Digital Commons Network^™

Implementing A Critically Quasi-Ethnographic Approach, Lisa Murtagh

The Qualitative Report

This paper provides an account of the methodological approach of a study designed to address some fundamental questions relating to formative assessment. The paper reports on the use of a critically quasi- ethnographic approach and describes the practicalities of adopting such an approach. The validity of the study is also considered , reflecting on Tricoglus’ (2001) protocol for practitioner research in education.

Sampling Designs In Qualitative Research: Making The Sampling Process More Public, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Nancy L. Leech

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to provide a typology of sampling designs for qualitative researchers. We introduce the following sampling strategies: (a) parallel sampling designs, which represent a body of sampling strategies that facilitate credible comparisons of two or more different subgroups that are extracted from the same levels of study; (b) nested sampling designs, which are sampling strategies that facilitate credible comparisons of two or more members of the same subgroup, wherein one or more members of the subgroup represent a sub-sample of the full sample; and (c) multilevel sampling designs, which represent sampling strategies that facilitate credible …

Mixing Research Methods In Health Professional Degrees: Thoughts For Undergraduate Students And Supervisors, Sophie Anaf, Lorraine A. Sheppard

The Qualitative Report

This commentary considers some of the challenges of applying mixed methods research in undergraduate research degrees, especially in professions with a clinical health focus. Our experience in physiotherapy academia is used as an example. Mixed methods research is increasingly appreciated in its own right as a “third paradigm,” however the success of educating novice researchers in mixing methods requires reflection on a range of theoretical and practical issues. We explore some of the under- reported features of mixed methods on a theoretical level, including the use of terminology, and the challenge of research “labels,” and on a practical level, the …

First-Year Teachers And Induction Support: Ups, Downs, And In-Betweens, Sara Winstead Fry

The Qualitative Report

Novice teachers often struggle during the transition from being students of teaching to teachers of students. Consequently, high attrition rates characterize the first 3 years of teaching, underscoring a need to provide better support for beginning teachers. This investigation sought to answer the following question: How are 1s t-year teachers supported during induction and how do they respond to this support? Four 1st-year elementary teachers participated in a year-long case-study investigation. Primary form of data collection was monthly semi-structured phone interviews. Participants faced similar challenges, while adjusting to their new profession, but received varied, often inadequate, forms of support during …

A Typology Of Mixed Methods Sampling Designs In Social Science Research, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Kathleen M.T. Collins

The Qualitative Report

This paper provides a framework for developing sampling designs in mixed methods research. First, we present sampling schemes that have been associated with quantitative and qualitative research. Second, we discuss sample size considerations and provide sample size recommendations for each of the major research designs for quantitative and qualitative approaches. Third, we provide a sampling design typology and we demonstrate how sampling designs can be classified according to time orientation of the components and relationship of the qualitative and quantitative sample. Fourth, we present four major crises to mixed methods research and indicate how each crisis may be used to …

Identifying The Generation Gap In Higher Education: Where Do The Differences Really Lie?, Paula Garcia, Jingjing Qin

Innovate: Journal of Online Education

No abstract provided.

Volume 14, Number 1 (Spring 2007), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

Abstracts only.

The Current Volume 17: Issue 23, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Towards An Understanding Of Excellence In Ur Ban Pedagogy: A Portrait Of A High School, Renu Ahuja

The Qualitative Report

This case study describes processes in an urban high school, which contribute to excellence in urban pedagogy, and investigates teachers’ and educational leaders’ perceptions of the factors influencing their commitment to school success. Six themes related to excellence in urban pedagogy were identified. Data in the form of semi-structured interviews, observations, and document review de scribe a school in which the leadership strives to develop human capability at all levels through empowerment and shared decision-making. The study indicates that students’ achievement is a collective responsibility and strong instructional leadership is a key for success in urban schools. More studies may …

Understanding Total Quality Management In Context: Qualitative Research On Managers’ Awareness Of Tqm Aspects In The Greek Service Industry, Alexandros G. Psychogios, Constantinos Vasilios Priporas

The Qualitative Report

This study addresses managers’ awareness and familiarity with Total Quality Management (TQM). Eighteen (18) semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with managers working in a variety of service organizations in Greece. The major argument of the study is that although the acronym TQM and some of its concepts and practices are known by a range of public and private sector managers, actual awareness of its “soft” side is often superficial, and managers have a relatively poor understanding of it. TQM is neither resisted nor directly absorbed by them, but they tend to see it from the technical point of view, being …

