Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Foster Care Students And Their Success In Academic Achievements In School, Kirsten Nassiff

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide better training and resources for teachers working with students in foster care who have experienced multiple foster care placements, and to assist them in achieving academic success.

The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with six educators and staff at an alternative school that has the highest number of students in foster care, located in this school district. Using Braun and Clarke’s six steps for Thematic Analysis, each transcript was coded with the assistance of MAXQDA, and themes were developed.

An analysis of the data revealed that educators and staff do not receive adequate communication …

Teacher Perception On The Implementation Of A Culturally Responsive Ela Curriculum, Erica Tate Dial

Theses and Dissertations

While the principles of culturally responsive and culturally relevant teaching hold transformative potential, they can only be fully realized if educators are genuinely equipped and empowered to implement them. This qualitative study examined teacher perceptions of an English Language Arts curriculum through the lens of culturally relevant and culturally responsive teaching. A diverse group of teachers, varying in experience, age, gender, and race, were interviewed to gather a range of perspectives on the implementation of this curriculum. The study focused on addressing the following research questions: 1. What are teachers’ perceptions of culturally responsive and culturally relevant instruction and academic …

Beyond The Brochure: Exploring The Reality Of Belonging In South Florida Private Schools, Jennifer Vigille

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to explore Black parents’ perceptions of teachers and leadership in predominantly White private schools. The research drew on a rich body of literature on race, education, and social dynamics in diverse school settings. The study addressed the ongoing challenges Black families faced in navigating these environments, particularly in terms of communication and cultural competence. The central research questions investigated how Black parents experienced and interpreted teacher and leadership relationships and support in predominately White private schools.

The study hypothesized that Black parents perceived significant gaps in communication and cultural competence among educators and leaders, affecting …

A Qualitative Study For Parental Involvement In Middle School: Perspectives Of Parents And Teachers, Twana Ivory

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the barriers contributing to low parental involvement in a selected middle school. Parental engagement has been widely linked to student academic success and positive behavior outcomes; however, involvement tends to decline as students enter middle school. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of educators and parents regarding parental involvement, identify the challenges families face, and discover opportunities to strengthen school-family collaboration.

The researcher employed a qualitative research design using a phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven participants, including six middle school teachers and five parents. …

Relaciones De Las Competencias Docentes Con El Bienestar En Docentes De Ciencias Empresariales Bajo La Modalidad A Distancia En Una Universidad Privada En Colombia, Camilo Ernesto Aguirre Martínez

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de esta investigación consistió en determinar las relaciones de las competencias docentes con el bienestar en docentes de Ciencias Empresariales bajo la modalidad a distancia en una Universidad privada de Colombia. El estudio buscó identificar las relaciones entre las competencias docentes y el bienestar psicológico, el bienestar subjetivo y el bienestar social, cuáles de esas relaciones predominan, así como la identificación de cuáles elementos de estos tipos de bienestar contribuyen con el desarrollo de las competencias docentes.

El enfoque de la investigación fue el empírico analítico o cuantitativo, el diseño fue no experimental y su alcance fue de …

Perceptions Of Mental Health School-Based Team Members On Addressing Suicidal And Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behaviors: A Qualitative Inquiry Into Policy Implementation And Practice In School Settings, Ashlande Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of mental health school-based team members regarding the effectiveness of current prevention and intervention practices for addressing suicidal and non-suicidal self-harming behaviors among school-age children in a large suburban school district in the southern United States. Despite the alarming increase in self-injurious behaviors, with crisis calls rising from 144 incidents in the 2022 school year to 736 incidents in the 2025 school year, the district lacked comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies to effectively address this critical issue.

The researcher used a qualitative phenomenological approach to capture the lived experiences and …

Estudio Fenomenológico Sobre La Relación Entre El Liderazgo Transformacional Y La Efectividad De Las Iniciativas De Gestión De Cambio En Las Organizaciones, Greilyn Soto-Perez

Theses and Dissertations

Esta Disertación Aplicada tuvo como propósito explorar la relación entre el liderazgo transformacional y la efectividad de las iniciativas de gestión del cambio en organizaciones de diversos sectores. Este estudio cualitativo se centró en comprender, desde el punto de vista de diferentes lideres transformacionales en distintas áreas e industrias, cómo los líderes y empleados experimentan y perciben el impacto del liderazgo transformacional en la implementación de cambios significativos organizacionales.

