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Full-Text Articles in Social Statistics

The Use Of Hermeneutics In A Mixed Methods Design, Claudia Von Zweck, Margo Paterson, Wendy Pentland Mar 2008

The Use Of Hermeneutics In A Mixed Methods Design, Claudia Von Zweck, Margo Paterson, Wendy Pentland

The Qualitative Report

Combining methods in a single study is becoming a more common practice because of the limitations of using only one approach to fully address all aspects of a research question. Hermeneutics in this paper is discussed in relation to a large national study that investigated issues influencing the ability of international graduates to work as occupational therapists in Canada. Using methods that reflect different ontological and epistemological beliefs was necessary to attain a comprehensive view of enablers and barriers that influence workforce integration. Hermeneutics proved to be a credible and flexible strategy for combining methods to create a deep understanding …


A Book Review Of Marilyn Lichtman’S Qualitative Research In Education: A User’S Guide, Karen Dawson, Sally St. George Mar 2008

A Book Review Of Marilyn Lichtman’S Qualitative Research In Education: A User’S Guide, Karen Dawson, Sally St. George

The Qualitative Report

No abstract provided.


Using An Adversary Hearing To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of A Military Program, Richard L. Miller, Jeanne Butler Mar 2008

Using An Adversary Hearing To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of A Military Program, Richard L. Miller, Jeanne Butler

The Qualitative Report

This study describes the design and implementation of an adversary hearing used to evaluate professional development initiatives in a military environment. The adversary hearing model used in the evaluation was developed to meet the requirements of an environment that differs from other environments in which adversary hearings have been used. The evaluation was conducted to determine whether a professional development program of the U. S. Army, Europe, actually enhanced soldier development and demonstrated consideration by leaders for their followers. Several key issues relate d to program effectiveness were discovered in the process of the adversary hearing that were not evident …


Types Of Knowledge, Forms Of Practice, Margaret Arnd-Caddigan, Richard Pozzuto Mar 2008

Types Of Knowledge, Forms Of Practice, Margaret Arnd-Caddigan, Richard Pozzuto

The Qualitative Report

This study was designed to explore the way that us e of theory influenced a social worker’s conceptualization of a simulated case. The participant in this case study was a woman employed in child welfare, who holds an MSW. She was chosen because her response in a larger study represented a deviant case. Data analysis included both thematic analysis and an analysis of a written report based on ideas taken from institutional ethnography. The authors use this case example to illustrate the ways that one’s understanding of theory may impact social work practice.


From The Outside Looking In: How An Awareness Of Difference Can Benefit The Qualitative Research Process, Claire Tinker, Natalie Armstron Mar 2008

From The Outside Looking In: How An Awareness Of Difference Can Benefit The Qualitative Research Process, Claire Tinker, Natalie Armstron

The Qualitative Report

While much has been written on the problems that can arise when interviewing respondents from a different social group, less attention has been paid to its potential benefits for the research process. In this paper we argue that, by being conscious of one’s outsider status , an interviewer can use it as a tool through which to elicit detailed and comprehensive accounts from respondents, and ensure rigorous and critic al analysis of the data produced.


Midlife Metamorphosis, Patricia Evans Mar 2008

Midlife Metamorphosis, Patricia Evans

The Qualitative Report

The study was conducted in response to the need for an increased understanding of the aging experiences of women transitioning midlife. The purpose of the research was to explore the personal understanding of the changes that occur during the midlife period. A qualitative case study was implemented to ascertain how women of the Latter-day Saint (LDS) faith experience the midlife transition. The narratives of 10 LDS women ages 35 to 65 were obtained through personal interviews. The data were analyzed from a feminist, social constructionist, and narrative perspective using Chenail’s Qualitative Matrix as a formal coding system to guide the …


Ethical Challenges In Participant Observation: A Reflection On Ethnographic Fieldwork, Jun Li Mar 2008

Ethical Challenges In Participant Observation: A Reflection On Ethnographic Fieldwork, Jun Li

The Qualitative Report

In this essay I reflect on the ethical challenges of ethnographic fieldwork I personally experienced in a female gambling study. By assuming a covert research role, I was able to observe natural occurrences of female gambling activities but unable to make peace with disturbing feelings of my research concealment. By making my study overt, I was able to fulfill ethical obligations as a researcher but unable to get female gamblers to speak their minds. I responded to such ethical dilemmas by adjusting the level of involvement, participating in female gambling culture as an insider and observing it as an outsider. …


