. This study investigated in part the interaction between culturally diverse families and pre-service teachers. It also explored changes in pre-service teachers’ attitudes and knowledge, their perceived applications of the situated experience to their future teaching, and the families’ reactions to this experience. Twelve Arab families volunteered to host 25 pre-service teachers as participants of this study. Results showed that the situated learning experience helped the pre-service teachers develop their cultural knowledge as well as …

Contentment Or Torment? An Analytic Autoethnography Of Publication Aptitude In Doctor Of Philosophy, Atiqur Sm-Rahman, Yasmin Jahan

The Qualitative Report

The burgeoning trend of pursuing publication in a leading journal, as a benchmark of standard doctoral research, has become an appealing expectation of early-stage doctoral researchers (ESDR). However, recent pedagogical studies showed limited attention to exploring the dynamic relations between doctoral education and the academic publication process. Our aim was to investigate and understand (if and) how this intricately intertwined relation contributes to the scholarly publication practice in doctoral education from an individual and institutional context. We used a duo-analytic autoethnography approach and presented a comprehensive narrative based on the authors’ self-reflections by using a range of data sources namely …

Using Digital Technology To Address Confirmability And Scalability In Thematic Analysis Of Participant-Provided Data, Chung Joo Chung, J. Patrick Biddix, Han Woo Park

The Qualitative Report

This article presents a technique for analyzing large-scale qualitative data to address considerations for scalability and confirmability in thematic analysis of participant-provided data. A network approach provides a consistent means of coding that scales with the size of the dataset and is verifiable using standardized methods. This form of data analysis can be used with smaller data sources including interview transcripts as well as large data sources such as open-ended survey responses. A constructivist (inductive) approach is maintained and needed, however, to aid in interpretation of latent constructs. In this article, we provide both a conceptual overview of the co-word …

Integrating Articles Into Teaching English To Young Learners Ii Course In Elt Department, Ayşegül Takkaç Tulgar

The Qualitative Report

While relevant literature presents us different studies examining teaching English to young learners from an application and practice perspective, its theoretical side, i.e., how to instruct pre-service teachers in foreign language departments to teach the language to young learner profiles is still an area needing investigation. Conducted in English Language Teaching department at a state university in Turkey, this case study was purposed to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating articles into TEYL II course. The participants were 36 students taking TEYL II course in the third grade. The data of this case study were collected through open-ended questions and classroom …

“Señora, Diak!”: Co-Constructed Identity Of A Foreigner In Timor-Leste, Marie Quinn

The Qualitative Report

This article takes place in not one taxi, but all the taxis I have caught in Timor-Leste, encapsulating first encounter conversations I have had across the country, where my “otherness” as a Señora, an Australian who towers over the local population is contrasted to my knowledge of the country. I take a reflexive approach to explore how my identity as a work colleague and researcher has been constructed by many factors. Such encounters as I typify here challenge me to consider who I am and what is expected of me as a sensitive and ethical adviser and researcher.

Perceptions Of Elementary Teachers Towards The Effectiveness Of Community Resources For Reducing Achievement Gap, Carl L. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Studies indicate that school-community partnerships have positive impacts on the learners and reducing the educational achievement gap is one of the identified benefits. This study sought to examine the development of educational partnerships from the perspective of the teachers. The researcher assumed that teachers play a significant role in the formation and continuation of the partnerships, thereby influencing their success. Consequently, this study sought to explore teachers’ experiences with educational partnerships regarding improving academic performance and reducing achievement gaps.

The study used purposive sampling to select 7 teachers from Title I Elementary school in Central Florida. The school was targeted …

Young In University-Work Transition: The Views Of Undergraduates In Southern Italy, Cristiano Felaco Phd, Anna Parola

The Qualitative Report

In the last few years, economic and social changes have made the path from university to work long and twisted, in particular in Southern Italy, an area with the highest rate of unemployment. This contribution aims to exploring the experiences of university-work transition of undergraduates. Using an open-ended interview, the authors obtained narrative data from 150 undergraduates from Southern Italy. Textual Analysis and Text Network Analysis were carried out to identify the thematic clusters and obtain the network pattern of lemmas in order to understand process of meaning construction of students. The analysis shows four clusters: “Awareness of one’s own …

Conducting Qualitative Longitudinal Research On Learning To Teach English Pronunciation: Challenges, Pitfalls…Coffee, And Bubbles!, Michael Burri

The Qualitative Report

Inquiries into the impact of second language teacher education on the development of teachers' practices, beliefs, and knowledge have increased substantially in the last few years. However, most studies tend to investigate the process of second language teacher learning over a relatively short period of time, and only limited literature addresses methodological considerations in longitudinal research, making the design of this type of study potentially challenging for researchers. The aim of this paper is to first describe an ongoing project which explores the process of teachers learning to teach English pronunciation over a period of six years. Following an overview …

Effective Language Teachers’ Characteristics As Perceived By English Language Private Institutes’ Administrators In Iran, Negar Yazdanipour, Mehrnoush Fakharzadeh

The Qualitative Report

Recruiting wisely from the available supply of teachers is one of the instructional roles of school administrators. Their hiring and retaining decisions, among other things, can influence learners' achievements. The number of studies examining the features of effective language teachers in the eyes of administrators is limited. Therefore, the present study was designed to examine how effective language teachers are perceived by administrators of English Private Language Institutes in Iran. To this end, 27 male and female administrators were selected and interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the narrative data. The results of coding revealed several characteristics of effective …