Este estudio de naturaleza cualitativa se enmarcó en un enfoque fenomenológico. Mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas en profundidad, se exploraron cuatro dimensiones del liderazgo transformacional: influencia idealizada, motivación inspiradora, estimulación intelectual y consideración …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Study Of Sexual Assault Investigations In Sexual Assault Response Teams (Sarts), Caitlyn Marie Clark

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide further insight into sexual assault investigations and response from the lived experiences of Sexual Assault Response Team and Task Force criminal justice professionals. There has been limited research on Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs), Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs), and Sexual Assault Task Force (SATF) units, specifically encompassing the lived experiences of their members. This interpretative phenomenological study sought to explore these collaborative multidisciplinary teams from the lived experiences of the criminal justice professionals who represent them and to analyze the factors of sexual assault investigations and response that these members find significant.

In this …

Research As Respect: Elevating The Knowledge And Stories Of Men At An Aboriginal-Controlled Residential Alcohol And Drug Recovery Service, Mark J. Hammersley, Uncle Les Stanley, Greg J. Smith Dr

The Qualitative Report

This conversation between an Aboriginal Elder, an Aboriginal senior manager/practitioner, and a non-Aboriginal narrative therapist/groupworker centres on a social research project they undertook with men residing in an Aboriginal men’s alcohol and other drug recovery service in Melbourne, Australia. The men were invited to contribute accounts of what was important in their lives and the practices that supported positive developments in their time at the facility. The men, manager, and a community Elder directed a research process that prioritised the use of these accounts to contribute to the lives of other men. The men resident at the facility provided access …

Amplifying Ratego Stories And Knowledges: A Co-Research Initiative With Young Mothers In Social Movements In East Africa, Deborah Mrema, Patricia Nudi Orawo, Lydia Otieno, Juhi Jha, Joseph Kalisa, Serge Nyirinkwaya

The Qualitative Report

Young mothers can be negatively affected by dominant and degrading cultural narratives; their stories of resistance and activism are often rendered invisible in broader social contexts. Informed by collective narrative practice methodologies, we undertook a counter-storytelling research project to elicit and acknowledge the stories of survival and sustenance of young mothers in social movements responding to sexual and gender-based violence in East Africa. We facilitated storytelling circles, incorporating various story and knowledges collection methods. Our approach involved documenting collective experiences and counter-narratives, exchanging stories between communities, and inviting young mothers to respond to other participants’ stories. The telling and retelling …

Research As Seeking Help: Searching For Liberative Knowledge - An Interview With Taimalieutu Kiwi Tamasese, Taimalieutu Kiwi Tamasese, David Denborough

The Qualitative Report

Indigenous methodologies have been transforming social science research. In this interview, Pasifika researcher, policy analyst, and community worker, Taimalieutu Kiwi Tamasese, speaks with narrative therapist David Denborough about the Just Therapy Team’s significant contributions to developing Pasifika research methods that resist colonizing assumptions and honour culture and relationship. Rather than seeking to establish the researcher as knowledge holder, The Just Therapy Team’s research is guided by values of liberation, sacredness, and belonging to seek solutions to issues affecting communities. Taimalieutu describes the development of innovative research methods capable of eliciting Indigenous knowledges about gender relations and mental health in Samoa …

Revisiting Insider Practices: Ethical Considerations, Practices, And Hopes For Doing Community Work And Narrative Research In And About Our Own Communities, Tiffany Sostar, Nathan Viktor Fawaz, Elliot Trimble, Theodosia Octavia Markarian, Bekett Noble

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, we describe the hopes, considerations, and questions of a narrative practice research collaboration among three closely connected transgender (trans) and/or non-binary collaborators, in a collection of work meant to support trans, non-binary, and gender expansive life and in response to trans death at a time of increasing hostility toward trans communities. We apply a specific focus on inquiring into how to do narrative therapy and community work research in and about our own communities, and what the ethical, relational and methodological practices for this work might be. We do this through reflecting on existing literature related to …

Researcher As Insider: Bringing Together Narrative Therapy Practices And Feminist Lived Experience Methodologies In The Context Of Suicide Research, Marnie Sather

The Qualitative Report

This paper contains a demonstration of the value of feminist insider research. Through bringing together principles of feminist insider research, narrative therapy theory and practice, and my positionality as a researcher, a narrative therapist, and a woman who lost her husband to suicide, I developed a research methodology that was sensitive and effective in exploring the lived experiences and insider knowledge of women who have lost a male partner to suicide. Careful utilisation of my insider positionality benefited the research in multiple ways, from recruitment and care of participants to data analysis and knowledge production, to the generation of research …

Resisting Ableism In Research Design, Gipsy Hosking

The Qualitative Report

This paper explores how ableist assumptions can unintentionally create barriers to participation in research by those of non-normative bodies or minds. In traditional epistemology, bodies are considered “universal” rather than “specific,” and the universal body is coded as fully able-bodied and independent with brain and body adhering to normative standards of the White heterosexual English-speaking male. In this article, I present a story of “enabling participation” for those of diverse body capacity in my work with young women living with chronic illness.^[1]Specifically, I explore the accommodations and adaptions I made to my research design to account for the …

Exploring Dalit Representation In The Federal Government Of Nepal: A Sociological Perspective On Decision-Making Dynamics, Makar Bahadur Sarki

Transformations

Dalit Representation in the Federal Government of Nepal is the main problem now. The Dalit members of parliament of each party are struggling to participate in the Government’s Cabinet. All Governments of Nepal are ignoring to ensure the Dalit representation in the cabinet. Although the constitution of Nepal adopted the inclusive principle, it does not implement in the cabinet of the Federal Government of Nepal. Dalit members of parliament face opportunities loss in each cabinet of Nepal Government. But it is gaps in research till now. What is the reason behind it not implementing the legal provision? Is it human …

How Might One Practice? Producing Possibilities Through Co-Research As A Daily Practice Of A Minor Science, Mark Mullkoff

The Qualitative Report

Narrative practice is a broad field which includes therapy, community work, and research methods, all of which are less rigidly defined as they are connected through resonant ethics. In this paper I explore a practice I have developed in my early years as a narrative therapist asking the question, “If coming to talk to me were part of a Project— although not necessarily the first part, nor the most important part—what would that Project be called?” Through a reflexive process of aspiring towards narrative research principles of co-research, committing to relational ethics (which is grounded and contextual, rather than codified), …

Designing Research To Produce Usable Knowledge From Archives That Have Significant Ethical And Privacy Constraints, Kelsi Semeschuk

The Qualitative Report

Archives are sometimes imagined to be dusty repositories of historical documents. The considerations of care and ethical practice at the heart of qualitative research with active participants may not seem relevant. However, when archives contain sensitive information about people, living or no longer living, and those people cannot be consulted about the use of the materials, significant ethical issues arise. This paper offers innovative ways of balancing a desire to explore the treasures of a highly sensitive archive with rigorous attention to the rights and interests of those whose stories the archive holds. Based on research with a video archive …

A Review Of The Edited Collection, Narrative Research Now: Critical Perspectives On The Promise Of Stories, Kristina Lainson

The Qualitative Report

Narrative Research Now: Critical Perspectives on the Promise of Stories, edited by Ashley Barnwell and Signe Ravn (2024), is a compelling and engagingly written collection of research projects, or stories, that showcase use of narrative in research. This review, written through the lens of a narrative therapy and community work practitioner-researcher, asks what resonances and points of interest the collection may hold for the narrative therapy and practice research field. Congruent themes highlighted include nuanced ethical caretaking, concern for matters of social justice, bringing forth subordinated knowledge, centering lived experience, paying attention to the politics of representation, and researcher transparency …

Ecological Niches Applied To Socioeconomic Phenomena: The Case Of The Colombian Internal Conflict, Alexander Alegría, Laura Jiménez, Jhon Jairo Alvarado-Quintero

