Sociology Commons^™

The Potential Role Of Business Intelligence In Church Organizations, Charmaine Felder

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business intelligence (BI) involves transforming data into actionable information to make better business decisions that may help improve operations. Although businesses have experienced success with BI, how leaders of church organizations might be able to exploit the advantages of BI in church organizations remains largely unexplored. The purpose of the phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of pastoral leaders concerning the potential usefulness of BI in church organizations. Conceptual support for the study was based on the premise that churches may also benefit from BI that helps improve decision making and organizational performance. Three research questions were used to …

Board Member Perceptions Of Nonprofit Organization Effectiveness, Laura Levy Maurer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In contemporary American society, the nonprofit board is accountable for ensuring that an organization has sufficient resources to carry out its mission. Filling the gap between demands for services and the resources to meet them is often a struggle for small, local nonprofit organizations. This hermeneutic phenomenological study examined how board members of small, local nonprofits in the focal community perceive organizational effectiveness. Understanding the nature of nonprofit organization effectiveness according to board members contributes to understanding how those accountable meet their organizational objectives. A review of the literature revealed that nonprofit effectiveness involves the action of contributing and the …

Comprehensive Treatment Of Women With Postpartum Psychosis Across Health Care Systems From Swedish Psychiatrists' Perspectives, Inger Engqvist, Arne Åhlin, Ginette Ferszt, Kerstin Nilsson

The Qualitative Report

Studies concerning the psychiatrist's experiences of treating women with postpartum psychosis (PPP) or how they react to these women are limited in the literature. In this study a qualitative design is used. Data collection includes semi-structured interviews with nine Swedish psychiatrists working in psychiatric hospitals. The audio-taped interviews are transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. The findings consist of the categories: Protection, Treatment, Care, and Reactions. The psychiatrists describe emotions such as compassion, empathy and distress. A conclusion is that the psychiatrists focus on protecting the women from suicide and/or infanticide. Given the degree of stress the psychiatrists can …

Interviewing The Investigator: Strategies For Addressing Instrumentation And Researcher Bias Concerns In Qualitative Research, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

Instrumentation rigor and bias management are major challenges for qualitative researchers employing interviewing as a data generation method in their studies. A usual procedure for testing the quality of an interview protocol and for identifying potential researcher biases is the pilot study in which investigators try out their proposed methods to see if the planned procedures perform as envisioned by the researcher. Sometimes piloting is not practical or possible so an "interviewing the investigator" technique can serve as a useful first step to create interview protocols that help to generate the information proposed and to assess potential researcher biases especially …

Segundo Barrio: Rich, Poor, Or Both?, Julie Anne Krill

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This manuscript describes an exploratory study which was undertaken in Segundo Barrio; a historic neighborhood in El Paso, Texas. The purpose of the study was to identify formal and informal sources of social support through the perceptions of female residents in different stages of life. This community, while economically disadvantaged, has unique characteristics and resources and the researcher was interested in seeing how different age groups perceive them.

Guiding Research Questions:

What sources of social support do residents of Segundo Barrio identify as key sources of support within their neighborhood, Greater El Paso, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua?

* Social …

Beliefs About Alcohol And The College Experience As Moderators Of The Effects Of Perceived Drinking Norms On Student Alcohol Use, Lizabeth A. Crawford, Katherine B. Novak

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Many students view the abuse of alcohol as integral to the student role. Thus, they feel entitled to drink heavily without sanction. OLS regression was used to assess the extent to which these beliefs about alcohol and the college experience moderate the effects of descriptive and injunctive campus drinking norms on students’ levels of alcohol consumption. Overall, respondents who perceived that same-sex students on their campus drank heavily tended to drink heavily themselves. This relationship was, however, strongest among individuals who viewed the abuse of alcohol as part of being a student. Although general injunctive norms were not themselves associated …

(Inter)Active Interviewing In Childhood Research: On Children's Identity Work In Interviews, Stina Fernqvist

The Qualitative Report

Seeing identity as work produced in interaction is a starting point in this current study, were analyzing interviews with children living in economic hardship, and how everyday life in economic hardship in one way or another becomes significant for their identity work, is the main empirical material. This article is intended to illustrate how to (a) combine James A. Holstein and Jaber F. Gubrium's (1995) active interview approach with elements from Erving Goffman's (1974/1986) frame analysis, and (b) introduce this approach as a fruitful way of analyzing children's narratives. Also, by regarding the interview as interaction and thereby acknowledging the …

Daughters' Perspectives On Maternal Substance Abuse: Pledge To Be A Different Kind Of Mother, Anne P. Murphy, Joseph G. Ponterotto, Anthony A. Cancelli, Susan P. Chinitz

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) study was to explore the experiences of racially and culturally diverse young mothers whose own mothers abused substances two decades ago when substance abuse peaked in inner city, urban neighborhoods in the United States and to identify the factors that have influenced how they parent their own children today. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten drug-free mothers who report having been raised by a mother who was addicted to drugs, primarily crack cocaine during their childhoods. The emergent grounded theory is that exposure to maternal substance abuse has a significant …

The Role Of Emotions In Fieldwork: A Self-Study Of Family Research In A Corrections Setting, Joyce A. Arditti, Karen S. Joest, Jennifer Lamber-Shute, Latanya Walker

The Qualitative Report

In this study, we document a reflexive process via bracketing techniques and the development of a conceptual map in order to better understand how emotions that arise in the field can inform research design, implementation, and results. We conducted a content analysis of field notes written by a team of researchers who administered an interview to caregivers bringing children to visit an incarcerated family member at a local jail. Our self-examination revealed themes around the team's discomfort connected to the institutional jail setting and intense emotions regarding the life situations of study participants, their treatment by jail staff, and our …

The Evolution Of A Coding Schema In A Paced Program Of Research, Charlene A. Winters, Shirley Curney, Therese Sullivan

The Qualitative Report

A major task involved in the management, analysis, and integration of qualitative data is the development of a coding schema to facilitate the analytic process. Described in this paper is the evolution of a coding schema that was used in the analysis of qualitative data generated from online forums of middle-aged women with chronic conditions who participated in a computer support intervention in the rural west. The coding schema evolved over three phases of the research project and included coding tree nodes based on study-driven categories and nodes that arose from the data and changes in conceptual thinking. This paper …

A Grounded Theory Approach: Conceptions Of Understanding In Engineering Mathematics Learning, Henry Khiat

The Qualitative Report

Mathematics is of utmost importance in engineering courses but studies on engineering students' conceptions of understanding in mathematics learning are found lacking in the literature. Therefore, this research attempts to address the above issue by answering the research question: "What are engineering students' conceptions of understanding in mathematics learning?" It employs the grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1990, 1998) and data are collected from in depth interviews with a total of 21 students and six lecturers. The substantive theory of engineering mathematics understanding (comprising of conceptual, functional, procedural, disciplinary and associational understanding) emerges in this study. The emergence of …

A Data-Driven Conceptualization Of Teacher Evaluation, Seyyed Ali Ostovar Namaghi

The Qualitative Report

Research perspectives on teacher evaluation present evaluators with a set of possible acts. Local evaluation systems, on the other hand, specify a permissible set of acts from the total universe. The acts specified within a given locality act as conditions for teacher action. Using the sampling and analytical procedures of grounded theory, this study aims at exploring how evaluation of teaching performance in universities of Iran conditions practitioners' action (conditions), what teachers do in the face of these conditions (action), and the effect these conditions and actions have on practitioners' professional life (consequences). The findings will be useful for stakeholders …

Asian International Student Transition To High School In Canada, Natalee Popadiuk

The Qualitative Report

There is a paucity of studies conducted with unaccompanied adolescent international students. In this qualitative inquiry, I present a thematic analysis of the critical incidents that Chinese, Japanese, and Korean participants reported as either facilitating or hindering to their transition to Canada. Using the Critical Incident Technique, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 participants aged 15 to 18 years who were attending three public secondary schools in Vancouver, Canada. I present the findings of seven thematic categories: making decisions, experiencing dilemmas, receiving advice, receiving help, impressed with environment, experiencing local annoyances, and participation in activities. Finally, I address the implications …

Methodology In Seeking Stakeholder Perceptions Of Effective Technical Oral Presentations: An Exploratory Pilot Study, Ena Bhattacharyya, Arun Patil, Rajeswary Appacutty Sargunan

The Qualitative Report

Engineering communication studies indicate the importance of oral presentations as an indispensable component of workplace oral communication activities; however, since there is limited literature regarding stakeholder perceptions of effective presentation skills and attributes in technical oral presentations or final year engineering project presentations, the authors conducted a mixed method to seek the perceptions of selected members of the academic and professional engineering community involved in technical oral presentations regarding effective presentation skills and attributes required in these technical oral presentations. The paper describes the quantitative and qualitative research methods employed to seek participant feedback involved in the study.

Heuristic Inquiry: A Personal Journey Of Acculturation And Identity Reconstruction, Ivana Djuraskovic, Nancy Arthur

The Qualitative Report

Heuristic methodology attempts to discover the nature and meaning of phenomenon through internal self-search, exploration, and discovery. Heuristic methodology encourages the researcher to explore and pursue the creative journey that begins inside one's being and ultimately uncovers its direction and meaning through internal discovery (Douglass & Moustakas, 1985). The purpose of this paper is to familiarize readers with using heuristic methodology in research. I (Ivana) share my personal notes of how I decided to use heuristic methodology in my research. In the discussion, I address the nature of heuristic methodology, including its limitations. Finally, I present excerpts from a creative …

Observing The Observer: Understanding Our Selves In Field Research, Michelle A. Manley

The Qualitative Report

In Observing the Observer, Shulamit Reinharz (2011) provides students and the novice researcher with an insightful and descriptive framework in which to understand the theoretical underpinning of ethnographical studies. The author presents an outline for comprehending unidentified and identified characteristics of the researcher in the fieldwork setting, making the self an essential tool of fieldwork.

Arts-Based Research In Education: A Review, Pamela Smithbell

The Qualitative Report

What is the difference between research that uses art, research about art, and research through art? Is arts-based educational research (ABER) a method or medium? What does arts-based research look like? How is it used and evaluated? Editors Cahnmann-Taylor and Siegesmund recruited an arresting array of contributors: paradigmatic pioneers, noted artist-scholars, as well as newcomers to the field. This volume condenses the history, unique features, social contributions, and controversy into a readable, scholarly, and practical text. Each artist-researcher develops a chapter comprised of multiple elements: biography, explanation of intent, critique, photos and open-ended questions. True to ABER epistemology, these contributors …

Qualitative Health Research - A Beginner's Guide, Feroza Sircar-Ramsewak

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative Research in Health: An Introduction by Carol Grbich is a research text for beginners in qualitative health research. Grbich explicitly and simply introduces the new researcher to the theoretical issues, concepts, methodologies, processes, techniques, approaches, and debates in qualitative research, with a specific focus on the health sciences. Her easily-readable text gives new researchers an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each qualitative method.

A Critique Of Four Grounded Theory Texts, Lise M. Allen

The Qualitative Report

This article is a review of Discovery of Grounded Theory by Glaser and Strauss, Basics of Qualitative Research by Strauss and Corbin, Constructing Grounded Theory by Charmaz, and Situational Analysis by Clarke across six categories, including the authors' purposes, structure of the books, practical applications of the books' methods, how the authors approach theory and data emergence, how the authors judge grounded theory research and finally, if the authors have achieved their purposes. For the most part, I found that all books accomplished their purposes. Discovery was weak in practical applications but strong on logical arguments for the usage of …

Applied Interpretation: A Review Of Interpretive Description By Sally Thorne, Sally St. George

The Qualitative Report

In this book review I focus on the connections between the concepts, applied and interpretive, in conjunction with Sally's Thorne's (2008) emphasis on using interpretive qualitative research to answer the questions that practitioners encounter in their work.

How To Read And Review A Book Like A Qualitative Researcher, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

Reading a book with the intention of composing a review demands certain skills on the part of the reader that may differ when the goal of the read is for pleasure or scholarship. To help these reviewing readers to produce creative and useful review, the employment of qualitative research perspectives and procedures is suggested for reading books in a systematic matter leading to reviews that not only share the contents of the texts, but also transform the meaning of the texts producing new insights for the texts' authors and readers alike.

The Heroes' Journey: A Young Couple's Experience With Choriocarcinoma, Dan Marlowe, Jennifer Hodgson, Angela Lamson

The Qualitative Report

A 20 year retrospective qualitative case study was conducted to investigate the relational impact of choriocarcinoma (a type of gestational cancer) on a couple of child-bearing age. A unique feature to the study was that the primary investigator was the couple's biological son, initiating the first known auto-case study design. Using holistic content analysis, investigators learned that anticipatory grief played a central part in the couple's ultimate detachment and divorce. While the wife began to refocus her emotional energies on her children, in psychological preparation for her possible death, the husband focused on ways to keep the family finances together …

Career Motivation In Newly Licensed Registered Nurses: What Makes Them Remain, Zarata Mann Banks, Jessica H. Bailey

The Qualitative Report

Despite vast research on newly licensed registered nurses (RNs), we don't know why some newly licensed registered nurses remain in their current jobs and others leave the nursing profession early in their career. Job satisfaction, the most significant factor emerging from the literature, plays a significant role in nurses' decisions to remain in their current jobs. This study examined the lived experiences of newly licensed registered nurses early in their careers. The researcher interviewed 14 newly licensed registered nurses to ask why they chose nursing as a profession and to determine factors that would influence their choice to stay in …

Using Focus Groups In Preliminary Instrument Development: Expected And Unexpected Lessons Learned, Slyvia C. Nassar-Mcmillan, Mary Wyer, Maria Oliver-Hoyo, Amy Ryder-Burge

The Qualitative Report

Focus groups can be utilized effectively across various stages of instrument development. This article details selected aspects of a process in which they were employed at the initial stages of item generation and refinement in a study of occupational stereotyping. The process yielded rich contextual information about the worldview and corresponding terminology of participants. In addition, the use of a tool developed and previously employed as an approach to clinical case notes (i.e., SOAP notes), produced surprising benefits in documenting the focus group data. The purpose of this paper is to describe this process and highlight the insights that emerged. …

Exploring Asian Female Pastors' Leadership Roles In The Church: Using Deborah's Story, Yu-Fen Lin, Chi-Sing Li, Beverly J. Irby, Genevieve Brown

The Qualitative Report

Women in many Christian cultures are told that men are strong and should lead the church. Consequently, some women rationalize that they should not assume top leadership roles in the church. When they do assume such roles, many female pastors experience challenges. The purpose of our qualitative case study was to give voice to Asian female pastors (AFPs) by having them share challenges they experienced in the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church and relate those challenges to the experiences of Deborah in the biblical story found in Judges 4 and 5. Reported in this paper are the results of focus groups centered …

A Practical Approach To Qualitative Interviews, Patrice R. Leblanc

The Qualitative Report

Nigel King and Christine Horrocks (2010) provide a functional discussion of multiple topics related to interviewing in their book, Interviews in Qualitative Research. However, the authors present more than just a useful discussion of how to design, conduct, and analyze interviews. They simultaneously introduce the importance of philosophical approaches and ethics in relation to the topics discussed, making connections between these important notions and the qualitative research process they describe. Their practical approach to the topics presented makes their book a wonderful resource for novice researchers.

Routine Activities As Determinants Of Gender Differences In Delinquency, Katherine B. Novak, Lizabeth A. Crawford

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This study examined the extent to which gender differences in delinquency can be explained by gender differences in participation in, or response to, various routine activity patterns (RAPs) using data from the second and third waves of the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988. While differential participation in routine activities by gender failed to explain males’ high levels of deviance relative to females, two early RAPs moderated the effect of gender on subsequent deviant behavior. Participation in religious and community activities during the sophomore year in high school decreased, while unstructured and unsupervised peer interaction increased, levels of delinquency two …

Comparison Of Non-Surgical And Surgical Endodontic Retreatment: A Systematic Review, Robert Corr

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Primary root canal therapy has been shown to be a predictable procedure with a high degree of success ^1-4, however failures can occur after treatment. Treatment options for the preservation of teeth that have had previous endodontic treatment but demonstrate persistent disease include non-surgical (orthograde) or surgical (retrograde) endodontic retreatment, assuming the tooth is restorable, periodontally sound, and the patient desires to retain the tooth. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the current available evidence to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of nonsurgical with those of surgical endodontic retreatment. Methodology began with …

A View From The Inside: An In-Depth Look At A Female University Student's Experience With A Feel-Based Intervention To Enhance Self-Confidence And Self-Talk, Eva Guérin, Isabelle Arcand, Natalie Durand-Bush

The Qualitative Report

The primary goal of this investigation was to document, using the participatory paradigm, a female university student's experience with a feel-based intervention intended to enhance the quality of her academic experiences including her self-confidence and self-talk. In this unique qualitative case study, the student participated in a 15-week intervention that included multiple in-depth interviews and regular journaling, both of which prompted regular self-monitoring and self-reflection. A narrative account illustrates how the student learned to regulate the way she felt through the intervention, leading to increased self-awareness and self-control, as well as enhanced self-talk and self-confidence.

Developing The Art Of Becoming A Couple: A Grounded Theory Study Of The Positive Influence Of Married And Loving It! ®, Barbara D. Petty

The Qualitative Report

Couples can improve their marriages by implementing relationship building skills they learn while participating in a marriage education program. This study addresses how marriages improved as a result of participating in the marriage education program, Married and Loving It!® and what specific components of the learning experience facilitated the change. Using grounded theory methodology, the data collected from 12 participants, six married couples through in depth semi-structured interviews, revealed how participating in Married and Loving It! ® can assist couples in improving their relationships by guiding them through a developmental process. It is through skill development and a greater understanding …