Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons^™

The Relationship Between Hispanics/Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men And Women Cultural Beliefs, Risk Behaviors And Self-Disclosure, Donnalee Maria Lawson-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among cultural/spiritual beliefs, risk behaviors, and disclosure among Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men and women (MSMW). Minority men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by HIV, in particular MSM who are Hispanic/Latino or African American. Limited research is available on the link between Hispanic/Latino MSMW, their cultural/spiritual beliefs, risk behavior, and disclosure about risk behaviors to friends and family. The data were obtained from the SJS Project, which used survey methods to gather data on participants from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Among the participants …

The Role Of Facebook In The Exhibition Of Subclinical Narcissistic Traits, Megan Gramm

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several psychological processes motivate the use of Facebook. The correlation between subclinical narcissistic traits and Facebook use has been examined, but the results have been inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Facebook use and the exhibition of subclinical narcissistic traits. The method for this study was meant to improve upon previous studies that used self-reported data by providing researchers with a technique to collect Facebook data from the personal pages of participants, with informed consent. Social learning theory provided the theoretical foundation for this study. This theory posits that new patterns of behavior can …

Multiple Role Conflict And Coping Strategies Of Men In The Aerospace Industry, Lynette Bowden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Work-life balance is a dilemma for both men and women. However, the perspective of men on this issue has not been previous addressed. Work intensification and societal pressures cause men to work longer, harder, and cope with the stressors of multiple role conflicts and work-life imbalance. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore men's lived experience in managing multiple roles regarding work-life conflicts, and identify coping strategies they used to achieve a work-life balance. The research questions were related to the lived experiences, perceived causes, and coping strategies of work-life imbalance for men in the aerospace industry. The …

Domestic Violence Recidivism: Restorative Justice Intervention Programs For First-Time Domestic Violence Offenders, Tamika L. Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence impacts millions of Americans annually and, in spite of the use of rehabilitative programs, recidivism in domestic violence continues to be more likely than in any other offense. To date, batterer intervention programs (BIPs) have not proven to be consistently impactful in reducing recidivism in cases of domestic violence. The purpose of this quasi-experimental, quantitative study was to examine differences in recidivism for first-time male domestic violence offenders who have participated in a BIP and a more recently developed alternative: victim-offender mediation (VOM). The theories of restorative justice and reintegrative shaming frame this study to determine if offenders …

Rural Haitian Women's Experiences With Poor Health Through Poverty, Geralda Felix

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

People living in rural Haiti lack access to basic health care services due to poverty. Rural poverty in Haiti particularly affects women's health because Haiti has had the highest maternal mortality and infant mortality rates in the Americas, in addition to some of the worst health statistics in the Western Hemisphere. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to cultivate a greater understanding of the poverty factors that affect access to health care services specifically among poor women living in rural Haiti. This study was based on the social ecological model for population health development, theorizing that a person's health …

Leadership Strategies For Developing And Implementing Organizational Change, Hardy L. Delay Iv

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders in some narcotics treatment programs struggle with change development and implementation. The objective of this single-case study was to explore strategies used by leaders in a narcotics treatment program to develop and implement organizational change initiatives successfully. Participants included 4 leaders who had developed and implemented successful change initiatives repeatedly for more than 10 years in a narcotics treatment program in the southeastern United States. Bertalanffy's general systems theory was the basis for the conceptual framework. Data collection included semistructured interviews of leaders of a narcotics treatment program and collection of archival data, such as reports relating to strategic …

Effectiveness Of Prisoner Reentry Programs For Reduction Of Repeat Incarcerations In Nigeria, Emmanuel Dejo Oluwaniyi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The persistently high rate of repeat incarcerations poses a threat to the safety of lives and properties. The problem that led to this study was the prevailing high rate of repeat incarcerations in Nigeria, despite interventions to reduce their occurrences. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of prisoner reentry programs in reducing reincarcerations of ex-prisoners. The focus of the research questions was on whether treatment and the type (faith- or non-faith-based) made a difference in a prisoner's reincarceration status after release. The theoretical foundation was based on the transtheoretical model of change. Reincarceration outcomes were analyzed …

The Sinophone Roots Of Javanese Nini Towong, Margaret Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article proposes that Nini Towong, a Javanese game involving a possessed doll, is an involution of fifth-century Chinese spirit-basket divination. The investigation is less concerned with originist theories than it is a discussion of the Chinese in Indonesia. The Chinese have been in Southeast Asia from at least as early as the Ming era, yet Chinese contributions to Indonesian culture is an understudied area. The problem begins with the asymmetrical privileging of Indic over Sinic influences in early European scholarship, a situation which in turn reveals the prejudices that the Europeans brought to bear in their dealings with the …

Social Isolation, Survey Nonresponse, And Nonresponse Bias: An Empirical Evaluation Using Social Network Data Within An Organization, Megumi Watanabe, Kristen Olson, Christina Falci

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Survey researchers have long hypothesized that social isolation negatively affects the probability of survey participation and biases survey estimates. Previous research, however, has relied on proxy measures of isolation, such as being a marginalized group member within a population. We re-examine the relationship between social isolation and survey participation using direct measures of social isolation derived from social network data; specifically, instrumental research and expressive friendship connections among faculty within academic departments. Using a reconceptualization of social isolation, we find that social network isolation is negatively associated with unit response. Among women (a numerical minority group within the organization), we …

The Republicanization Of Evangelical Protestants In The United States: An Examination Of The Sources Of Political Realignment, Philip Schwadel

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Although the association between evangelical Protestant and Republican affiliations is now a fundamental aspect of American politics, this was not the case as recently as the early 1980s. Following work on secular political realignment and the issue evolution model of partisan change, I use four decades of repeated cross-sectional survey data to examine the dynamic correlates of evangelical Protestant and Republican affiliations, and how these factors promote changes in partisanship. Results show that evangelical Protestants have become relatively more likely to attend religious services and to oppose homosexuality, abortion, and welfare spending. Period-specific mediation models show that opposition to abortion, …

Household Water Consumption In El Paso, Texas: Perceptions And Behaviors Towards Water In Urban Households, Diego Armando Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The main objective of this research is to determine perceptions and behaviors of household water consumption and to examine how those may affect the patterns of water use and consumption levels in households of El Paso, Texas.

I conducted a qualitative exploratory research to collect important data that is often left unexplored in quantitative research. The collected data is a mixture of qualitative and quantitative. I do report the quantitative data using descriptive statistics, which help the reader see basic patterns in the study.

Qualitative data can help to understand the reasons that impact water consumption perceptions and behaviors in …

Happiness Index Methodology, Laura Musikanski, Scott Cloutier, Erica Bejarano, Davi Briggs, Julia Colbert, Gracie Strasser, Steven Russell

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

The Happiness Index is a comprehensive survey instrument that assesses happiness, well-being, and aspects of sustainability and resilience. The Happiness Alliance developed the Happiness Index to provide a survey instrument to community organizers, researchers, and others seeking to use a subjective well-being index and data. It is the only instrument of its kind freely available worldwide and translated into over ten languages. This instrument can be used to measure satisfaction with life and the conditions of life. It can also be used to define income inequality, trust in government, sense of community and other aspects of well-being within specific demographics …

How To Enhance Qualitative Research Appraisal: Development Of The Methodological Congruence Instrument, Annette M. Willgens, Robin Cooper, Doles Jadotte, Bruce Lilyea, Cynthia L. Langtiw, Alice Obenchain-Leeson

The Qualitative Report

In this research report, we introduce a methodological congruence instrument (MCI) that addresses the five major qualitative research traditions. Methodological congruence is a "fit" between the researcher's chosen methodology and his/her philosophical perspective. The chosen methodology should be aligned with the research question, data collection and sampling procedures, philosophical perspectives and seminal authors, data analysis, and findings. These elements are contained in the MCI. We share information about its inception, development, and application, and invite our research colleagues to offer critical feedback. It is our hope that qualitative researchers, editorial board members, teachers, and students find this instrument helpful and …

Cyberbullying In Rural Communities: Origin And Processing Through The Lens Of Older Adolescents, Lisa Reason, Michael Boyd, Casey Reason

The Qualitative Report

The experiences of older adolescent cyberbullying victims from a rural community were explored in this qualitative study. Findings revealed that cyberbullying originates primarily as the result of jealousy over romantic relationships and cultural, religious, or sexual orientation intolerance. Participants also indicated that cyberbullies tend to be more brazen and cruel as the result of perceived anonymity. In addition, participants reported feelings of helplessness and rage in response to the attacks. Finally, participants suggested that the lack of knowledge and understanding of cyberspace resulted in a lack of emotional support and protection against cyberbullying.

“Welcome To The Real World” Inclusive Research With People With Learning Disabilities: A Doctoral Journey, Shirley Durell

The Qualitative Report

Many people with learning disabilities have been and are still been excluded from an active involvement in research. In the UK, this position has been challenged by people with learning disabilities, their supporters and academic allies, through the advancement of inclusive research. But calls have been made for a clarification of the roles that can be played by these research supporters and researchers, to expose asymmetrical relations and to advance existing practices, as well as to develop a better understanding of quality in inclusive research. In response to these matters, this paper offers an account of the experiences of a …

Reviewing Literature On Gender Using Found Poetry And Dramatic Script, Dorothy Morrissey

The Qualitative Report

In this article, derived from the literature review chapter of her doctoral dissertation, the author presents a variation on what Prendergast (2006) calls found poetry as literature review. Her writing experiment is intended to reflect the dynamism of her “conversations” with the theoretical literature with which she engaged before and during the dissertation project: an intervention in the gender narratives of postgraduate student teachers. She does not, however, see theory as confined to academic literature and her conversations extend into poetry as well. In her conversations, the author engages with a wide range of texts in performance studies and feminist …

Subjectivity Filtering: Finding Cognitive Authority In Online Social Media Opinion Posts, Laurie J. Bonnici

Proceedings from the Document Academy

The technological explosion of information ushered in by the Internet, and more so with online social media (OSM), has provided a forest of personal opinions from which hunters forage. Personal opinions abound in OSM, serving as secondhand knowledge sources that inform everyday decisions. This research proposes a new lens, Cognitive Authority Framework – Quality Information Source (CAF-QIS), to explore the nature, tone, intentions, and believability of OSM postings. The conceptual framework is informed by Wilson’s four dimensions of cognitive authority (CA) combined with the five traditional criteria used as a common (unnamed) model for the identification of information quality in …

Career Morph: Quantitizing Adversity In Academic Medicine, Carol Isaac, Rebecca Mcsorley, Alexandra Schultz

The Qualitative Report

Many qualitative researchers reject textual conversion based on philosophical grounds although others believe it facilitates pattern recognition and meaning extraction. This article examined interview data from 52 physicians from a large academic medical center regarding work–life balance. Analysis ranked men and women in four career tracks: Clinician-Educator, Clinician-Researcher, Clinician-Practitioner, and residents. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a qualitatively driven (QUAL→quan) mixed method design illustrated differences between stratified groups. Although many initial codes were similar for men and women, their language was gendered and generational in context of work-life balance. Results indicated that women (and low-status men) …

Newcomers In A Nontraditional Receiving Community: Korean Immigrant Adaptation Strategies In The American Deep South, Charles A. Lynn, Sun-A Lee

The Qualitative Report

This ethnographic case study considers the role of the church in the lives of Korean immigrants in a small town in the southeastern United States. Drawn to a poultry processing plant by the promise of permanent residency, hundreds of middle class Koreans have cycled through one-year commitments at Claxton Poultry since 2005. We analyze the benefits and pitfalls of adaptation strategies developed by the Korean immigrants and how their social networks both help and hinder their livelihood in a nontraditional receiving locale. Results indicate that while membership at a prominent religious congregation does offer Korean immigrants bonding networks amongst themselves, …

Inside The Black Box: A Qualitative Evaluation Of Participants’ Experiences Of A Drug Treatment Court, Sarah Kuehn, Rebecca Ridener

The Qualitative Report

This study examined the program experiences of participants in a Drug Treatment Court located in Pennsylvania. In-depth interviews were used to investigate participants’ perceptions in regards to program components that aid them in the recovery process and challenges they face while completing the program. Results from the 16 interviews indicate that participants contribute their success in the program to its strict structure, accountability, and dedicated staff who buy into the court’s underlying principles of therapeutic jurisprudence. Implications for other drug treatment courts are discussed.

Qualitative Health Research Involving Indigenous Peoples: Culturally Appropriate Data Collection Methods, Amy L. Wright, Olive Wahoush, Marilyn Ballantyne, Chelsea Gabel, Susan M. Jack

The Qualitative Report

Historically, health research involving Indigenous peoples has been fraught with problems, including researchers not addressing Indigenous research priorities and then subsequently often failing to utilize culturally appropriate methods. Given this historical precedence, some Indigenous populations may be reluctant to participate in research projects. In response to these concerns, the Government of Canada has developed the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS2): Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada, which stipulates the requirements for research collaborations with Indigenous communities. Utilizing this policy as an ethical standard for research practices, this paper describes, critiques and synthesizes the literature on culturally …

Multi-Stakeholder Partnership In Teacher Education And Development, Linyuan Guo-Brennan, Carolyn Francis, Elizabeth Townsend, Michael Guo-Brennan

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

While there is a growing interest in offering international teaching practicums to pre-service teachers as an approach to developing teachers' global perspectives on education, however, understanding of the impact of such practice on the host communities is insufficient or absent. This study collected data from multiple sources and, using the Theory of Change framework, examined the impact of pre-service teachers' international practicum on the school and community development in Kenya. Through exploring the context of host communities, the perceptions of Kenyan educators, and the changes that have occurred in Kenyan schools and communities, this study revealed positive development changes in …

The Minister-Elder Relationship Within “Churches That Work”, Steve Cloer

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

This essay is the summary of a research project focused on how the minister-elder relationship in Churches of Christ can facilitate missional transformation in an established church. Twenty-five reputable congregations of Churches of Christ were researched that were profiled as “Churches That Work” by The Christian Chronicle from 2006-2013. A survey was conducted of these congregations’ elders and ministers assessing their leadership practices and perspectives. Four congregations were selected based on results of the survey and qualitative strategies of interviewing, focus groups, observation, and document gathering were used. Five patterns of a missional polity developed: elders as nurturing pastors, ministers …

Encouraging Reflective Practices In Doctoral Students Through Research Journals, Amy Orange

The Qualitative Report

This study developed after I read numerous research journals created by my doctoral students. At times, students included considerable amounts of detail, reflecting on their research processes and their roles as researchers. At other times, the journals appeared to be a mere afterthought, seemingly completed in an evening to satisfy the requirement and get a grade. And, as with many things in the introductory qualitative research course, students expressed a need for more structured guidelines for their journals. In response, I developed a set of guidelines and prompts students could use to guide their journal entries. With this study, I …

‘How Yoga Are You?’: Exploring The Contemporary Practice Of Yoga In The United States, Olivia Mclaughlin

Masters Theses

In 2015, to the United States, 21 million Americans claimed to be regular practitioners of yoga. Yoga has long been studied by psychologists, therapists, and medical scientists for its ability to affect positive change in people’s lives, particularly in regards to mental and emotional health and well-being. Within the field of sociology, yoga has gained an increasing amount of attention for its ability to help treat chronic eating disorders among women, becoming extremely popular within the subfields of sociology of the body and gender. Additionally, the cultural impact of the transmission of yoga has fascinated social scientists interested in studying …

A Theoretical Analysis Of Isis Indoctrination And Recruitment, Trevor Hawkins

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper is an attempt to use various theories in the social sciences as a tool to understand the mechanisms employed in ISIS indoctrination and recruitment tactics. There is a discussion of theories that have been developed in the field of influence psychology, rationalizing the context of indoctrination within this area of study. There is a discussion of proposedly relevant materials in philosophy, specifically simulacrum and linguistic deconstruction. These components are extrapolated to interpret a first person account of ISIS indoctrination, the first-ever ISIS recruitment film, and a Radical-Islamist periodical Inspire Magazine. Using a form of propaganda film analysis, and …

Wellbeing And Data Quality In The American Time Use Survey (Atus) From A Total Survey Error Perspective, Ana Lucía Córdova Cazar

Survey Research and Methodology Program: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this dissertation, I seek to develop a tool for the enhancement of time-use and wellbeing measures from a total survey error perspective. In particular, I evaluate the quality of the time use data produced in the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), by exploring its indicators and identifying its main predictors, including interview rapport. Results from these analyses are then used to evaluate the extent to which certain variables correlate, as predicted, with expected levels of wellbeing.

The first specific objective was to investigate the data quality of the 2010 ATUS by constructing a data quality index. In my dissertation, …

From Combat Zones To The Classroom: Transitional Adjustment In Oef/Oif Student Veterans, Lorrie Kato, Jeremy D. Jinkerson, Sarah C. Holland, Henry V. Soper

The Qualitative Report

With 600,000 veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom enrolled in higher education with the Post-9/11 GI Bill, recognizing and responding to their predictable adjustment issues is imperative. Existing qualitative research has identified some transitional issues encountered by small groups of veterans. Because of qualitative research’s limited generalizability, however, themes may be viewed as more generalizable when corroborated by student veterans in different regions. In order to provide an in-depth description of the themes related to the post-deployment adjustment process, the first author conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 student veterans from a Southwestern community college who were returning to …

Street By Street: Cross-Site Evaluation Of The Ojjdp Community-Based Violence Prevention Demonstration Program, Kathleen A. Tomberg, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) launched the Community-Based Violence Prevention (CBVP) program to reduce youth violence through targeted community-level initiatives. The program offered grants to cities for implementing evidence-based strategies, such as Cure Violence and the Boston Gun Project, to address high-risk youth involvement in violence. The John Jay College Research and Evaluation Center evaluated the program’s impact on five recipient cities: Brooklyn, NY; Denver, CO; Newark, NJ; Oakland, CA; and Washington, DC. The evaluation focused on the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing violence among youth and young adults.

Instructional Motivations: What Can We Learn From Homeschooling Families?, Jesse Thomas

The Qualitative Report

Some educational theorists have believed that the beneficial aspects of home education will eventually find their way into mainstream educational contexts. The purpose of this paper was to extract the motivations behind homeschooling instructional decisions. This study was built on surveys and interviews from over 1000 homeschooling parents across the United States. Participants were asked about the reason for their instructional routines. Instructional motivations reported included a child’s particular learning style, a parent’s personal preference, a child’s interests, community resources, experience, faith, family reasons, special goals, and special needs. These motivations may also represent those of public school parents, thus …