A Qualitative Investigation Of Pre-Service English As A Foreign Language (Efl) Teacher Opinions, Leyla Tercanlioglu Mar 2008

A Qualitative Investigation Of Pre-Service English As A Foreign Language (Efl) Teacher Opinions, Leyla Tercanlioglu

The Qualitative Report

Pre-service English teacher education students’ perceptions of their education experience provide greater insight into developing an effective teaching strategy in English teacher education. The objectives for the study were: (1) to identify issues of interest or concern to the department and (2) to determine satisfaction levels concerning departmental issues. Data were drawn from focus group interviews involving 5 student- teachers in each of 5 groups. The findings showed that the English teacher education department students thought that the department was not fulfilling many of its purposes, although there were some strengths. Identifying what students think can help to open English …


Challenges For Assessing Disability Prevalence: The Case Of Afghanistan = Les Défis De La Mesure De La Prévalence Du Handicap : Le Cas De L’Afghanistan, Jean-Francois Trani, Parul Bakhshi Jan 2008

Challenges For Assessing Disability Prevalence: The Case Of Afghanistan = Les Défis De La Mesure De La Prévalence Du Handicap : Le Cas De L’Afghanistan, Jean-Francois Trani, Parul Bakhshi

Brown School Faculty Publications

This article attempts to examine the methodological intricacies of measuring prevalence rate of disability through a population based survey using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health of the WHO and the Capability framework, developed by Amartya Sen and others. After a rapid overview of the Afghan context and the process leading to the research programme, it presents the example of the methodology used in the NDSA and the survey protocol. The authors argue that prevalence rates can be measured using different instruments in terms of impairments, activity limitations or in terms of well-being. Thus, the disability experience is …


Mental Health And Business Professionals’ Employment-Related Perceptions Of Individuals With Psychological Disorders, Kevan Mock Jan 2008

Mental Health And Business Professionals’ Employment-Related Perceptions Of Individuals With Psychological Disorders, Kevan Mock

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Mental health and business professionals’ employment-related perceptions of 6 psychological disorders (i.e. alcoholism, insomnia, major depression, social phobia, post- traumatic stress disorder, obesity) were examined. The 33 professionals (n = 18 mental health; n = 15 business) evaluated each disorder on 18 employment-related dimensions (e.g. employability, productivity, trainability). Specifically, they evaluated the perceived likelihood of each of the 18 employment-related dimensions being associated with each of the 6 psychological disorders (1 = not likely; 5 = highly likely). Perceptions of the 33 mental health and business professionals were compared with the perceptions of college students (n = 106) obtained in …


Data Clustering For Fitting Parameters Of A Markov Chain Model Of Multi-Game Playoff Series, Christopher M. Rump Jan 2008

Data Clustering For Fitting Parameters Of A Markov Chain Model Of Multi-Game Playoff Series, Christopher M. Rump

Applied Statistics and Operations Research Faculty Publications

We propose a Markov chain model of a best-of-7 game playoff series that involves game-togame dependence on the current status of the series. To create a relatively parsimonious model, we seek to group transition probabilities of the Markov chain into clusters of similar game-winning frequency. To do so, we formulate a binary optimization problem to minimize several measures of cluster dissimilarity. We apply these techniques on Major League Baseball (MLB) data and test the goodness of fit to historical playoff outcomes. These state-dependent Markov models improve significantly on probability models based solely on home-away game dependence. It turns out that …


"We Are Next!": Listening To Jewish Voices In A Multicultural Country, Lelia Rosalind Green, Gerry Bloustien, Mark Balnaves Jan 2008

"We Are Next!": Listening To Jewish Voices In A Multicultural Country, Lelia Rosalind Green, Gerry Bloustien, Mark Balnaves

Research outputs pre 2011

If the notion of being at home in one’s country is safe and reassuring, the homeland and the heartland of what we judge important, then the thought that a countryneeds its own homeland security is destined to create a sense of unease. Australia’s homeland security unit was set up in May 2003 (Riley), just weeks after theallies’ Coalition of the Willing had celebrated George W Bush’s declaration aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, of ‘Victory in Iraq’ (BBC). It might have been expected, inthis victorious glow, that the country would feel confidently able to return to a state of security. Apparently …


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 …


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 …


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

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall, Brad Howey

The Qualitative Report

No abstract provided.


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.


“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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …


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, …


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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …