Social and Behavioral Sciences | Open Access Articles

Tidings, Volume 10, Number 4 - Fall 2006, Nova Southeastern University

Tidings: A publication of Nova Southeastern University Libraries

No abstract provided.

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The Scope Of Justice For Muslim Americans: Moral Exclusion In The Aftermath Of 9/11, Chris L.S. Coryn, Catherine Borshuk

The Qualitative Report

The Scope of Justice for Muslim Americans: Moral Exclusion in the Aftermath of 9/11.

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Cadets’ Perceptions Of Gymnastics Instruction For Officer Development, Jeffrey D. Coelho, Lynn R. Fielitz

The Qualitative Report

The United States Military Academy has offered gymnastics instruction since 1838. Gymnastics continues to be an integral component of the physical education curriculum. The purpose of this study was to investigate cadets' perceptions of their experiences in a required gymnastics course using the critical incident technique. Students described experiences in the gymnastics class that they believed had a positive or negative influence on their development as cadets and future Army officers. Key elements of their responses were classified into 16 positively perceived and 11 negatively perceived categories. The top positive categories were confidence, encouragement, fear management, modeling, additional instruction, and …

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Small Business Apparel Retailing In Jamaica: An Exploratory Investigation Into Product Development Processes And Practices, Natalie Johnson-Leslie, Luann R. Gaskill

The Qualitative Report

While the process and practices of retail product development in developed countries have been documented, avoid exists in descriptive analysis regarding retail product development in an international setting. The primary purpose of this study was to explore small business apparel retailing, and specifically the retail product development process and practices in Jamaica. Using the case study approach, five apparel retailers in Jamaica who engaged in retail product development are profiled. In- depth interviews, observations, and documents were used to collect data and results were presented after analysis. The findings revealed that the process of product exclusivity, training of workers, modern …

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Insuring The Uninsured: Reducing The Barriers To Public Insurance, Cynthia M. Saunders

The Qualitative Report

Health insurance is one of the essential enabling resources to gain access to medical care and ultimately increase health status. Over 11 million or one quarter of the nation’s uninsured individuals are eligible for Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), but are not enrolled. Interviews with 368 individuals from 1999 through 2003 identify eight primary barriers to enrollment in public insurance. These include: economic aspects of qualifying, lack of knowledge, benefit design of public programs, poor experiences and stigma, complexity and literacy, immigration status, poor customer service, and fear of fraud. These results suggest policy options alone …

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Linking Research Questions To Mixed Methods Data Analysis Procedures 1, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Nancy L. Leech

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of research questions in mixed methods studies. First, we discuss the ways that the goal of the study, the research objective(s), and the research purpose shape the formation of research questions. Second, we compare and contrast quantitative research questions and qualitative research questions. Third, we describe how to write mixed methods research questions, which we define as questions that embed quantitative and qualitative research questions. Finally, we provide a framework for linking research questions to mixed methods data analysis techniques. A major goal of our framework is to illustrate that …

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Brief Note On The Origins, Evolution, And Meaning Of The Qualitative Research Concept Thick Description, Joseph G. Ponterotto

The Qualitative Report

The origins, cross-disciplinary evolution, and definition of “thick description” are reviewed. Despite its frequent use in the qualitative literature, the concept of “thick description” is often confusing to researchers at all levels. The roots of this confusion are explored and examples of “thick description” are provided. The article closes with guidelines for presenting “thick description” in written reports.