Mentoring Qualitative Research Authors Globally: The Qualitative Report Experience, Ronald J. Chenail, Sally St. George, Dan Wulff, Maureen Duffy, Martha Laughlin, Kate Warner, Tarmeen Sahni

The Qualitative Report

Authoring quality qualitative inquiry is a challenge for most researchers. A lack of local mentors can make writing even more difficult. To meet this need, The Qualitative Report ( TQR ) has helped authors from around the world develop their papers into published articles. TQR editorial team members will discuss the history of the journal, their philosophy of author development; manuscript development strategies; solutions for managing differences; challenges working worldwide; authors’ feedback; and the collective global futures of TQR and qualitative researcher

Oral History As A Social Justice Project: Issues For The Qualitative Researcher, Valerie J. Janesick

The Qualitative Report

I am writing this to assist researchers in training and experienced researchers in understanding ways to view oral history as a social justice project. This paper will illuminate the importance of oral history in terms of enriching the knowledge base of qualitative research methods as well. Oral history provides us with an avenue of thick description, analysis, and interpretation of people’s lives through probing the past in order to understand the present .The postmodern appreciation of the study of people and their stories, those stories from persons generally on the outside or periphery of society, offer a unique opportunity to …

How Qualitative Research Changed Me: A Narrative Of Personal Growth, Avital Feuer

The Qualitative Report

This piece recounts personal changes I underwent while collecting data for my dissertation. Stemming from my own personal experiences of anomie and feelings of not belonging to the languages and cultures of either Canada or Israel , this inquiry examined the collusion of my attitudes with the attitudes of advanced Hebrew learners of diverse backgrounds and beliefs in a Canadian undergraduate university class. As the themes of claims and ownership of the Hebrew language emerged between clashing sub-groups in the classroom, I examined my own biases and stereotypes regarding language, and ultimately grew into a peaceful acceptance of my position …

A Book Review Of Betty M. Merchant And Arlette Ingram Willis’ Multiple And Intersecting Identities In Qualitative Research, Rashmi Gangamma

The Qualitative Report

No abstract provided.

Combining Historical Research And Narrative Inquiry To Create Chronicles And Narratives, Richard A. Wilson

The Qualitative Report

Stories about the Idaho State Library, chronicles and narratives, are reported in my doctoral dissertation (Wilson, 2005). The chronicles, reconstructed from documents and records, provided a presentation of the people, events, and activities to frame the stories. The narratives, excerpted from interviews, provided the rich description and unique perspectives of the two living State Librarians who directed the agency between 1962 and 2005. The focus of this paper is a presentation and discussion of the use of historical research and narrative inquiry to create chronicles and narratives.

Qualitative Research In Counseling: A Reflection For Novice Counselor Researchers, Randolph Bowers, Victor Minichiello, David Plummer

The Qualitative Report

Counselors practice in a wide range of disciplines, but also represent a distinct discipline separate from medicine, psychology, and social work. Particularly in countries like Australia, Canada, and the Asia Pacific nations, as a relatively new field, counseling is taking up the challenges of encouraging a research culture that can both critique and support clinical practice and counselor education. This paper is thus written to support novice counselor researchers, and to inspire an emerging research culture through sharing formative experiences and lessons learned during a qualitative research project exploring minority issues in counseling.

On Becoming A Qualitative Researcher: The Value Of Reflexivity, Diane Watt

The Qualitative Report

Learning how to conduct qualitative research may seem daunting for those new to the task, especially given the paradigm ’s emphasis on complexity and emergent design. Although there are guidelines in the literature, each project is unique and ultimately the individual researcher must determine how best to proceed . Reflexivity is thus considered essential, potentially facilitating understanding of both the phenomenon under study and the research process itself . Drawing upon the contents of a reflective journal, the author provides an inside view of a first project, making connections between theory and practice. This personal narrative highlights the value of …

Embracing The Practical, The Pragmatic, And The Personal: A Review Of Clive Seale, Giampietro Gobo, Jaber F. Gubrium, And David Silverman’S Qualitative Research Practice, Ronald Chenail

The Qualitative Report

In their 2007 book, Qualitative Research Practice: Concise Paperback Version, Clive Seale, Giampietro Gobo, Jaber F. Gubrium, and David Silverman have offered students, teachers, and researchers a practical guide for understanding and conducting qualitative research. In doing so, they and their chapter contributing colleagues have also taken us as readers into their insiders’ worlds of being qualitative researchers, so we can benefit from their self-narratives of the “nitty-gritty of research practice.” The result is an excellent text that is both pragmatic and personal.

