Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Forums And Message Boards To Recruit Study Participants In Qualitative Research, Peter Weslowski

The Qualitative Report

The following observations have emerged from the author’s research experience involving the recruitment of focus group participants for a qualitative study on job search behaviors using technology. It is argued that Internet forums and message boards provide researchers with a robust approach to recruiting participants for qualitative study purposes. Advantages and characteristics of online communities are outlined to inform future practices based on the experience of engaging job-seekers who frequent a career advice board on the Internet. Challenges and limitations inherent to this methodology are also explored with techniques offered for maximizing the effectiveness of future recruitment. Use of Internet …

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Christ and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: A Narrative on Homosexual Identity, Spirituality, and Human Development” (an unpublished manuscript) written in 2013.

A Qualitative Examination Of Barriers And Motivators To Smoking Cessation Among Hiv Positive African American Msm Smokers, Alicia Kaye Matthews, Maria Vargas, Lisa Kuhns, Nitin Shappiva, Andrea C. King

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose: To identify barriers and motivators to smoking cessation among HIV-positive African American men-who-have-sex with men (MSM) who smoke.

Procedures: A convenience sample of smokers was recruited for this study using a range of outreach approaches. Focus groups (N = 4) were conducted that examined: quit experiences, barriers to and motivators of cessation, cultural beliefs, and community norms. Established qualitative methods were used to conduct and analyze the focus groups.

Main Findings: Participants (N = 31) reporting being diagnosed with HIV+ for M = 12 years. More than 60% reported a quit attempt in the past year. Knowledge was about …

Practicing Patienthood Online: Social Media, Chronic Illness, And Lay Expertise, Collette Sosnowy

Publications and Research

The use of digital technologies and social media by people with serious illness to find, share, and create health information is much celebrated but rarely critiqued. Proponents laud “Health 2.0” as transforming health care practice and empowering patients. Critics, however, argue that a discourse of developing lay expertise online masks the disciplinary practices of the neoliberal state’s emphasis on individual responsibility. Notably, the perspectives of people who are engaging with social media related to their health and illness are under-represented in this debate. This research examines the experiences and perspectives of women who blog about their lives with Multiple Sclerosis …

Physician As Teacher: Promoting Health And Wellness Among Elementary School Students, Jill E. Stefaniak, Victoria C. Lucia

STEMPS Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Every day, physicians engage in teaching during their patient encounters. It may be that medical students who are introduced to the principles of teaching and learning are more likely to become good communicators and learners. Service-learning may be an effective way for medical students to practice skills in teaching and communication in a real-world setting, while also filling a need within the community. The purpose of this study was to identify common themes within medical students' reflections on what they learned through participating in a teaching exercise with local elementary school children.

METHODS: As a required component of a …