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

Getting At The Moral Leadership Of Education Deans, Shelley B. Wepner, Antonia D'Onofrio, Bernice Willis, Stephen C. Wilhite

The Qualitative Report

Vignettes were used to prompt four education deans to think aloud about ways in which they would resolve problems with embedded moral issues. Thematic coding was used to analyze the interview texts that had been tape recorded and transcribed. There was general support for the two moral themes of holding to broad social ideals and negotiating for mutually acceptable outcomes, but individual expressions of specific strategies and actions differed. The results of this study support a multi-dimensional approach to the study of the leadership of deans that simultaneously examines the moral, social, intellectual and emotional aspects of problem solving. The …

Factors Related To Community Mobilization And Continued Involvement In A Community-Based Effort To Enhance Adolescents' Sexual Behaviour, Christine Joffres, Deborah Langille, Janet Rigby, Donald B. Langille

The Qualitative Report

Purpose: This article describes and proposes a model of the factors that influenced community members' initial mobilization, continuing effort, or lack of involvement in a community based-intervention on adolescents' sexual health in Nova Scotia, Canada. Design: This study was conducted within the constructivist paradigm and guided by the principles of grounded theory. Methods: Factors related to community members' initial and continued involvement were explored using analyses of the contents of in-depth interviews and written documentation through pattern identification, clustering of conceptual groupings, identification of relationships between variables, constant comparisons, and theoretical memos. Subjects: Respondents included 14 participants, the 12 members …

"Planned Barriers" Against Destructive Psychological Processes In Care Organizations, Gurli Fyhr

The Qualitative Report

This is the first study in a long-term qualitative, theory generating, research project aimed at uncovering conditions that facilitate development of destructive psychological processes in care organizations. Special focus was put on three previously identified problem areas, i.e., staff privileges, conflicting educational traditions/cultures among staff, and psychological reparative work on the part of the staff. A special approved home for teenage boys with serious psychosocial, drug and criminal problems was studied. The strategy used was grounded theory together with abductive reasoning. Data were collected using institutional documents, questionnaires and individual psychotherapeutic interviews. In spite of a target group with serious …

Research As A Learning Experience: A Phenomenological Explication, Charlotte Pietersen

The Qualitative Report

A phenomenological method was employed to explore the learning experiences of seven honours psychology learners who have completed research projects. The research event was experienced as a learning adventure, a period of personal growth, and also lead to a strong appreciation of the differences between doing research in practice and research as described in texts. They regarded time management and problem solving skills as important prerequisites to successful research. Findings provide guidelines for academics involved in the research training of learners and are a useful source of information, to provide insight into and alert learners to the challenges of research.

General Motors And Toyota: Comparison Of American And Japanese Managerial Cultures, Seiko Yomogita

Masters Theses

In the automobile industry, American culture and Japanese culture impact each other to support economic growth in both countries as one part of globalization. In American companies, religious factors, individualism, and American immigrant history manifest as characteristics of American management styles. In contrast, in Japanese companies, Asian community-based ideology, household concepts, and family kinship manifest as characteristics of Japanese management styles. These differences appear in the relationships between employees and employers, job security, quality control of products, responsibilities of line workers, loyalty of all employees to the company, impact of wearing uniforms, functions of unions, and minority managements.

My thesis …

Understanding Of Emotions And Emotion Regulation In Adolescent Females With Conduct Problems: A Qualitative Analysis, Lynne M. Kostiuk, Gregory T. Fouts

The Qualitative Report

Adolescent girls with conduct problems were interviewed regarding their (a) understanding of positive and negative emotions, (b) parental context of experiencing emotions, (c) ways of regulating emotions, (d) success in emotion regulation, and (e) use of alternative strategies in dealing with emotions. It was found that the girls have relatively little understanding of their negative internal states and/or are unable to express them to others, especially to fathers. They have few successful strategies for regulating negative emotions in themselves and others and are unaware of alternative strategies. This dysregulatory pattern likely prevents them from learning more appropriate ways of expressing …

Bias In Qualitative Research: Voices From An Online Classroom, Beloo Mehra

The Qualitative Report

The issue of bias in qualitative research is an important one, and demands special attention and discussion in any qualitative research methods class. This reflective paper, written in the tradition of teacher-research, presents an analysis of how my students and I, working in an online classroom environment, learn together about the role researcher self and subjectivity play in designing and conducting qualitative research. While researcher bias and subjectivity are commonly understood as inevitable and important by most qualitative researchers, the beginners in qualitative research classes are generally not very comfortable with the idea of research that is not value-neutral. A …