Peace and Conflict Studies

Recent studies of the Colombian conflict have shown that struggle for resource accumulation and territorial control, in a very competitive and violent environment in which the illegal armed groups are involved, is crucial to their survival and development. Here, we applied a highly successful methodology from ecology (Ecological Niche Modelling) to the problem of identifying the ideal socioeconomic conditions for the presence of a Colombian illegal armed group, named the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). We analyzed some determining factors of FARC´s presence and permanence within the Colombian territory that reflect aspects of the socioeconomic dynamics and productive capacity …

Understanding The Transitional Needs Of Servicemembers To Veterans: A Focus On Mental, Social, And Behavioral Health, Marieann C. Raguso

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to fill the gaps on the transitional American veterans’ lived experience using their own voice. The reconstruction of an American Veteran’s identity after transitioning back into civilian life is a process with many challenges. Transitional practices often fail to help veterans to acculturate back into the civilian world. This includes the formulation of identities and associations. There is a lack of consistency in military transitional practices leading to identity loss and the formulation of mental and behavioral disorders. The aim of this study is to examine the lived experiences of veterans who have transitioned back …

Stories Of Mothering: Autoethnography Of Generational Sexual Abuse, Karen D. Barley Dr

The Qualitative Report

Being a mother is both rewarding and challenging and most women seek to be the best mother that they can be. Despite best intentions, many find their ability to ‘mother’ has been tempered by their own mothering. This autoethnography encapsulates a series of vignettes describing poignant and melodic memories of my mother; and explores her neglect and inability to protect me because of sexual abuse in her life. Within my family heritage there has been a craven cycle of abuse that has perpetuated a lineage of multigenerational family sexual violence. This cycle has affected the mothers in my family’s ability …

Collaborative Creative Inquiry: An Arts-Informed Approach To Transdisciplinary Research, Natalia Balyasnikova, Meghan Bruce Kumar, Yecid Ortega, Melanie Wong

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents Collaborative Creative Inquiry (CCI) as innovative arts-informed approach to transdisciplinary research. Moving away from conventional qualitative research paradigms, we adopt a reflexive stance to introduce CCI as a process that challenges static narratives and fosters inclusivity within the research process. Through critical introspection, we describe an iterative five-step CCI approach, elucidating its unique process and methodological underpinnings. Drawing upon vivid personal illustrations, we offer vignettes to illustrate the application of CCI in practice and showcase opportunities for collaborative knowledge generation with co-creation. We conclude by reflecting on insights we gained through our CCI process and inviting others …

The Experience And Identity Interview: Narrative Therapy In Research Interviewing, Janet E. Conti, James T. M. Calder, Rebekah Rankin

The Qualitative Report

In this paper we introduce “The Experience and Identity Interview” (EII) and demonstrate ways that this qualitative research interview can be used to engage participants in talk that scaffolds between their experiences, the meanings they ascribe to these, and their identity (re)negotiations. In doing so, there is scope to generate rich interview data that addresses a range of research questions. Drawing on the paradigm of narrative therapy, the EII generates a collaborative dialogical space wherein both researchers and research participants may co-contribute to the unpacking of normative discourses that shape participants’ usual ways of speaking about their lived experiences, thereby …

Exploring The Incommensurability Of The Interview In Postqualitative Research: A Narrative Practice-Informed Approach, Sarah Strauven

The Qualitative Report

My starting point in this paper is the question of whether the interview, as a method to contribute knowledge, has become incommensurable and thus superfluous within post-qualitative research frameworks. I take seriously the critiques posited by scholars in the field of post-qualitative inquiry and seek to clarify the generative possibilities of aligning interviews with a post-structural paradigm. My incorporation of narrative practices into this exploration not only grounds the discussion in a narrative practice-based methodology but also offers readers practical ideas for addressing the challenges of paradigmatic congruency. This approach signals a methodological innovation, and I propose a practical process …

Narrative Practice Research Network Special Issue Introduction: Qualitative Research Meets Narrative Therapy And Community Work: A Confluence Of Practice And Politics, David Denborough, Claire Nettle, Sally St. George, Dan Wulff

The Qualitative Report

This special issue, a collaboration between The Qualitative Report and the Narrative Practice Research Network, is a rich and diverse collection of papers linking Narrative Therapy/Community Work and qualitative research. In four sections, authors explore narrative practice research innovations, practitioners doing research and influencing practice via Research as Daily Practice, insider knowledge/insider research towards broader social movement politics, and research in service of broader change. The special issue organizers and contributors hope this collection leads to more conversation and collaboration.

