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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

“I Just See All Children As Children”: Teachers’ Perceptions About Inclusion, Jane M. Leatherman Dec 2007

“I Just See All Children As Children”: Teachers’ Perceptions About Inclusion, Jane M. Leatherman

The Qualitative Report

This narrative study examined teachers’ perceptions of their inclusive classrooms. Eight early childhood teachers responded to open-ended interview questions about their experiences teaching children with and without disabilities in the same classroom environment. The social constructivist view of teaching and learning is highlighted as the teachers construct their knowledge of inclusion and how it meets the needs of children with disabilities in the inclusive environment. The following themes emerged from interview analysis: the inclusive classroom is a great place for children, the teacher needs additional education, the teacher needs support from administrators and to be included in decisions about the …


The Voice Transcription Technique: Use Of Voice Recognition Software To Transcribe Digital Interview Data In Qualitative Research, Jennifer L. Matheson Dec 2007

The Voice Transcription Technique: Use Of Voice Recognition Software To Transcribe Digital Interview Data In Qualitative Research, Jennifer L. Matheson

The Qualitative Report

Transcribing interview data is a time-consuming task that most qualitative researchers dislike. Transcribing is even more difficult for people with physical limitations because traditional transcribing requires manual dexterity and the ability to sit at a computer for long stretches of time. Researchers have begun to explore using an automated transcription process using digital recordings and voice recognition software (VRS). While VRS has improved in recent years, it is not yet available to the general public in a format that can recognize more than one recorded voice. This article outlines a strategy used to circumvent this problem and improve the speed …


Linguistic Research Strategies Versus Quantitative Research Strategies--Different Roles, Different Results, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer Dec 2007

Linguistic Research Strategies Versus Quantitative Research Strategies--Different Roles, Different Results, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer

The Qualitative Report

Selecting a statistical framework for a behavioral study has profoundly different results than does a linguistically framed research strategy. The linguistic strategy overcomes many limitations inherent in statistical strategies and offers more meaningful results. Inferential statistical studies often discuss how the findings “explain” the results of the study. Seldom mentioned is the fact that statistical explanations occur in terms of the framework of statistical methodology. Statistical explanations do not explain anything in terms of the actual behavior at issue and do not lead to subsequent interventions about the motivated choices for a target group. Linguistic strategies work especially well if …


Letting Go Of Data In Aboriginal Australia: Ethnography On “Rubber Time", Sara Stevens Zur Dec 2007

Letting Go Of Data In Aboriginal Australia: Ethnography On “Rubber Time", Sara Stevens Zur

The Qualitative Report

While attempting to investigate modes of musical transmission among the Yol ŋ u People in Northeast Arnhem Land Australia, questions regarding the meaning of the word “research” led to the decisive abandonment of data collection. Specifically, the processes of observation, recording, and other typical Western means of genera ting data seemed to be in direct opposition to the way knowledge was traditionally shared. The author critically examines her multiple attempts at conducting this research, and discusses why eventually giving up on the research led to a more profound understanding.


Entre La Ra Ź On Y La Pasión: La Intimidad Sexual En Parejas Heterosexuales Ante La Empresa Preventiva Del Vih/Sida, Domingo J. Marqués Reyes, Sheilla Rodríguez Madera, Leida Matías Carrelo Dec 2007

Entre La Ra Ź On Y La Pasión: La Intimidad Sexual En Parejas Heterosexuales Ante La Empresa Preventiva Del Vih/Sida, Domingo J. Marqués Reyes, Sheilla Rodríguez Madera, Leida Matías Carrelo

The Qualitative Report

This article establishes heterosexual relationships as spaces out of control and, from Foucault’s view of power, positions them as answer to the discourses generated by society to control sexuality. This qualitative study included 20 Puerto Rican couples (11 seroconcordant and 9 serodiscordant) with the objective of identifying variables related to relationship satisfaction with sexual intimacy among women living with HIV/AIDS. Results evidence how in many instances sexual relations are, in fact, moments where passion precedes reason. By involving in high risk behavior, they ignore the preventive enterprise, distance themselves from reason and imposing passion. We come to conclusions about social …


