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Full-Text Articles in Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies

The Use Of Complex Adaptive Systems As A Generative Metaphor In An Action Research Study Of An Organisation, Callum Brown Sep 2008

The Use Of Complex Adaptive Systems As A Generative Metaphor In An Action Research Study Of An Organisation, Callum Brown

The Qualitative Report

Understanding the dynamic behaviour of organisations is challenging and this study uses a model of complex adaptive systems as a generative metaphor to address this challenge. The research question addressed is: How might a conceptual model of complex adaptive systems be used to assist in understanding the dynamic nature of organisations? Using an action research methodology, 6 Ai r Force internal management consulting teams were exposed to overlapping attributes of complex adaptive systems. The study shows that participants found the attributes valuable in understanding the dynamic nature of organisations; however they did present challenges for understanding. Despite being challenging to …


How To Be Happy By Calling For Change: Constructs Of Happiness And Meaningfulness Amongst Social Movement Activists, Alice Mills, Jeremy Smith Sep 2008

How To Be Happy By Calling For Change: Constructs Of Happiness And Meaningfulness Amongst Social Movement Activists, Alice Mills, Jeremy Smith

The Qualitative Report

This paper focuses on how social movement activists view happiness in relation to their political involvement. Interviewers asked activists questions about their personal histories and feelings. The phenomenological strategy involved focused on interviews with subjects who could speak richly about their commitments and emotions. The data from the 11 subjects revealed that there was no simple relationship between a commitment to social activism and subjects’ experiences of happiness. Several subjects oriented their responses to the relationship between meaningfulness, activism, and happiness. In discussion of the analyzed data, the authors suggest that a relationship is evident between the positions articulated by …


A Qualitative Study Investigating Gender Differences In Primary Work Stressors And Levels Of Job Satisfaction In Greek Junior Hospital Doctors, Alexander-Stamatios Antoniou, Cary L. Cooper, Marilyn J. Davisdson Sep 2008

A Qualitative Study Investigating Gender Differences In Primary Work Stressors And Levels Of Job Satisfaction In Greek Junior Hospital Doctors, Alexander-Stamatios Antoniou, Cary L. Cooper, Marilyn J. Davisdson

The Qualitative Report

Primary work stressors and job satisfaction/dissatisfaction in Greek Junior Hospital Doctors (JHDs) are investigated to identify similarities and differences in the reports obtained from male and female hospital doctors. Participants in the study included 32 male and 28 female Greek hospital doctors who provided information through semi-structured, in-depth interviews. The findings revealed that a majority of Greek JHDs considered their profession very stressful, and that various differences were identified between male and female JHDs, with regard to perceived stress and satisfaction. The study has implications for the possible introduction of in-house stress management training programmes, both at a generic, and …


Exploring The Enactment Of Functional Curriculum In Self-Contained Cross-Categorical Programs: A Case Study, Emily C. Bouck Sep 2008

Exploring The Enactment Of Functional Curriculum In Self-Contained Cross-Categorical Programs: A Case Study, Emily C. Bouck

The Qualitative Report

Little research has been devoted to studying functional curriculum in secondary special education programs, self-contained cross-categorical programs, or curriculum enactment in special education, which warrants study of the culmination of these issues. This article presents a case study that attempts to answer, “What is the nature of the enactment of functional curriculum in rural self-contained cross-categorical programs?” The study occurred in two rural secondary self-contained cross-categorical programs with two teachers, four paraprofessionals, and 15 students. The findings suggest that the curriculum was enacted in the moment, was relative, and created tensions between special education and general education. The findings also …


Conceptualizing From The Inside: Advantages, Complications, And Demands On Insider Positionality, Christina Chavez Sep 2008

Conceptualizing From The Inside: Advantages, Complications, And Demands On Insider Positionality, Christina Chavez

The Qualitative Report

The debate on insider/outsider positionality has raised issues about the methodological advantages and liabilities between the two, yet no clear account exists for what insider scholars can expect when they enter the field. First, I conceptualize how insider positionality can dually benefit and disadvantage the insider. Using a partial review of insider studies, including my study of my multigenerational Mexican American family, I also present a practical discussion on specific insider advantages and complications. In conclusion, I present a new approach to training novice insider scholars that will help them mediate between insider perspective and researcher position, an approach that …


Teachers Who Left The Teaching Profession: A Qualitative Understanding, Lisa Gonzalez, Michelle Stallone Brown, John R. Slate Jun 2008

Teachers Who Left The Teaching Profession: A Qualitative Understanding, Lisa Gonzalez, Michelle Stallone Brown, John R. Slate

The Qualitative Report

In this study, the researchers investigated public school teacher attrition in the State of Texas. The study examined the problem by focusing on the predominant reasons teachers give for leaving the profession after working only one year as a teacher. Eight persons who had left the teaching profession after one year teaching were contacted and interviewed concerning their reasons for leaving. The three most influential factors found were lack of administrative support, difficulties with student discipline, and low salary levels. Study findings and implications for policy are discussed.


Qualitative Research And Consumer Policy: Focus Group Discussions As A Form Of Consumer Participation, Eva Heiskanen, Katja Järvelä, Annukka Pulliainen, Mika Saastamoinen Jun 2008

Qualitative Research And Consumer Policy: Focus Group Discussions As A Form Of Consumer Participation, Eva Heiskanen, Katja Järvelä, Annukka Pulliainen, Mika Saastamoinen

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes our ongoing attempts to involve consumers in innovation and technology policy by means of a national Consumer Panel, using focus group discussions as the primary method of consumer participation. We evaluate our experiences of the usefulness of focus group discussions in this context by considering two examples of studies focused on product safety. We evaluate the usefulness of this method in promoting consumer empowerment, deliberation, and multivocality in the assessment of new technologies and innovations. We also raised some critical questions that require further analysis and discussion.


Why Video? How Technology Advances Method, Martin J. Downing Jun 2008

Why Video? How Technology Advances Method, Martin J. Downing

The Qualitative Report

This paper reports on the use of video to enhance qualitative research. Advances in technology have improved our ability to capture lived experiences through visual means. I reflect on my previous work with individuals living with HIV/AIDS, the results of which are described in another paper, to evaluate the effectiveness of video as a medium that not only collects data, but also produces knowledge. I have provided strategies for confronting specific technological barriers and concerns in research. I made sure to consider my own role within this research, and have chosen to share the personal insights and revelations that occurred …


First Love: A Case Study In Quantitative Appropriation Of Social Concepts, Diederik F. Janssen Jun 2008

First Love: A Case Study In Quantitative Appropriation Of Social Concepts, Diederik F. Janssen

The Qualitative Report

Peer love is a highly invested autobiographical marker, and its scientific ascent can be studied in terms of its literature’s motives, stated objectives, exclusions, and delimitations. In this article an overview of numeric and selected ethnographic data on the timing of “first love” is presented, to inform an assessment of the ontological underpinnings of milestone research common to quantitative sociology and developmental psychology. Complicating scientific normalization of love’s initiatory connotation, selected ethnographic observations on the timing and notion of early/first love in non-Western societies are presented. These observations facilitate a critique of love as a heterosocial, propaedeutic event, and hence, …


Mixed Methods Analysis And Information Visualization: Graphical Display For Effective Communication Of Research Results, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Wendy B. Dickinson Jun 2008

Mixed Methods Analysis And Information Visualization: Graphical Display For Effective Communication Of Research Results, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Wendy B. Dickinson

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, we introduce various graphical methods that can be used to represent data in mixed research. First, we present a broad taxonomy of visual representation. Next, we use this taxonomy to provide an overview of visual techniques for quantitative data display and qualitative data display. Then, we propose what we call “crossover” visual extensions to summarize and integrate both qualitative and quantitative results within the same framework. We provide several examples of crossover (mixed research) graphical displays that illustrate this natural extension. In so doing, we contend that the use of crossover (mixed research) graphical displays enhances researchers’ …


Extending The Conversation: Qualitative Research As Dialogic Collaborative Process, Trena Paulus, Marianne Woodside, Mary Ziegler Jun 2008

Extending The Conversation: Qualitative Research As Dialogic Collaborative Process, Trena Paulus, Marianne Woodside, Mary Ziegler

The Qualitative Report

Collaborative research often refers to collaboration among the researcher and the participants. Few studies investigate the collaborative process among researchers themselves. Assumptions about the qualitative research process, particularly ways to establish rigor and transparency, are pervasive. Our experience con ducting three collaborative empirical research studies challenged and transformed our assumptions about qualitative research: (a) research planning taught as concrete and linear rather than as emergent and iterative, (b) data analysis conceptualized as individual discovery rather than collaboratively-constructed meaning, and (c) findings represented as individual product rather than as part of an ongoing conversation. We address each assumption, including how our …


Madhubani Art: A Journey Of An Education Researcher Seeking Self-Development Answers Through Art And Self-Study, Kavita Mittapalli, Anastasia P. Samaras Jun 2008

Madhubani Art: A Journey Of An Education Researcher Seeking Self-Development Answers Through Art And Self-Study, Kavita Mittapalli, Anastasia P. Samaras

The Qualitative Report

This study is situated within a self-study research methods course to scaffold doctoral students’ explorations of the intersections of their culture, and research interests using arts as a tool. Embracing the arts as a research method, the first author painted a self-portrait using the vibrant colors of Madhubani art which holds cultural significance to her. She utilized Blumer’s (1986) and Mead’s (1934) theory of symbolic interactionism to explain the process of her self-development as a researcher. Combining her self-portrait with an earlier research study proved valuable as a conduit for understanding and interpreting her work as a research methodologist. This …


The Unexpected Rewards Of Qualitative Research In Assessment: A Case Example, Penny Singh Jun 2008

The Unexpected Rewards Of Qualitative Research In Assessment: A Case Example, Penny Singh

The Qualitative Report

This paper reports on the inclusion of an oral component of assessment in science at two tertiary institutions in South Africa. The purpose of this paper is not to report on the results of the assessments conducted, but to focus on some of the unexpected rewards of conducting qualitative research in assessment. Using focus group discussions within a qualitative framework allowed me insights into the thoughts and experiences of the students and assessors, making the benefits of oral assessment apparent. These benefits included how assessment can be used as a learning opportunity, the advantages of homogeneous versus heterogeneous groups, and …


Using Technology To Enhance Qualitative Research With Hidden Populations, John Matthews, Elizabeth P. Cramer Jun 2008

Using Technology To Enhance Qualitative Research With Hidden Populations, John Matthews, Elizabeth P. Cramer

The Qualitative Report

Advances in technology provide researchers with increased opportunities to locate and conduct research with populations that have historically been inaccessible. This manuscript de scribes the development of private, voluntary web-based groups, and the process for using web cameras to conduct individual web-based interviews as a method of data collection in qualitative research. Also contained within are detailed steps for utilizing each of these technological innovations as well an exploration of the ethical issues related to using technology to enhance the research experience with members of hidden populations, using the GLBT population as a referent group.


Palinode: The Heteronormative Re/Production Of Transsexual, Jodi Kaufman Jun 2008

Palinode: The Heteronormative Re/Production Of Transsexual, Jodi Kaufman

The Qualitative Report

This project began at the intersection of several conversations: Recently Jay Prosser (2005) wrote a palinode of his analysis of Del Lagrace's photograph of the genitals of a female -to-male transsexual. Recanting his original reading of the photograph as a referent directly linked to "male," Prosser re-read the photograph, suggesting "the referent [is] unsuturable with the signifier," in other words concluding that transsexuality...is...irreconcilable...within gender representation" (p. 176). This idea of a palinode caught my attention. How could I re-read my data to realize what was lost in the original, to find that which exceeded the bounds of signification so I …


Physical Activity In Intermediate Schools: The Interplay Of School Culture, Adolescent Challenges, And Athletic Elitism, Colleen Macquarrie, Donna Murnaghan, Debbie Maclellan Jun 2008

Physical Activity In Intermediate Schools: The Interplay Of School Culture, Adolescent Challenges, And Athletic Elitism, Colleen Macquarrie, Donna Murnaghan, Debbie Maclellan

The Qualitative Report

The intervention potential of physical activity programs for intermediate schools (grades 7–9), could be enhanced by an understanding of how students engage with and disengage from physical activity. This study provides an interpretation of how adolescents, parents, teachers, and principals perceive students’ involvement in physical activity within their intermediate school environment. Thematic analyses of eighteen interview transcripts resulted in an interpretation of students’ continuum of engagement with or disengagement from physical activity. The continuum is reflective of a social process that is grounded in three key themes: school culture, social valuing of athletic elitism, and adolescent challenge


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 …


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.


“Taking Charge Of One’S Life”: A Model For Weight Management Success, Marlene Adams Mar 2008

“Taking Charge Of One’S Life”: A Model For Weight Management Success, Marlene Adams

The Qualitative Report

Obesity is a serious, prevalent, and refractory disorder that increases with age particularly in women who enroll in formal weight loss treatments. This study examined the processes used by obese postmenopausal women as they participated in a formal weight loss program. Using grounded theory, interviews were conducted with 14 women engaged in a formal weight loss study examining success with specific, targeted weight loss treatments based on one’s weight control self-efficacy typology. “Taking Charge of One’s Life” emerged as a model for weight management success, comprised of three phases: engaging, internalizing, and keeping one’s commitment. This study supports the unique, …


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.


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.


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. …


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 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 …


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 …


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 …


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.