Continuing To Become Other: Responding To The Complexities Of The Shifting Subject In Qualitative Research Through A Narrative Therapy Lens, Sarah Penwarden

The Qualitative Report

According to anthropologist Bruner (1987), “stories may have endings, but stories are never over” (p. 17). This notion, of people continuing to tell and retell their life stories to craft preferred ways of living, is a key concept within narrative therapy (Denborough, 2014). However, this concept of the subject whose stories change over time is, at face value, a challenge to the validity of qualitative research data which is seen as enduring over time. Bearing in mind St. Pierre’s (2021) call to continue to reinvent qualitative research in line with the poststructuralist moment, I consider what it might offer qualitative …

Time Travelling With Ron Chenail, Sally St. George, Dan Wulff, And David Denborough: An Interview About Connecting Histories Of Family Therapy, Narrative Therapy And Qualitative Research, David Denborough

The Qualitative Report

Dear Readers, we have a question for you: Do you know about the origins and history of the journals you decide to submit your manuscripts to for publication? We are most pleased to present to you an interview with the three Co-Editors-in-Chief of TQR (Ron Chenail, Sally St. George, and Dan Wulff) and David Denborough of the Dulwich Centre delving into the origins of TQR in the early 1990s. The roots of TQR were intertwined with family therapy authors and practitioners (Tom Andersen, Michael White, and many others) and that continues today. We think that you will find these historical …

Finding Identity Complexity Through Dialogue, Johanna Solomon

Peace and Conflict Studies

Intractable conflicts like the longstanding one between Israel and Palestine have the social psychological effect of exacerbating and enshrining negative inter-group dynamics (Bar-Tal, 2007; 2013). In these conflicts the welfare, status, power, and resources of the in and out-groups can seem directly at odds with each other (Brewer, 2001) leading to dehumanization, violence, and difficulty seeing the other side as potential partners in ending war. Groups affiliated with these conflicts around the world often also find themselves polarized, disconnected, and even threatened by groups on the ‘other side.’ College campuses, cities, and workplaces can become mired in hostilities that interfere …

Heads Above The Parapet: Personal Motivation And Professional Practice Among Northern Ireland's Community Of Grassroots Peace Practitioners, Ann C. Kelleher Dr., Anna Leon-Guerrero Dr., Maureen Hetherington Ceo Retired

Peace and Conflict Studies

Members of the Northern Ireland’s grassroots peace practitioner community have sustained their careers-long dedication to constructive local engagement across the deep historical divide throughout the decades of The Troubles, the post-agreement era, and up to the present. An exploration of their development as individual practitioners and as a community of practice will contribute to our understanding of grassroots level peace-building.

Based on 29 in-depth interviews with Northern Ireland community practitioners we examine why they, with widely differing personalities, capabilities, and backgrounds, came to care deeply about their society, and how their dedication to changing its historical trajectory produced constructive cross-community …

Burnout, Stress And Its Effect On The Use Of Deadly Force, Charles Gutshall

School of Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

Police officers encounter significant occupational stressors that contribute to heightened levels of burnout and stress, potentially influencing their critical decision-making during deadly force encounters. This dissertation investigates the relationship between selfreported perceived stress, burnout, and the frequency of deadly force application among officers in southeastern Florida. Drawing on the Professional Quality of Life Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Restraint in the Use of Deadly Force Scale, survey responses from 202 officers were statistically analyzed using regression and descriptive techniques.

Contrary to initial hypotheses, findings revealed no significant predictive relationship between perceived stress, burnout, and the likelihood of using …