Minority Students’ Perspectives On Chemistry In An Alternative High School, Renee Peterson-Beeton Dec 2007

Minority Students’ Perspectives On Chemistry In An Alternative High School, Renee Peterson-Beeton

The Qualitative Report

Latinas/os form the largest minority group in the U.S. and they are growing more rapidly than any other ethnic group in this country. However, the number of Latinas/os in chemistry is not proportional to their population; they are noticeably absent from the physical science fields. Little research has explored the circumstances that Latino students encounter in high school chemistry. In this exploratory study, four Mexican American students and one Native American student were interviewed and observed in a physical science class at an alternative school that enrolled predominantly Latino students. Five underlying themes were found: negative perceptions of science, benefits …


Making Meaning Of Graduate Students’ And Preservice Teachers’ E-Mail Communication In A Community Of Practice, Janet C. Richards, Susan V. Bennett, Kim T. Shea Dec 2007

Making Meaning Of Graduate Students’ And Preservice Teachers’ E-Mail Communication In A Community Of Practice, Janet C. Richards, Susan V. Bennett, Kim T. Shea

The Qualitative Report

This inquiry examined graduate students ’ and preservice teachers’ e-mail communication as they made decisions about supporting the instructional needs of children at-risk in a community of practice summer literacy camp. The correspondence gradually evolved from impersonal to interpersonal communication over a ten-week time span, and influenced the preservice teachers’ responses. S even themes were identified in the graduate students’ messages that ranged from questioning and complaining to promoting collaboration. The study illuminates the developmental stages of interpersonal relationships and demonstrates the reciprocal nature of interactive dialogue through the medium of e-mail communication. Conclusions are that long-term e-mail exchanges can …


Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of Asynchronous Online Discussion On Blackboard, Hsin-Te Yeh, Maria Lahman Dec 2007

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of Asynchronous Online Discussion On Blackboard, Hsin-Te Yeh, Maria Lahman

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand students’ perceptions of using asynchronous on line discussion as a learning tool. Six pre-service teachers who took a course in educational technology applications for secondary grades at a Rocky Mountain region mid-sized university were selected to be interviewed. Phenomenological data analysis was used to analyze the interview data. The interviewees’ perceptions of the asynchronous on line discussions centered around purposes, group size, tools for learning, advantages/disadvantages, and the instructor’s role. The findings of this study provide instructors with helpful information on how students perceive asynchronous online discussion and also provide instructors …


Using Hermeneutic Phenomenology To Investigate How Experienced Practitioners Lear N To Communicate Clinical Reasoning, Rola Ajjawi, Joy Higgs Dec 2007

Using Hermeneutic Phenomenology To Investigate How Experienced Practitioners Lear N To Communicate Clinical Reasoning, Rola Ajjawi, Joy Higgs

The Qualitative Report

This paper is primarily targeted at doctoral students and other researchers considering using hermeneutic phenomenology as a research strategy. We present interpretive paradigm research designed to investigate how experienced practitioners learn to communicate their clinical reasoning in professional practice. Twelve experienced physiotherapy practitioners participated in this research. Using hermeneutic phenomenology enabled access to a phenomenon that is often subconscious and provided a means of interpreting participants’ experiences of personal learning journeys. Within the philosophy underpinning hermeneutic phenomenology , researchers need to design a research strategy that flows directly from the research question and goals of the research project. This paper …


Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall, Brad Howey Dec 2007

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall, Brad Howey

The Qualitative Report

No abstract provided.


Linguistic Alternatives To Quantitative Research Strategies Part One: How Linguistic Mechanisms Advance Research, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer Sep 2007

Linguistic Alternatives To Quantitative Research Strategies Part One: How Linguistic Mechanisms Advance Research, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer

The Qualitative Report

Combining psycholinguistic technologies and systems analysis created advances in motivational profiling and numerous new behavioral engineering applications. These advances leapfrog many mainstream statistical research methods, producing superior research results via cause-effect language mechanisms. Entire industries explore motives ranging from opinion polling to persuasive marketing campaigns, and individual psychotherapy to executive performance coaching. Qualitative research tools such as questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups are now transforming static language data into dynamic linguistic systems measurement technology. Motivational mechanisms, especially linguistic mechanisms, allow specific changes within a motive’s operations. This includes both the choices the intervention creates and its end-goal. Predictable behavior changes …


Using Grounded Theory To Understand Resiliency In Pre-Teen Children Of High-Conflict Families, Marlene Pomrenke Sep 2007

Using Grounded Theory To Understand Resiliency In Pre-Teen Children Of High-Conflict Families, Marlene Pomrenke

The Qualitative Report

Using grounded theory, this study identified factors that contributed to children’s ability to utilize their resilient attributes. Children between the ages of 9 and 12 from high-conflict separated or divorced families participated in a study that examined how family and community interactions promote resilient behaviour. Substantive-level theory gained from this study yielded that children from separated or divorced, high- conflict families exhibit resilient characteristics when family cohesion is used to incorporate additional family support systems, particularly step- parents and extended family members. External support systems, particularly peers, augment these resilient characteristics. In order to build resilience in pre-teen children parents …


Laughing With And At Patients : The Roles Of Laughter In Confrontations In Addiction Group Therapy, Ilkka Arminen, Mia Halonen Sep 2007

Laughing With And At Patients : The Roles Of Laughter In Confrontations In Addiction Group Therapy, Ilkka Arminen, Mia Halonen

The Qualitative Report

In Minnesota treatment, the therapists aim at breaking clients' denial to encourage them to accept their addiction. However, the confrontation is risky since, instead of making the patient ready for a change, it may strengthen resistance against the diagnosis of addiction and the treatment recommendations. We will explore the role of laughter in confrontational practices. The study is based on conversation analysis of group therapy sessions in an inpatient addiction treatment clinic in Finland (7.5 hours of data altogether). The laughter prevails in three different kinds of practice: laughing off the troubles, strengthening the confrontation by laughing at the patient, …


Linguistic Mechanisms Cause Rapid Behavior Change Part Two: How Linguistic Frames Affect Motivation, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer Sep 2007

Linguistic Mechanisms Cause Rapid Behavior Change Part Two: How Linguistic Frames Affect Motivation, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer

The Qualitative Report

Written and spoken language contains inherent mechanisms driving motivation. Accessing and modifying psycholinguistic mechanisms, links language frames to changes in behavior within the context of motivational profiling. For example, holding an object like an imported apple feels safe until one is informed it was grown in a toxic waste dump. Instantly linguistic processing changes the apple’s meaning to dangerous. Qualitative data change from static into dynamic measures of motivational changes. Linguistic cause-effect mechanisms dramatically enhance the results and meaning of qualitative research methods, resulting new applications for behavioral engineering, including opinion polling, persuasive marketing campaigns, individual psychotherapy and executive performance …


Social Support In Elderly Nursing Home Populations: Manifestations And Influences, Elizabeth M. Rash Sep 2007

Social Support In Elderly Nursing Home Populations: Manifestations And Influences, Elizabeth M. Rash

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of social support and the influencing factors on social support in nursing home environments. Observations and staff questionnaires from two central Florida nursing homes were used in this grounded theory study to answer the following questions: (1) How is social support manifested? and (2) What are influences on social support? Social support manifestations seemed predominantly superficial and did not appear to involve complex reciprocal relationships, however, when reciprocal resident tasks were observed, they appeared to have significant value and were sources of pride for the residents. Facility behaviors and policies …


The Construction Of Ethnic Identity Of Balkan Muslim Immigrants: A Narrativization Of Personal Experiences, Maya Miskovic Sep 2007

The Construction Of Ethnic Identity Of Balkan Muslim Immigrants: A Narrativization Of Personal Experiences, Maya Miskovic

The Qualitative Report

This paper explores the construction of ethnic identity in the first generation of Balkan Muslim immigrants now living in the Chicago metropolitan area, with the aim of showing the intricacy of global events (civil wars in the homeland and war on terror in the host society) and local contexts (meaning- making occurring during the interviews). In-depth interviews conducted with three men were treated as a series of narratives in order to emphasize the importance of personal meaning-making. With awareness that “Muslim” can denote various subjectivities, this paper proposes research that theorizes the constant shift of identities, the interplay between ascribed …


Making Use Of Bilingual Interview Data: Some Experiences From The Field, Nelofer Halai Sep 2007

Making Use Of Bilingual Interview Data: Some Experiences From The Field, Nelofer Halai

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes the challenges faced, and rules devised, while dealing with bilingual interview data as part of a life history study of a female science teacher’s conceptions of the nature of science while teaching in a school in Karachi. The interview data generated was both in Urdu and English, which underwent a number of processes (transcription, translation, and transliteration) to evolve into “interim texts,” to finally become a part of the data analysis process. I have called these translated materials “transmuted texts,” as they reflect the original, but have been recreated. This paper is significant because as globalization connects …


The Interplay Of “Big Five ” Personality Factors And Metaphorical Schemas: A Pilot Study With 20 Lung Transplant Recipients, Lutz Goetzman, Karin S. Moser, Esther Vetsch, Erhard Grieder, Richard Klaghofer, Rahel Naef, Erich W. Russi, Annette Boehler, Claus Buddeberg Sep 2007

The Interplay Of “Big Five ” Personality Factors And Metaphorical Schemas: A Pilot Study With 20 Lung Transplant Recipients, Lutz Goetzman, Karin S. Moser, Esther Vetsch, Erhard Grieder, Richard Klaghofer, Rahel Naef, Erich W. Russi, Annette Boehler, Claus Buddeberg

The Qualitative Report

The Qualitative Report Volume 12 Number 3 September 2007 397-413 http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR12-3/goetzmann.pdf The Interplay of “Big Five ” Personality Factors and Metaphorical Schemas: A Pilot Study with 20 Lung Transplant Recipients Lutz Goetzmann University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Karin S. Moser Roehampton University, London Esther Vetsch, Erhard Grieder, Richard Klaghofer, Rahel Naef, Erich W. Russi, Annette Boehler, and Claus Buddeberg University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland The aim of the present study was to investigate the interplay between personality factors and metaphorical schemas. The “Big Five” personality factors of 20 patients after lung transplantation were examined with the NEO-FFI. Patients were questioned …


Hybrid Chronicles: Biracial And Biethnic Perspectives On The Pedagogy Of Unlearning Racism, Stéphanie Wahab, Sunshine T. Gibson Sep 2007

Hybrid Chronicles: Biracial And Biethnic Perspectives On The Pedagogy Of Unlearning Racism, Stéphanie Wahab, Sunshine T. Gibson

The Qualitative Report

This article details an autoethnography project of our odysseys into the pedagogy of unlearning racism. Our know ledge creation process forced us to re-envision both our locations in, and pedagogy of, anti-racism work, with particular attention to the challenges and dangers of teaching about, to, and from White privilege within social work. In the end, we are both troubled and invigorated by what we experienced, witnessed, and supported. By asking people of color to share their personal narratives of racism in the presence of Whites, teachers, facilitators, and diversity trainers stand to continue privileging Whiteness where Whites benefit and learn …


Using Qualitative Methods To Inform Scale Development, Noell Rowan, Dan Wulff Sep 2007

Using Qualitative Methods To Inform Scale Development, Noell Rowan, Dan Wulff

The Qualitative Report

This article describes the process by which one study utilized qualitative methods to create items for a multi dimensional scale to measure twelve step program affiliation. The process included interviewing fourteen addicted persons while in twelve step focused treatment about specific “pros” (things they like or would miss out on by not being involved in twelve-step programs) and “cons” (things they dislike or would benefit from if they did not engage in twelve-step programs). The triangular process used in qualitative research is described, which generated items for the subsequent instrument to measure ambivalence toward recovery programs. Mixed-method strategies included qualitative …


Mixing Research Methods In Health Professional Degrees: Thoughts For Undergraduate Students And Supervisors, Sophie Anaf, Lorraine A. Sheppard Jun 2007

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 …


Implementing A Critically Quasi-Ethnographic Approach, Lisa Murtagh Jun 2007

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.


Action Research As A Qualitative Research Approach In Inter- Professional Education: The Quipped Approach, Margo Paterson, Jennifer M. Medves, Christine Chapman, Sarita Verma, Teresa Broers, Cori Schroder Jun 2007

Action Research As A Qualitative Research Approach In Inter- Professional Education: The Quipped Approach, Margo Paterson, Jennifer M. Medves, Christine Chapman, Sarita Verma, Teresa Broers, Cori Schroder

The Qualitative Report

The Canadian government supports the transformation of education for health care providers based on the recognized need for an inter- professional collaborative approach to care . This first paper in a series of papers demonstrates the credibility of an action research approach for the promotion and understanding of inter- professional education (IPE). Located in the critical paradigm, this action research project is concerned with creating an educational environment that enhances the ability of learners and educators to provide patient-centred care through inter- professional collaboration. The QUIPPED project has invited various stakeholders (faculty an d learners from various disciplines, consumers of …


Sampling Designs In Qualitative Research: Making The Sampling Process More Public, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Nancy L. Leech Jun 2007

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 …


Reconciling Dichotomous Demands: Telemarketing Agents In Bangalore And Mumbai, India, Ernesto Noronha, Premilla D'Cruz Jun 2007

Reconciling Dichotomous Demands: Telemarketing Agents In Bangalore And Mumbai, India, Ernesto Noronha, Premilla D'Cruz

The Qualitative Report

Though outsourcing has created enormous employment potential in India’s information technology enabled services/business process outsourcing (ITES/BPO) sector, the implications for employees remain to be understood. The present paper describes employee experiences in telemarketing outbound call centers in Bangalore and Mumbai, India. Following van Manen’s (1998) hermeneutic phenomenological approach, data were collected through unstructured conversational interviews with 18 telemarketing agents identified vi a snowball sampling and were subject to holistic and sententious thematic analyses. Reconciling dichotomous experiences at work was the label used to capture participants’ core experiences and indicated that while participants’ simultaneous positive and negative experiences contributed to a …


Research, Narrative And Fiction: Conference Story, Jonathan Wyatt Jun 2007

Research, Narrative And Fiction: Conference Story, Jonathan Wyatt

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the discussion concerning the value and validity of fiction, and arts-based approaches more broadly, as research. I offer this contribution through a narrative: Conference Story. The narrative involves its characters, in an Oxford pub, debating the merits and otherwise of Peter Clough’s (2002) book, Narratives and Fictions in Educational Research. The form, fictional narrative, performs and personifies this discussion. The article considers Clough’s purposes in undertaking and presenting his research in this form, the philosophical position(s) that underpin(s) it, the extent to which his narratives are indeed research, and how such …


A Hierarchy Of Medicine: Health Strategies Of Elder Khmer Refugees In The United States, Denise C. Lewis Jun 2007

A Hierarchy Of Medicine: Health Strategies Of Elder Khmer Refugees In The United States, Denise C. Lewis

The Qualitative Report

This study addresses ways Khmer refugee elders utilize traditional herbal medicine with Western biomedicine in the treatment and prevention of illnesses. Methods include semi-structured and informal interviews with elders and family members, semi-structured interviews with local health care providers and Khmer physicians, and participant observation of everyday life and actions specific to health beliefs and behaviors. Data reveal a reliance on traditional medical ideology for understanding and treating illnesses. Utilizing a traditional ideology, Khmer elders rely heavily on traditional treatments and use Western biomedicine as supplements or adjuncts to traditional preventive and curative practices. This research has important implications for …


First-Year Teachers And Induction Support: Ups, Downs, And In-Betweens, Sara Winstead Fry Jun 2007

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 Jun 2007

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 …


Two Autoethnographies: A Search For Understanding Of Gender And Age, Joann Franklin Klinker, Reese H. Todd Jun 2007

Two Autoethnographies: A Search For Understanding Of Gender And Age, Joann Franklin Klinker, Reese H. Todd

The Qualitative Report

The authors describe a project that illustrates the use of autoethnography as a research methodology to better understand their decisions to become professors. Strangers to one another, both authors discovered common motivations to make mid-life changes in opposition to cultural expectations. A review of the literature on epidemic theory, creativity, the women’s movement, role change, and life stage theory offer insight into the experiences that motivated them to reject their traditional cultural roles. Both also found a shared un willingness to accept invisibility, a common aspect of life for women over 40.