Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Sociology Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

The Qualitative Report

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
File Type

Articles 2371 - 2400 of 2692

Full-Text Articles in Sociology

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.


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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …


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 …


How Qualitative Research Changed Me: A Narrative Of Personal Growth, Avital Feuer Mar 2007

How Qualitative Research Changed Me: A Narrative Of Personal Growth, Avital Feuer

The Qualitative Report

This piece recounts personal changes I underwent while collecting data for my dissertation. Stemming from my own personal experiences of anomie and feelings of not belonging to the languages and cultures of either Canada or Israel , this inquiry examined the collusion of my attitudes with the attitudes of advanced Hebrew learners of diverse backgrounds and beliefs in a Canadian undergraduate university class. As the themes of claims and ownership of the Hebrew language emerged between clashing sub-groups in the classroom, I examined my own biases and stereotypes regarding language, and ultimately grew into a peaceful acceptance of my position …


Towards An Understanding Of Excellence In Ur Ban Pedagogy: A Portrait Of A High School, Renu Ahuja Mar 2007

Towards An Understanding Of Excellence In Ur Ban Pedagogy: A Portrait Of A High School, Renu Ahuja

The Qualitative Report

This case study describes processes in an urban high school, which contribute to excellence in urban pedagogy, and investigates teachers’ and educational leaders’ perceptions of the factors influencing their commitment to school success. Six themes related to excellence in urban pedagogy were identified. Data in the form of semi-structured interviews, observations, and document review de scribe a school in which the leadership strives to develop human capability at all levels through empowerment and shared decision-making. The study indicates that students’ achievement is a collective responsibility and strong instructional leadership is a key for success in urban schools. More studies may …


Combining Historical Research And Narrative Inquiry To Create Chronicles And Narratives, Richard A. Wilson Mar 2007

Combining Historical Research And Narrative Inquiry To Create Chronicles And Narratives, Richard A. Wilson

The Qualitative Report

Stories about the Idaho State Library, chronicles and narratives, are reported in my doctoral dissertation (Wilson, 2005). The chronicles, reconstructed from documents and records, provided a presentation of the people, events, and activities to frame the stories. The narratives, excerpted from interviews, provided the rich description and unique perspectives of the two living State Librarians who directed the agency between 1962 and 2005. The focus of this paper is a presentation and discussion of the use of historical research and narrative inquiry to create chronicles and narratives.


Understanding Total Quality Management In Context: Qualitative Research On Managers’ Awareness Of Tqm Aspects In The Greek Service Industry, Alexandros G. Psychogios, Constantinos Vasilios Priporas Mar 2007

Understanding Total Quality Management In Context: Qualitative Research On Managers’ Awareness Of Tqm Aspects In The Greek Service Industry, Alexandros G. Psychogios, Constantinos Vasilios Priporas

The Qualitative Report

This study addresses managers’ awareness and familiarity with Total Quality Management (TQM). Eighteen (18) semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with managers working in a variety of service organizations in Greece. The major argument of the study is that although the acronym TQM and some of its concepts and practices are known by a range of public and private sector managers, actual awareness of its “soft” side is often superficial, and managers have a relatively poor understanding of it. TQM is neither resisted nor directly absorbed by them, but they tend to see it from the technical point of view, being …


Mentoring Qualitative Research Authors Globally: The Qualitative Report Experience, Ronald J. Chenail, Sally St. George, Dan Wulff, Maureen Duffy, Martha Laughlin, Kate Warner, Tarmeen Sahni Mar 2007

Mentoring Qualitative Research Authors Globally: The Qualitative Report Experience, Ronald J. Chenail, Sally St. George, Dan Wulff, Maureen Duffy, Martha Laughlin, Kate Warner, Tarmeen Sahni

The Qualitative Report

Authoring quality qualitative inquiry is a challenge for most researchers. A lack of local mentors can make writing even more difficult. To meet this need, The Qualitative Report ( TQR ) has helped authors from around the world develop their papers into published articles. TQR editorial team members will discuss the history of the journal, their philosophy of author development; manuscript development strategies; solutions for managing differences; challenges working worldwide; authors’ feedback; and the collective global futures of TQR and qualitative researcher


A Book Review Of Betty M. Merchant And Arlette Ingram Willis’ Multiple And Intersecting Identities In Qualitative Research, Rashmi Gangamma Mar 2007

A Book Review Of Betty M. Merchant And Arlette Ingram Willis’ Multiple And Intersecting Identities In Qualitative Research, Rashmi Gangamma

The Qualitative Report

No abstract provided.


Embracing The Practical, The Pragmatic, And The Personal: A Review Of Clive Seale, Giampietro Gobo, Jaber F. Gubrium, And David Silverman’S Qualitative Research Practice, Ronald Chenail Mar 2007

Embracing The Practical, The Pragmatic, And The Personal: A Review Of Clive Seale, Giampietro Gobo, Jaber F. Gubrium, And David Silverman’S Qualitative Research Practice, Ronald Chenail

The Qualitative Report

In their 2007 book, Qualitative Research Practice: Concise Paperback Version, Clive Seale, Giampietro Gobo, Jaber F. Gubrium, and David Silverman have offered students, teachers, and researchers a practical guide for understanding and conducting qualitative research. In doing so, they and their chapter contributing colleagues have also taken us as readers into their insiders’ worlds of being qualitative researchers, so we can benefit from their self-narratives of the “nitty-gritty of research practice.” The result is an excellent text that is both pragmatic and personal.


Oral History As A Social Justice Project: Issues For The Qualitative Researcher, Valerie J. Janesick Mar 2007

Oral History As A Social Justice Project: Issues For The Qualitative Researcher, Valerie J. Janesick

The Qualitative Report

I am writing this to assist researchers in training and experienced researchers in understanding ways to view oral history as a social justice project. This paper will illuminate the importance of oral history in terms of enriching the knowledge base of qualitative research methods as well. Oral history provides us with an avenue of thick description, analysis, and interpretation of people’s lives through probing the past in order to understand the present .The postmodern appreciation of the study of people and their stories, those stories from persons generally on the outside or periphery of society, offer a unique opportunity to …


Qualitative Research In Counseling: A Reflection For Novice Counselor Researchers, Randolph Bowers, Victor Minichiello, David Plummer Mar 2007

Qualitative Research In Counseling: A Reflection For Novice Counselor Researchers, Randolph Bowers, Victor Minichiello, David Plummer

The Qualitative Report

Counselors practice in a wide range of disciplines, but also represent a distinct discipline separate from medicine, psychology, and social work. Particularly in countries like Australia, Canada, and the Asia Pacific nations, as a relatively new field, counseling is taking up the challenges of encouraging a research culture that can both critique and support clinical practice and counselor education. This paper is thus written to support novice counselor researchers, and to inspire an emerging research culture through sharing formative experiences and lessons learned during a qualitative research project exploring minority issues in counseling.


On Becoming A Qualitative Researcher: The Value Of Reflexivity, Diane Watt Mar 2007

On Becoming A Qualitative Researcher: The Value Of Reflexivity, Diane Watt

The Qualitative Report

Learning how to conduct qualitative research may seem daunting for those new to the task, especially given the paradigm ’s emphasis on complexity and emergent design. Although there are guidelines in the literature, each project is unique and ultimately the individual researcher must determine how best to proceed . Reflexivity is thus considered essential, potentially facilitating understanding of both the phenomenon under study and the research process itself . Drawing upon the contents of a reflective journal, the author provides an inside view of a first project, making connections between theory and practice. This personal narrative highlights the value of …


Discussing Laddering Application By The Means-End Chain Theory, Tânia Modesto Veludo-De-Oliveira, Ana Akemi Ikeda, Marcos Cortez Campomar Dec 2006

Discussing Laddering Application By The Means-End Chain Theory, Tânia Modesto Veludo-De-Oliveira, Ana Akemi Ikeda, Marcos Cortez Campomar

The Qualitative Report

This article aims at analyzing laddering as a technique of qualitative research, emphasizing the procedures for data collection, analysis and interpretation, and its main limitations as well. “Laddering refers to an in-depth, one-on-one interviewing technique used to develop an understanding of how consumers translate the attributes of products into meaningful associations with respect to self, following means-end theory” (Reynolds & Gutman, 1988, p. 12). The critical literature review shows that laddering is useful in studies on human behavior, especially those related to the Means-End Chain (MEC) model. For a successful application, highly trained interviewers, homogeneous groups of respondents, and the …


Dialectical Inquiry: A Structured Qualitative Research Method, Eli Berniker, David E. Mcnabb Dec 2006

Dialectical Inquiry: A Structured Qualitative Research Method, Eli Berniker, David E. Mcnabb

The Qualitative Report

This paper presents Dialectical Inquiry (DI) as a structured qualitative research method for studying participant models of organizational processes. The method is applied to rich secondary anecdotal data on technology transfer, gathered by subject-matter experts in a large firm. DI assumes that the imposition of a dialectical structure will produce emergent theories in tacit use by organizational actors. As such, it serves as a meta-structure for grounded rese arch. Three competing models were discovered in the data. Each model was analyzed in the context of other models to reveal governing assumptions and counter assumptions. It is demonstrated that each model …


Negotiated Boundaries: Conceptual Locations Of Pregnancy And Childbirth, Shannon Houvouras Dec 2006

Negotiated Boundaries: Conceptual Locations Of Pregnancy And Childbirth, Shannon Houvouras

The Qualitative Report

Dominant notions of reproduction perceive childbearing as physical processes that take place within women’s bodies. This perception undermines non-physical components and removes men from the process. This project uses social constructionism to explore the locations women describe pregnancy and childbirth taking place in their childbearing narratives. Based on in-depth interviews with 15 mothers, findings reveal that women conceptualize childbearing as taking place in multiple locations: (1) within the female body, (2) within both the female body and a non-physical realm (e.g., emotional) of one or both partners, (3) detached from any particular location, and (4) within both partners’ bodies. Conceptualizing …


A Critique Of The Capacity Of Strauss’ Grounded Theory For Prediction, Change, And Control In Organisational Strategy Via A Grounded Theorisation Of Leisure And Cultural Strategy, Ali Bakir, Vian Bakir Dec 2006

A Critique Of The Capacity Of Strauss’ Grounded Theory For Prediction, Change, And Control In Organisational Strategy Via A Grounded Theorisation Of Leisure And Cultural Strategy, Ali Bakir, Vian Bakir

The Qualitative Report

In this paper we critique grounded theory’s ability to fulfil its aim of offering a practical vehicle for prediction, change, and control as stipulated in grounded theory’s original formulation by Glaser and Strauss, and later developed by Strauss. We do this through a case study approach, whereby we develop a grounded theory of leisure and cultural strategy within a local authority, and critically reflect on the process of grounded theorisation, together with its implications for generating practical tools in that most practical of academic fields; organisational strategy. We demonstrate that despite generating good grounded theory on leisure and cultural strategy, …


The Pre-Conceptual Map Methodology: Development And Application, Shellie Hipsky Dec 2006

The Pre-Conceptual Map Methodology: Development And Application, Shellie Hipsky

The Qualitative Report

The objective of this article is to present the Pre-Conceptual Map methodology as a formalized way to identify, document, and utilize preconceived assumptions on the part of the researcher in qualitative inquiry. This technique can be used as a stand alone method or in conjunction with other qualitative techniques (i.e., naturalistic inquiry). This document explains how to utilize the process and includes specific examples based on a formal study of the pilot of The Drama Discovery Curriculum. The article highlights the Pre-Conceptual Map methodology for use by other researchers by examining: the need for the methodology, how it is related …


Elaborating The Grounding Of The Knowledge Base On Language And Learning For Preservice Literacy Teachers, Carolyn L. Piazza, Cynthia Wallat Dec 2006

Elaborating The Grounding Of The Knowledge Base On Language And Learning For Preservice Literacy Teachers, Carolyn L. Piazza, Cynthia Wallat

The Qualitative Report

This purpose of this article is to present a qualitative inquiry into the genesis of sociolinguistic s and the contributions of eight sociolinguistic pioneers. This inquiry, based on an historical interpretation of events, reformulates the concept of validation as the social construction of a scientific knowledge base, and explicates three themes that offer a set of sociolinguistic constructs, questions, and propositions that can provide aspiring teachers with a frame of reference and set of guidelines for teaching language and literacy. An implication section, at the end of the article, illustrates sociolinguistic components that can be added to course syllabi in …


Southern Rural Public Schools: A Study Of Teacher Perspectives, Leah P. Mccoy Dec 2006

Southern Rural Public Schools: A Study Of Teacher Perspectives, Leah P. Mccoy

The Qualitative Report

This ethnography explores teachers’ perspectives of the cultural issues affecting academic performance in twelve public high schools in rural Mississippi and Louisiana. Fr om a thematic analysis of the tape-recorded interviews of forty-one mathematics teachers, five categories emerged, each comprising a qualitative aspect of teaching high school in an economically depressed area of the deep South: society, race, students, families, and schools. Each of these categories is discussed and explicated using exemplars from the interviews to show how each category emerged from the data. In addition, the relationships among these categories, which form a destructive cycle of poverty, low expectations, …


Preservice Teachers’ Professional Development In A Community Of Practice Summer Literacy Camp For Children At-Risk: A Sociocultural Perspective, Janet C. Richards Dec 2006

Preservice Teachers’ Professional Development In A Community Of Practice Summer Literacy Camp For Children At-Risk: A Sociocultural Perspective, Janet C. Richards

The Qualitative Report

This inquiry applied an innovative sociocultural framework to examine transformations in preservice teachers’ professional development as they worked with children at-risk in a summer literacy camp. The camp incorporated a community of practice model in which teams of master’s and doctoral students mentored small groups of preservice teachers. The study examined preservice teachers ’ learning following Rogoff’s (1995, 1997) notions of the personal, interpersonal, and community planes of analysis. The research also employed a postmodernist crystallization imagery to capture multiple perspectives on the preservice teachers’ growth. The study assigns importance to the contextual dimensions in which learning takes place, and …


Meeting The Needs Of A Latino English Language Learner Through Teacher Research, Sylvia R. Taube, Barbara E. Polnick, Jacqueline Minor Lane Dec 2006

Meeting The Needs Of A Latino English Language Learner Through Teacher Research, Sylvia R. Taube, Barbara E. Polnick, Jacqueline Minor Lane

The Qualitative Report

Over the years, Ms. Lane’s third grade mathematics classroom had become increasingly diverse. Challenged by the growing population of English Language Learners (ELL) and he r need to change her teaching practice to meet their needs, Ms. Lane selected to study how best to teach one of her greatest challenges, Ana, a Latino ELL who also had a learning disability. Ms. Lane and her two university mentors found that using a collaborative action research model provided a structure for researching, designing, and implementing strategies that helped Ana improve her mathematics performance. The university mentors found that they, too, benefited from …


Qualitative Research And Quilting: Advice For Novice Researchers, Leigh Ausband Dec 2006

Qualitative Research And Quilting: Advice For Novice Researchers, Leigh Ausband

The Qualitative Report

This paper relates how the author, a novice qualitative researcher, uses the familiar process of quilting to help her clarify the research process. Other novice researchers are advised to look around for similar connections they can make in their lives to assist with their research.


Small Business Apparel Retailing In Jamaica: An Exploratory Investigation Into Product Development Processes And Practices, Natalie Johnson-Leslie, Luann R. Gaskill Sep 2006

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

The Qualitative Report

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


Creating And Using Learning Objects In Qualitative Research Education, Ronald J. Chenail, Jennifer L. Spong, Jan Chenail, Michele Liscio, Lenworth G. Mclean, Holly G. Cox, Brenda Shepherd, Nura C. Mowzoon Sep 2006

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

The Qualitative Report

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