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Focused Group Interviews As An Innovative Quanti- Qualitative Methodology (Qqm ): Integrating Quantitative Elements Into A Qualitative Methodology, Brian J. Grim, Alison H. Harmon, Judy C. Gromis

The Qualitative Report

There is a sharp divide between quantitative and qualitative methodologies in the social sciences. We investigate an innovative way to bridge this gap that incorporates quantitative techniques into a qualitative method, the “quanti-qualitative method” (QQM). Specifically, our research utilized small survey questionnaires and experiment-like activities as part of the question rout e in a series of five focused group interviews on nutrition education. We show how these quantitative-type activities fit naturally with our question route and contributed to testing the hypotheses within the context of the five important characteristics of focused group interviews. The innovative use of QQM in focused …

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Creating And Using Learning Objects In Qualitative Research Education, Ronald J. Chenail, Jennifer L. Spong, Jan Chenail, Michele Liscio, Lenworth G. Mclean, Holly G. Cox, Brenda Shepherd, Nura C. Mowzoon

The Qualitative Report

Based upon the lessons learned and the educational materials generated from a doctoral course on qualitative data analysis, a group of doctoral students, their professor, and a linguistics consultant launched an on- going project to create a series of reusable learning objects designed to help other groups of students and professors learn how to analyze qualitative data. The results of the first six months of this project are shared, as the team describes how they have begun to use instructional design and software applications to create a digital learning environment in the form of a series of activities engineered to …

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Intrusive Music: The Perception Of Everyday Music Explored By Diaries, Helen Gavin

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes research investigating the perception of intrusive music, that is, music heard when choice, volume, and occurrence are not under the control of the participant. Participants were directed to record diary accounts of episodes in which music was played in instances when they were not in control of the decision to play the music or any characteristic of it, and to record various items about the music, together with any effects on themselves. Strong reactions were discovered during thematic analysis- reactions influencing mood, energy, distractibility, desire to stay or return, and intention to purchase. The implications for commercial …

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Conceptual Metaphors As Interpretive Tools In Qualitative Research: A Re-Examination Of College Students’ Diversity Discussions, Bruce Kochis, Diane Gillespie

The Qualitative Report

In this contribution to the growing literature on conceptual metaphor as a fruitful heuristic for qualitative analysis, the authors re-analyzed transcripts of college student discussions of problematic situations involving cultural diversity and interpersonal conflict. The authors show how they identified metaphorical linguistic expressions and from them derived three conceptual metaphors (life is a journey, the problem is a barrier/maze, and the self is divided) that in turn formed patterns or constellations of meanings in students’ problem-solving strategies. As an interpretive tool, conceptual metaphors link certain isolated individual metaphors to these larger patterns of meaning, including ideological frameworks readily available in …

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The Photo Essay: A Visual Research Method For Educating Obstetricians And Other Health Care Professionals, Gwendolyn P. Quinn, Terrance L. Albrecht, Charles Mahan, Bethany A. Bell-Ellison, Tabia Henry Akintobi, Beth Reynolds, Delores Jeffers

The Qualitative Report

When it comes to issues related to low-income women seeking early, adequate, or continuous prenatal ca re, the public health and medical communities continue to tell women to take responsibility for their actions. Rarely are messages aimed at providers. To help physicians see how factors in their offices and clinics can affect service utilization, the photo essay, a visual qualitative research strategy was developed using low- income minority and disenfranchised women who had recently given birth or were near to giving birth. Eight photo essays were completed. Together, the narratives, in collaboration with the photos, provided an opportunity for physicians …

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“The Times They Are A Changing” 1 : Undertaking Qualitative Research In Ambiguous, Conflictual, And Changing Contexts, Lea Kacen, Julia Chaitin

The Qualitative Report

This article explores qualitative research issues that arise when researchers engage in study within their own ambiguous, unstable, conflictual, and rapidly changing society. We explore the topics of the relationship between the researcher and the context, the difficulty in choosing relevant research quest ions under such conditions, and the relevance of generalizing or transferring findings from such contexts to other sites and populations. We present two research cases from the Israeli context: one that demonstrates an external conflict (between Israelis and Palestinians) and one that demonstrates an internal conflict (between Israelis and Israelis), analyzing them according to these three main …

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Goals And Distractions: Explanations Of Early Attrition From Traditional University Freshmen, John L. Rausch, Matthew W. Hamilton

The Qualitative Report

This grounded theory study was designed to investigate the factors that influenced 20 "traditional" university freshmen to withdraw prior to the end of their first year at two Midwestern universities. A two-hour audio- taped interview was conducted with each of the participants, and the grounded theory method was utilized to analyze the interview data. Eighteen of the twenty participants had strong high school GPAs and ACT scores, and would not have been identified as being at-risk for attrition. The grounded theory that emerged from the participants' data indicated that an absence of clear educational goals, as well as individual and …

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Understanding Student Self-Disclosure Typology Through Blogging, Vernon B. Harper, Erika J. Harper

The Qualitative Report

Significant research indicates that student self-disclosure plays an important role in the learning experience and producing positive learning outcomes. Blogging is an increasingly popular web tool that can potentially aid educators by encouraging student self-disclosure. Both content analysis and focus groups were used to assess whether student self-disclosure reveals in descriptive, topical, and evaluative categories. The results indicate that blogging encourages student self-disclosure, and the implications of these findings are also discussed.

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Contextualising The Research Process: Using Interviewer Notes In The Secondary Analysis Of Qualitative Data, John Goodwin, Henrietta O'Connor

The Qualitative Report

In this paper we argue that for the secondary analysis of qualitative data to be effective, researchers need to subject any accompanying interviewer notes to the secondary analysis process. The secondary analysis of interviewer notes can provide important insight into the research process and the attitudes, experiences, and expectations of those collecting the data. Such information is essential if meaningful analyses are to be offered. Using interviewer notes from a little known research project on youth transitions form the 1960s, this paper explores how the interviewers’ experiences of the research process and their perceptions are documented in the interviewer notes.

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Studying Hiv Risk In Vulnerable Communities: Methodological And Reporting Shortcomings In The Young Men’S Study In New York City, Ananya Mukherjea, Salvador Vidal-Oritz

The Qualitative Report

This article considers demographic categories used in the Young Men’s Study on HIV risk for men who have sex with men. We critique oversimplified pan-ethnic categories and the polarization of US racial discourse. We also interrogate the use of certain gender and sexuality markers that produced confusing results in this study. We use a critical standpoint derived from cultural studies to suggest that quantitative and qualitative methods of studying health risks and intimate behaviors in vulnerable populations require reorganization to more accurately represent the lives of members of these groups. Interviews, surveys, and statistics can be crude and lacking in …

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Narratives Of Developing Counsellors’ Preferred Theories Of Counselling Storied Through Text, Metaphor, And Photographic Images, Gina Wong-Wylie

The Qualitative Report

Reflective practice is integral for developing counsellors to maintain self- awareness and to recognize influences upon one’s personal theory of counselling. In this exploratory narrative inquiry research, four doctoral level counselling psychologists participated to uncover “What are the personal stories of developing counsellors and in what ways are lived stories reflective of counsellors' personal theories of counselling?" The researcher employed a butterfly metaphor, and photographs to illustrate lived stories. Dawn, East, Crystal, Sean, and the researcher’s own lived stories elucidated personal counselling theories and approaches. The view that all theories are constructed portraits of theorists' lives is substantiated. A strong …

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Understanding Implicit Texts In Focus Groups From A Systems Psychodynamic Perspective, Brigitte Smit, Frans Cillers

The Qualitative Report

Many researchers have been inquiring into focus groups as a qualitative data collection method (Barbour & Kitzinger 1999; Krueger 1998; Morgan, 1998), but only a few have been able to analyse the different levels of understanding in focus groups, which we focus on in this article. The guiding research question is how do focus groups offer deeper levels of understandings from a systems psychodynamic perspective. Research participants were purposively sample d using maximum variation (Patton 2002). Data were collected during the focus group, and group data were analysed during data gathering. Meaning making and interpretation of data was done from …

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Ring Of Silence: African American Women’S Experiences Related To Their Breasts And Breast Cancer Screening, Eileen Thomas