Redefining Our Understanding Of Narrative, Amardo Rodriguez

The Qualitative Report

This paper is born out of my concern about the increasing use of narrative as merely a different methodology. I argue that narrative as methodology ultimately depoliticizes the potentiality of narratives. Narrative simply becomes one of the many methods that belong to qualitative inquiry. We generally discuss narrative as story-telling. We also focus on doing good narrative analysis. In this paper I recast in narrative in language of cosmology so as to highlight the libratory potentiality that narrative affords persons who strive for a new and different world. I discuss narrative in terms of being in the world. I also …

What's Rapport Got To Do With It? The Practical Accomplishment Of Fieldwork Relations Between Young Female Researchers And Socially Marginalised Older Men, Cherry Russell, Denise Touchard, Maree Porter

The Qualitative Report

Drawing on field notes, interview transcripts and personal reflections, this paper describes an ethnographic research project as a practical accomplishment. The project has employed two young female fieldworkers in negotiating and documenting the social worlds of socially disadvantaged and marginalised older men in inner city Sydney, Australia. We provide a rich description of the various processes involved in this kind of research such as gaining entry, recruiting participants, obtaining consent and conducting interviews. Our analytical and interpretive focus is on the social relationships of fieldwork and the problematic role of rapport as the ideal (or only) basis for such relationships. …

Use Of Focus Groups In Survey Item Development, Sylvia C. Nassar-Mcmillan, L. Dianne Borders

The Qualitative Report

Focus groups are rapidly gaining popularity as a field research tool. This technique can be particularly effective in survey item development, as illustrated here via development of the Volunteer Work Behaviors Questionnaire. The steps involved in this process, ranging from item generation to finalizing logistics, are outlined. Implications for further research are proposed.

Training And Support Of Developing-Country Population Scientists: A Panel Report, Jane Menken, Ann K. Blanc, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report offers an assessment of the current situation and needs for the future with regard to training population professionals. As the concerns of population scientists become more diverse and as institutions look beyond the limitations of their own programs, collaborative training programs are increasingly seen as an effective means of maximizing the training experience of students while potentially lowering overall costs. While it is clear that the most desirable situation is one in which population experts are trained primarily in high-quality institutions located in their own countries or regions, it is equally clear that this scenario is not likely …

An Interview With Sandra Harding, Stephanie Urso Spina, Mike Roberts, Patricia Ticento Clough

Publications and Research

Harding’s position has been critiqued as more postmodern than feminist, as viable without nasty entanglements in feminism, as too concerned with established Eurocentric, scientific discourses, and as appealing to foundational innocence by her concern with realism. But what seems to drive Harding’s choices more than anything is a conscious attempt to be effective in intervening in existing systems of power, whether empiricist and postmodern. By taking this position, Harding undertakes a difficult task. Its difficulty, however, is compensated for by the conversations she generates. As a voice not restricted to one intellectual school, Harding demands attention from many with opposing …

Social Learning Theory And The Influence Of Male Role Models On African American Children In Project 2000, Rhonda Wells-Wilbon, Spencer Holland

The Qualitative Report

This study is an assessment of observational learning commonly known as social learning theory of a group of 55 African American students who are participants in a mentoring program known as PROJECT 2000. From first through sixth grades male role models, who were largely African American, were in the classroom as teacher assistants. At the time of the study all student participants were in fifth grade. An interview was conducted featuring a short open-ended questionnaire. Students in PROJECT 2000 had an opportunity to express their feelings about the male role models that worked with them in their classroom. These interviews …

Constraints, Compromises And Choice: Comparing Three Qualitative Research Studies, Julia Connell, Colin Lynch, Peter Waring

The Qualitative Report

Although a number of texts explore social research strategies and methods, most are limited to a basic discussion of such methods and their associated advantages and disadvantages. Few if any, evaluate and compare methods in the context of actual research experiences. This paper endeavours to bridge that gap by reporting the experiences of three researchers working on three separate qualitative studies. All three studies were concerned with investigating the social milieu within organizations. While the research questions were different in each case, all the researchers shared a common goal - to develop explanations for complex social phenomena manifest both internally …

Once Were Science Teachers, John Loughran, Amanda Berry, