Social Statistics Commons^™

Femininity, Masculinity, And Body Image Issues Among College-Age Women: An In-Depth And Written Interview Study Of The Mind-Body Dichotomy, Patricia Leavy, Andrea Gnong, Lauren Sardi Ross

The Qualitative Report

In this article we investigate college-age womens body image issues in the context of dominant femininity and its polarization of the mind and body. We use original data collected through seven in-depth interviews and 32 qualitative written interviews with college-age women and men. We coded the data thematically applying feminist approaches to the analysis. We conclude that the current standard of femininity disproportionately associates womens worth with their bodies. Differing from literature that suggests femininity is associated with physicality and masculinity is not, our research suggests that masculinity is also partly associated with physicality, but in a way that is …

The Experience Of Gifted Girls Transitioning From Elementary School To Sixth And Seventh Grade: A Grounded Theory, Jennifer L. Pepperell, Deborah J. Rubel

The Qualitative Report

This research explored the experiences of gifted girls transitioning from elementary school to sixth and seventh grade. The current literature indicates that gifted girls often struggle emotionally during this transition. Seven research participants were selected and interviewed over a four-month period. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyze data, generate subsequent interview questions, and build theory. This study indicated that these gifted girls transition was facilitated by their strong identities, which enabled them to balance their social and academic lives. Their strong identities allowed them to choose strategies that helped them build connections with both gifted and nongifted peers. These …

A Process Of Becoming: In Favour Of A Reflexive Narrative Approach, Ellyn Lyle

The Qualitative Report

As both researcher and practitioner, or in service educator, I often resist situating myself within one discrete tradition. For this reason, I turn to narrative as an approach to understanding. I believe employing narrative allows me to draw from a cross-section of scholarly work including reflexive inquiry, critical analysis, and autoethnography. Often qualified as a method or a tool of inquiry, the narrative approach is rarely examined for its epistemological underpinnings. Thus, A Process of Becoming refers to both the promotion of a methodological approach to knowing in social science and to the medium through which practitioners can become better …

Characteristics Of Home: Perspectives Of Women Who Are Homeless, Christine A. Walsh, Gayle E. Rutherford, Natasha Kuzmak

The Qualitative Report

We employed participatory, community-based research methods to explore the perceptions of home among women who are homeless. Twenty women engaged in one or more techniques including qualitative interviews, digital story telling, creative writing, photovoice, and design charrette to characterize their perceptions of home. Analysis of the data revealed themes related to the physical, affective, and external environment. By understanding how participants perceive home and the qualities they deem necessary for home, we can begin to construct home from both a service and design perspective that meets womens needs for stable, safe housing and home, and also gain a better understanding …

Reflections On The Local And The Global In Psychology: Innovation, Liberation And Testimonio*, Terri M. Baker

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents some reflections on the process of creating research, from the point of view of a psychologist working in an academic environment in a developing country which is undergoing social transformation. It explores some tensions between global and local concerns in research, and reflects on the relation between research, art, narration, and the person of the researcher. The ideas presented are based on the personal reflections of the author after developing a methodology for a qualitative research project. The aim is to open up areas of inquiry into the process of constructing research, rather than providing final answers, …

The Lived Experience Of Nurses Working With Student Nurses In The Clinical Environment, Donna Hathorn, Krisanna Machtmes, Ken Tillman

The Qualitative Report

One response to the nursing shortage is to increase promotion and retention in nursing programs: However, negative attitudes of nurses threaten student progression and retention. A phenomenological study explored the lived experience of nurses who worked with student nurses to discover what attitudes nurses had toward student nurses and how negative attitudes were developed. One time semi-structured informal audio taped interviews were conducted with six nurses. Data analysis identified the emerging themes as professional socialization attitudes, beliefs about nursing education, role expectations, and motivational deterrent, and communication factors. Findings suggest collaborative strategies to reduce negative attitudes and promote positive, professional …

Social And Virtual Networks: Evaluating Synchronous Online Interviewing Using Instant Messenger, Vanessa Hinchcliffe, Helen Gavin

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes an evaluation of the quality and utility of synchronous online interviewing for data collection in social network research. Synchronous online interviews facilitated by Instant Messenger as the communication medium, were undertaken with ten final year university students. Quantitative and qualitative content analysis of respondent and researcher evaluation of the quality and utility of IM indicated that IM was an integral part of student university life and also an excellent and innovative communication platform; a potential advancement for research interviewing. IM was subsequently compared with face-to-face communication in terms of gains and losses for research interviewing. The efficacy …

On Being Degraded In Public Space: An Autoethnography, Todd A. Schoepflin

The Qualitative Report

In the form of an autoethnography, the author analyzes a violent attack he suffered in public and discusses how the incident relates to a degradation ceremony. The author explains why the incident did not meet the required conditions of a successful degradation ceremony and defines a concept called degradation incident. Like a degradation ceremony, a person who experiences a degradation incident is perceived by the public as lower in the local scheme of social types. Unlike a degradation ceremony, transformation of ones total identity is not a required outcome of a degradation incident. The significance of being degraded in public …

Rasgando La Piel: Tatuajes, Cuerpos Y Significados, Jelitza Soto Roman, Linette Santiago Arroyo, Zuellem Cotto Gomez

The Qualitative Report

La modificacion corporal mediante el tatuaje se realiza con diferentes propositos y distintas motivaciones. Esta practica es muy comun en nuestra sociedad puertorriquena; no obstante, ha sido escasamente estudiada. Como resultado de esto, se desarrollo una investigacion con los objetivos de explorar la constitucion narrativa, el cambio de significado personal y social, y la percepcion de trabajadores/as sociales que subyace a la practica de tatuarse el cuerpo. Estos aspectos fueron estudiados entre personas tatuadas, no tatuadas y trabajadores/as sociales mediante la implantacion de un diseno exploratorio. Se espera que los hallazgos encontrados logren contribuir al interes en la realizacion de …

The Effects Of Participation In Portland State University’S Mcnair Scholars Program On Undergraduates, Tyanne R. Conner

Dissertations and Theses

Compared with their multi-generation counterparts, first-generation college students face many challenges in the field of higher education. These students experience relatively lower levels of access to college, demonstrate lower rates of persistence through college, and exhibit lower bachelor's degree completion rates than multi-generation students. The results of these cumulative disadvantages are that, compared to multigeneration students, first-generation students do not complete Ph.D.'s at the same rates, have lower subsequent earnings, and are underrepresented as faculty at colleges and universities.

A review of the literature reveals that most studies on McNair programs focus on the instrumental effects of participation, such as …

A Book Review Of Laura Ellingson’S Engaging Crystallization In Qualitative Research: An Introduction, Ronald J. Cugno, Kathy Thomas

The Qualitative Report

Ellingson (2009) might be the first qualitative researcher to contextualize "crystallization" as a formalized sub-methodology for conducting qualitative research using a nontraditional approach. For Ellingson "crystallization depends upon including, interweaving, blending, or otherwise drawing upon more than one genre of expressing data" (p. 11). Epistemologically, Ellingson’s feminist and social constructivist approach moves her notion of crystallization past positivism on one end and radical interpretivism on the other end of the qualitative research continuum. She looks beyond the established focus of traditional qualitative research to present crystallization as a holistic approach and "radical way of knowing" (Ellis & Ellingson, 2000, p. …

Giving Voice To The Results Of Your Study: A Review Of Authoring Your Life: Developing An Internal Voice To Navigate Life’S Challenges By Marcia B. Baxter Magolda, Robin Cooper

The Qualitative Report

In Authoring Your Life: Developing an Internal Voice to Navigate Life’s Challenges, Marcia B. Baxter Magolda offers a theory and model for building self-authorship through the development of an internal voice. Her primary audience is adults in their twenties and thirties, as well as their parents, peers, and employers. Qualitative researchers will also find the book of interest as a unique example of reporting results of a study in an original format.

Resilience Of Gendered Spheres In Transnational Migration: An Interpretive Book Review Of Sheba Mariam George’S When Women Come First: Gender And Class In Transnational Migration, Jose Luis Calderon

The Qualitative Report

Dr. Sheba George’s ethnographic study based using participant observation and purposive sampling and an insider transnational journey to examine changes in family and social roles that result when nurses from Kerala, India immigrate to the US ahead of their husbands. The author concludes that the economic and political gain immigration affords nurses does not translate into enhanced social status for their family in India or for their husbands in the US when they undergo gender transferral to homemaker. This transference causes a shift in gender structure from the home to the community, in this case the church as a way …

The Road Less Traveled: A Review Of Anfara And Mertz’S Theoretical Frameworks In Qualitative Research, Candace H. Lacey

The Qualitative Report

Editors Anfara and Mertz travel a new road with their tidy little book, Theoretical Frameworks in Qualitative Research. This tightly edited book begins by providing an up-close look at the process of taking a book from the germination of an idea to the delivery of the final product. As noted in the introduction, "To understand a theory is to travel into someone else’s mind." Most of the book clears the path toward that journey by presenting a sampler of chapters focusing on the use of theoretical frameworks in actual qualitative research studies. Finally, the editors bring the book full circle …

Personal, Thorough, And Accessible: A Review Of Carla Willig’S Introducing Qualitative Research In Psychology, Angela Yehl

The Qualitative Report

Carla Willig’s (2008) second edition of Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology provides the novice researcher with a solid foundation in the theoretical underpinnings of qualitative research, epistemology and how it drives qualitative research, as well as the application of six qualitative methodologies to the study of psychology.

Face-To-Face In Writing: My First Attempt At Conducting A Text-Based Online Focus Group, Steven R. Terrell

The Qualitative Report

Having completed graduate degrees in educational research and counseling, I have studied the theory of focus groups and participated in many while in a classroom setting. Interestingly, I had never moderated one until my first attempt in a text-based online environment. This paper describes my preparation for the session as well as the issues I faced while actually conducted the focus group. Readers will find that being prepared by establishing rapport with their group prior to the event, understanding the change of dynamics that distance brings to the process and handling the pressures of an expanded role as moderator, will …

The Role Of Qualitative Methods In Early Childhood Education: A Review Of J. Amos Hatch’S Early Childhood Qualitative Research, Maribel Del Rio-Roberts

The Qualitative Report

Early Childhood Qualitative Research is an edited book that captures the importance of conducting educational research and the significance of such research being scholarly and rigorous. In addition, this book does a phenomenal job of stressing the importance of giving participants in educational research a voice to describe their experiences is stressed, including the experiences of classroom teachers. The aim to provide professionals in the early childhood arena an opportunity to see different perspectives than they make typically be exposed to and to provide them with opportunities to critique current practices, in order to enhance qualitative research practices in the …

Children's Health Insurance Program: The Dynamics Of Federalism And Health Care Policy, Erik White

Political Science Theses and Capstones

On February 4^th, 2009, President Obama signed into law the reauthorization of the Children Health Insurance Program. The federal government will now spend 30 billion dollars towards the goal of ensuring that more children in the United States are insured. I investigate this particular health care policy and look at the different dynamics that affect the ultimate goal of universal health insurance for children. Because this program allows for state flexibility under broad federal guidelines, one is able to look at individual states, and their particular actions and characteristics, to determine the best approach to insuring the most …

Measure Twice And Cut Once: A Review Of Clark And Creswell’S Mixed Methods Reader, Steven R. Terrell

The Qualitative Report

The Mixed Methods Reader is an edited book that presents the reader with a synthesized introduction to the philosophy, history, methodology and practice of mixed methods research. The first section presents the reader with a series of 14 foundational articles, with a second section presenting nine carefully chosen exemplar articles demonstrating best practices in the field. The editors did a remarkable job in combining theory and application with the inclusion of a framework throughout the text which includes discussion questions, visual diagrams and introductory comments for each article. This creates a synthesis and ease of use that guarantees this text …

Communicating Qualitative Analytical Results Following Grice’S Conversational Maxims, Jan S. Chenail, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

Conducting qualitative research can be seen as a developing communication act through which researchers engage in a variety of conversations. Articulating the results of qualitative data analysis results can be an especially challenging part of this scholarly discussion for qualitative researchers. To help guide investigators through this difficult communicative process, the authors suggest Grice’s (1989) Conversational Maxims of Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner as general guidelines to follow when formulating and presenting findings in qualitative research products as well as basic assumptions to guide readers when judging the quality of result representations.

Qualitative Research Like Politics Can Also Be Local: A Review Of Interdisciplinary Standards For Systematic Qualitative Research, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

The political nature of defining what constitutes standards of rigor and quality in qualitative research comes to the forefront again in Lamont and Whites’ (2008) new report, Interdisciplinary Standards for Systematic Qualitative Research. Based upon a 2005 National Science Foundation (NSF) funded workshop for representatives from NSF’s Cultural Anthropology, Law and Social Science, Political Science, and Sociology programs, Lamont, White, and their colleagues share perspectives on what they see as strengths, standards, and opportunities for qualitative research today and in the near future. Although this manuscript might not allay the fears of those in the field concerned over the "conservative …

Qualitative Research For Social Workers Or Social Work For Qualitative Researchers?, Dan Wulff

The Qualitative Report

Deborah Padgett’s new edition of Qualitative Methods in Social Work Research significantly updates and expands her initial edition. This qualitative research text will be a welcomed addition to social work research courses. While becoming a more inclusive text with wide applicability for the research context today, the author only hints at some of the more contentious or evolving issues that continue to make the field of qualitative research challenging to traditional research approaches. Several places/issues of growth and evolution are suggested by this reviewer

Teaching Qualitative Research Methods Through Service-Learning, Krisanna Machtmes, Earl Johnson, Janet Fox, Mary S. Burke, Jeannie Harper, Lisa Arcemont, Lanette Hebert, Todd Tarifa, Roy C. Brooks Jr., Andree L. Reynaud, David Deggs, Brenda Matzke, Regina T. P. Aguirre

The Qualitative Report

This paper is the result of a voluntary service-learning component in a qualitative research methods course. For this course, the service-learning project was the evaluation of the benefits to volunteers whom work a crisis hotline for a local crisis intervention center. The service-learning course model used in this paper most closely resembles the problem-based service-learning course model where students work as consultants. This paper focuses on the processes involved and the benefits to students in improving their qualitative research skills through the service-learning project.

Interpretive Research Aiming At Theory Building: Adopting And Adapting The Case Study Design, Antonio Diaz Andrade

The Qualitative Report

Although the advantages of case study design are widely recognised, its original positivist underlying assumptions may mislead interpretive researchers aiming at theory building. The paper discusses the limitations of the case study design for theory building and explains how grounded theory systemic process adds to the case study design. The author reflects upon his experience in conducting research on the articulation of both traditional social networks and new virtual networks in six rural communities in Peru, using both case study design and grounded theory in a combined fashion in order to discover an emergent theory.

Lived Experiences Of Adult Children Who Have A Parent Diagnosed With Parkinsons Disease, Amy Blanchard, Jennifer Hodgson, Angela Lamson, David Dosser

The Qualitative Report

Little is known about the experience among adult children who have a parent with Parkinsons Disease (PD). The purpose of this study was to explore, appreciate, and describe their experiences using a phenomenological methodology. Narratives were collected from seven participants who have a parent diagnosed with PD and analyzed according to Colaizzis (1978) phenomenological data analysis method. Seven thematic clusters were identified and an exhaustive description is presented to summarize the essence of their lived experience. The study indicates a strong sense of essential positivism from the participants stories, and overall, it seems PD has brought some degree of biological, …

An Exploratory Study On Adolescents Experiences Of Using Icq (I Seek You), Zenobia C. Y. Chan, Wilson Cheuk

The Qualitative Report

Little research exists into adolescents rationales for using ICQ (I Seek You) and these adolescents relationships with their peers, families, and strangers in ICQ communication. Our curiosity about these subjects led us to adopt a qualitative inquiry, a multiple case study of ten adolescents via purposive sampling. Three major results were discerned: (1) rationales for using ICQ as a major communication tool and for its entertainment functions, (2) contents of ICQ included the participants school lives, peer relationships, family issues, and playing games, and (3) the participants relationships with their peers, family, and strangers like female adolescents are more protective …

The Search For An Explanation: Breast Cancer In The Context Of Genetic Inheritance, Christine Maheu

The Qualitative Report

This case study is an in-depth examination of how Erika (a pseudonym) interpreted and understood her genetic test results for breast cancer susceptibility. Her experience is presented in the form of a biography, which was built from key passages retrieved from the semi structured interview the author conducted at Erikas home. The interview data showed that Erikas interpretation and understanding of her inconclusive test results were embedded in her own and her familys experiences with breast cancer. Her interpretation of her test results was influenced by perception of risk for future breast cancers for herself and her family, as well …

Mas' Making And Pedagogy: Imagined Possibilities, Janice B. Fournillier

The Qualitative Report

In this article I draw on an ethnographic case study that examined mas makers perceptions of the learning/teaching practices at work in the production of costumes for Trinidad and Tobagos annual Carnival celebrations. During the 2005 Carnival season I spent four months in the field, my country of birth, and collected data through participant observation, still photographs, and informal and semi-formal autobiographical interviews. I used Spradleys (1979, 1980) domain and componential analysis and Goodenoughs (1971) propriospect in my description, analysis, and interpretation of the data resources. In this article, I apply the notion of performance art pedagogy to these findings. …

Analyzing Qualitative Data About Hospitalized Children: Reflections On Bodily Expressions, Coralee Mclaren

The Qualitative Report

Although considerable energy is invested in ensuring that pediatric hospital environments are psychosocially supportive, few researchers have connected the experiences of patients to hospital architecture, a crucial interface between healthcare delivery and patient care. Seeking to uncover childrens experiences within a contemporary hospital, I draw on data gathered during a photo walking tour with hospitalized children. Findings suggest that in addition to speaking, children express themselves physically by appropriating the gaze, pressing boundaries and finding alternate spaces. New methods and techniques are needed to reveal childrens physical competencies and abilities to determine their environmental preferences.

Exploring How Factors Impact The Activities And Participation Of Persons With Disability: Constructing A Model Through Grounded Theory, Joy Wee, Margo Paterson

The Qualitative Report

This paper explores a conceptualization of how factors impact activities of daily living (ADL) and participation from the perspective of persons with disability. This study identified what, and how, factors perceived by participants affect their daily activities, to better inform reporting of scores obtained on measures of ADLs and participation such as the Barthel Index and the Participation Scale. Grounded theory methodology was used to conceptualize a model, employing semi-structured interviews guided by categories of the above measures. Eight themes emerged from 24 participants, resulting in conceptualization of the successful adaptation model, which demonstrates relationships amongst factors, activities, and participation. …