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to explore women’s memories and feelings concerning their breasts and breast cancer screening experiences in relation to their current breast cancer screening behaviors. Twelve African American women shared stories that were generated in written narratives and individual interviews. Two core themes emerged from the data analysis: silence and societal contradictions. On further review and interpretation of the core themes, one integrative theme became apparent: Ring of silence. Contradictory messages women receive from society, both voiced and unvoiced, can have a long- term effect on how some women perceive their bodies, and how they value …

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Lived Experience Of Women Suffering From Vitiligo: A Phenomenological Study, Leili Borimnejad, Zohreh Parsa Yekta, Alireza Nikbakht Nasrabadi

The Qualitative Report

Vitiligo is a chronic skin disease, which through change of appearance and body image, exerts a devastating effect on people, especially women. The objective of this study is to explore lived experience of women with Vitiligo by the hermeneutic phenomenology method. The purposive sample consisted of 16 Iranian women. Data analysis followed Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner (1989). The results showed four main themes: (1) Perceiving myself in a different light; (2) Vitiligo: Worry about others’ perceptions; (3) Vitiligo, Being influenced by cultural beliefs; and (4) Accepting and fighting the disease; Variations in experiences of living with Vitiligo. The women affected …

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Culture, Rhetoric, And Reconciliation: The Place Of Language In The Northern Irish Conflict And Peace Process (1998-2002), Jennifer Dougherty

Peace and Conflict Studies

Alterations in public discourse towards multiculturalism, reconciliation and liberal democracy at the national level in Northern Ireland are evident from 1998 - 2002, but to what end? To what extent did language play a positive role in the Northern Ireland peace process? Recognizing that language does not tell the whole story of the Northern Irish experience of the Troubles or current peace process, the author highlights how language, as a transmitter and constitutor of culture, has played a role as a signifier of potential conflict, peace and progress (or lack thereof). In particular, the author considers several texts including excerpts …

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Supranational Networks: States And Firms, Alvin W. Wolfe

Peace and Conflict Studies

The nation-state systems that seem to dominate the global landscape are not necessarily the pinnacle of evolution. A conglomeration of interacting factors spelled doom for the traditional colonialism of previous centuries while providing an ideal environment for multinational firms operating above the level of nation-states to play an important role in the generation of a new politico-socio-economic system better described by network models than by ordinary political models. Previously existing units and subunits, in the course of adjustment and adaptation to changing circumstances, change their relations with one another and are, sometimes, newly integrated in a novel manner such that …

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Assessing Past Strategies For Countering Terrorism, In Lebanon And By Libya, Louis Kriesberg

Peace and Conflict Studies

American strategies to deal with terrorist attacks against Americans in Lebanon in the 1980s and by Libya since the beginning of the 1980s are examined. The consequences of the various strategies employed by U.S. government officials over time and the strategies employed by American non-governmental actors and by international organizations are compared. In addition, alternative strategies that might plausibly have been employed are also discussed. Official actions that relied largely on military methods and were conducted unilaterally tended to be less effective, even counterproductive, compared to actions that were multilateral and relied significantly on diplomatic approaches, often aided by intermediaries.

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Rudolf The Haitian Reindeer And Other Heroes: Helping Children Perform Change, Anne Hearon Rambo, Nathalie Duque Bello, Maud Pasquet

Peace and Conflict Studies

A meta analysis of studies concerning youth violence suggests that when children see themselves and are seen by surrounding adults as positive, prosocial leaders, they are less likely to become involved in bullying either as bullies or as victims (1). MFT’s have recently been encouraged to work more directly with children (2) and to adapt their service delivery methods to the needs of clients (3). The authors worked directly with 122 children in their community settings, involving parents and school officials as an encouraging audience (4) to the children’s new views of themselves. 90% of preteen girls (ages 9 to …

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Volume 13, Number 1 (Spring 2006), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

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Conflict Mediation And Culture: Lessons From The Gambia, Mark Davidheiser

Peace and Conflict Studies

The issue of cultural variation in conflict mediation has attracted considerable interest, probably because of wide-ranging theoretical, methodological, and ethical implications. Scholars are raising increasing questions about both generic theories of the mediation process and past conceptualizations of the culture construct. This article reviews theoretical perspectives on culture and conflict mediation and discusses them in relation to fieldwork conducted in the Gambia among three ethnolinguistic groups. Some local and cross-cultural patterns in the mediation process were found. These patterns are associated with variables such as ethnicity, gender, and social status. However, comparative analysis on the individual level revealed considerable diversity …

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A Necessary Evil: The Experiences Of Managers Implementing Downsizing Programmes, Ernesto Noronha, Premilla D'Cruz

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological study, which describes the experiences of human resource (HR) managers implementing a downsizing programme in a steel manufacturing organisation in India. Data were collected through conversational interviews. Following van Manens sententious analytic approach, the core theme of a necessary evil, emerged, which indicates that while participants were pained by their task of having to terminate workers and deprive them of their livelihood, they believed that they had no choice in the matter if they had to ensure the competitive position of the organisation and their own survival as employees. The findings of …

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Low Self-Esteem Of Psychotherapy Patients: A Qualitative Inquiry, Jacob D. Van Zyl, Elsje M. Cronjé, Catharine Payze

The Qualitative Report

In this article the story of 11 male psychotherapeutic patients with low self- esteem is told within the context of the research process. The literature suggests that the concept of “self-esteem” has a significant influence on the way an individual experiences his/her world. Therefore, the meaning that the psychotherapeutic patients associated with negative and positive labels, as it relates to self-esteem, was examined using grounded theory. The main storyline is conceptualized as follows; negative suggestion from the patient’s past leads to low self-esteem which is, within his emotional problematics and by means of a negative thinking scheme, unhealthily handled. Therapy …

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Post Modern Image-Based Research: An Innovative Data Collection Method For Illuminating Preservice Teachers’ Developing Perceptions In Field-Based Courses, Janet C. Richards

The Qualitative Report

As part of course requirements twenty -eight preservice teachers in a field- based content reading course create d a series of se lf-portraits that illustrated their concerns and perceptions about teaching content reading. They accompanied their drawings with dialogue. Analysis of the portraits indicates that arts-based techniques have the potential to provide insights about preservice teachers’ perceived realities and understandings that narrative data alone might not reveal. The preservice teachers experienced high levels of stress as they prepared to teach their first lesson and their anxieties continued pas t mid-semester. By the end of the course the majority developed confidence …

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Tidings, Volume 10, Number 4 - Fall 2006, Nova Southeastern University

Tidings: A publication of Nova Southeastern University Libraries

The Scope Of Justice For Muslim Americans: Moral Exclusion In The Aftermath Of 9/11, Chris L.S. Coryn, Catherine Borshuk

The Qualitative Report

Cadets’ Perceptions Of Gymnastics Instruction For Officer Development, Jeffrey D. Coelho, Lynn R. Fielitz

The Qualitative Report

Small Business Apparel Retailing In Jamaica: An Exploratory Investigation Into Product Development Processes And Practices, Natalie Johnson-Leslie, Luann R. Gaskill

The Qualitative Report

Insuring The Uninsured: Reducing The Barriers To Public Insurance, Cynthia M. Saunders

The Qualitative Report

Linking Research Questions To Mixed Methods Data Analysis Procedures 1, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Nancy L. Leech

The Qualitative Report

Brief Note On The Origins, Evolution, And Meaning Of The Qualitative Research Concept Thick Description, Joseph G. Ponterotto

The Qualitative Report

Focused Group Interviews As An Innovative Quanti- Qualitative Methodology (Qqm ): Integrating Quantitative Elements Into A Qualitative Methodology, Brian J. Grim, Alison H. Harmon, Judy C. Gromis

The Qualitative Report

Creating And Using Learning Objects In Qualitative Research Education, Ronald J. Chenail, Jennifer L. Spong, Jan Chenail, Michele Liscio, Lenworth G. Mclean, Holly G. Cox, Brenda Shepherd, Nura C. Mowzoon

The Qualitative Report

Intrusive Music: The Perception Of Everyday Music Explored By Diaries, Helen Gavin

The Qualitative Report

Conceptual Metaphors As Interpretive Tools In Qualitative Research: A Re-Examination Of College Students’ Diversity Discussions, Bruce Kochis, Diane Gillespie

The Qualitative Report

The Photo Essay: A Visual Research Method For Educating Obstetricians And Other Health Care Professionals, Gwendolyn P. Quinn, Terrance L. Albrecht, Charles Mahan, Bethany A. Bell-Ellison, Tabia Henry Akintobi, Beth Reynolds, Delores Jeffers

The Qualitative Report

“The Times They Are A Changing” 1 : Undertaking Qualitative Research In Ambiguous, Conflictual, And Changing Contexts, Lea Kacen, Julia Chaitin

The Qualitative Report

Goals And Distractions: Explanations Of Early Attrition From Traditional University Freshmen, John L. Rausch, Matthew W. Hamilton

The Qualitative Report

Understanding Student Self-Disclosure Typology Through Blogging, Vernon B. Harper, Erika J. Harper

The Qualitative Report

Contextualising The Research Process: Using Interviewer Notes In The Secondary Analysis Of Qualitative Data, John Goodwin, Henrietta O'Connor

The Qualitative Report

Studying Hiv Risk In Vulnerable Communities: Methodological And Reporting Shortcomings In The Young Men’S Study In New York City, Ananya Mukherjea, Salvador Vidal-Oritz

The Qualitative Report

Narratives Of Developing Counsellors’ Preferred Theories Of Counselling Storied Through Text, Metaphor, And Photographic Images, Gina Wong-Wylie

The Qualitative Report

Understanding Implicit Texts In Focus Groups From A Systems Psychodynamic Perspective, Brigitte Smit, Frans Cillers

The Qualitative Report

Ring Of Silence: African American Women’S Experiences Related To Their Breasts And Breast Cancer Screening, Eileen Thomas

The Qualitative Report

Lived Experience Of Women Suffering From Vitiligo: A Phenomenological Study, Leili Borimnejad, Zohreh Parsa Yekta, Alireza Nikbakht Nasrabadi

The Qualitative Report

Culture, Rhetoric, And Reconciliation: The Place Of Language In The Northern Irish Conflict And Peace Process (1998-2002), Jennifer Dougherty

Peace and Conflict Studies

Supranational Networks: States And Firms, Alvin W. Wolfe

Peace and Conflict Studies

Assessing Past Strategies For Countering Terrorism, In Lebanon And By Libya, Louis Kriesberg

Peace and Conflict Studies

Rudolf The Haitian Reindeer And Other Heroes: Helping Children Perform Change, Anne Hearon Rambo, Nathalie Duque Bello, Maud Pasquet

Peace and Conflict Studies

Volume 13, Number 1 (Spring 2006), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

Conflict Mediation And Culture: Lessons From The Gambia, Mark Davidheiser

Peace and Conflict Studies

A Necessary Evil: The Experiences Of Managers Implementing Downsizing Programmes, Ernesto Noronha, Premilla D'Cruz

The Qualitative Report

Low Self-Esteem Of Psychotherapy Patients: A Qualitative Inquiry, Jacob D. Van Zyl, Elsje M. Cronjé, Catharine Payze

The Qualitative Report

Post Modern Image-Based Research: An Innovative Data Collection Method For Illuminating Preservice Teachers’ Developing Perceptions In Field-Based Courses, Janet C. Richards

The Qualitative Report