The Current Volume 17 : Issue 19, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Developing & Implementing An Educational Research Agenda, Gail Jensen

Health Professions Educational Research Symposium

Moderator: Dr. Mary Blackinton

Torture On Trial: How The Alien Tort Statute May Expose The United States Government's Illegal "Extraordinary Rendition" Program Through Its Use Of A Private Contractor, Jamie A. Baron Rodriguez

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

While traveling through Pakistan, British resident Binyam Mohamed (Mohamed) was arrested and handed over to U.S. government agents for four months of abusive first-round interrogation while denied access to a legal representation.'

Minnesota Reflections On A Century Of Change And Stasis: Roscoe Pound's Visit To St. Paul, Jon M. Garon

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

2006-2007 Nsu Sharks Men's Basketball Media Guide, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Athletics Sports Programs and Media Guides

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of An Adult Education Technology Program, Iwasan D. Kejawa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adult education technology program at a chartered alternative adult education center in Florida. The adult education center had a low rate of students passing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This study examined the impact of the use of computer technology in an effort to improve student learning in mathematics, reading, and science. Computers at the institution were used by all students for tutorials to prepare them for the FCAT and to obtain a high school diploma. The research questions for this study were as follows:

1. Is the education technology program …

The Current Volume 17 : Issue 13, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Dialectical Inquiry: A Structured Qualitative Research Method, Eli Berniker, David E. Mcnabb

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents Dialectical Inquiry (DI) as a structured qualitative research method for studying participant models of organizational processes. The method is applied to rich secondary anecdotal data on technology transfer, gathered by subject-matter experts in a large firm. DI assumes that the imposition of a dialectical structure will produce emergent theories in tacit use by organizational actors. As such, it serves as a meta-structure for grounded rese arch. Three competing models were discovered in the data. Each model was analyzed in the context of other models to reveal governing assumptions and counter assumptions. It is demonstrated that each model …

A Critique Of The Capacity Of Strauss’ Grounded Theory For Prediction, Change, And Control In Organisational Strategy Via A Grounded Theorisation Of Leisure And Cultural Strategy, Ali Bakir, Vian Bakir

The Qualitative Report

In this paper we critique grounded theory’s ability to fulfil its aim of offering a practical vehicle for prediction, change, and control as stipulated in grounded theory’s original formulation by Glaser and Strauss, and later developed by Strauss. We do this through a case study approach, whereby we develop a grounded theory of leisure and cultural strategy within a local authority, and critically reflect on the process of grounded theorisation, together with its implications for generating practical tools in that most practical of academic fields; organisational strategy. We demonstrate that despite generating good grounded theory on leisure and cultural strategy, …

Discussing Laddering Application By The Means-End Chain Theory, Tânia Modesto Veludo-De-Oliveira, Ana Akemi Ikeda, Marcos Cortez Campomar

The Qualitative Report

This article aims at analyzing laddering as a technique of qualitative research, emphasizing the procedures for data collection, analysis and interpretation, and its main limitations as well. “Laddering refers to an in-depth, one-on-one interviewing technique used to develop an understanding of how consumers translate the attributes of products into meaningful associations with respect to self, following means-end theory” (Reynolds & Gutman, 1988, p. 12). The critical literature review shows that laddering is useful in studies on human behavior, especially those related to the Means-End Chain (MEC) model. For a successful application, highly trained interviewers, homogeneous groups of respondents, and the …

The Pre-Conceptual Map Methodology: Development And Application, Shellie Hipsky

The Qualitative Report

The objective of this article is to present the Pre-Conceptual Map methodology as a formalized way to identify, document, and utilize preconceived assumptions on the part of the researcher in qualitative inquiry. This technique can be used as a stand alone method or in conjunction with other qualitative techniques (i.e., naturalistic inquiry). This document explains how to utilize the process and includes specific examples based on a formal study of the pilot of The Drama Discovery Curriculum. The article highlights the Pre-Conceptual Map methodology for use by other researchers by examining: the need for the methodology, how it is related …

Elaborating The Grounding Of The Knowledge Base On Language And Learning For Preservice Literacy Teachers, Carolyn L. Piazza, Cynthia Wallat

The Qualitative Report

This purpose of this article is to present a qualitative inquiry into the genesis of sociolinguistic s and the contributions of eight sociolinguistic pioneers. This inquiry, based on an historical interpretation of events, reformulates the concept of validation as the social construction of a scientific knowledge base, and explicates three themes that offer a set of sociolinguistic constructs, questions, and propositions that can provide aspiring teachers with a frame of reference and set of guidelines for teaching language and literacy. An implication section, at the end of the article, illustrates sociolinguistic components that can be added to course syllabi in …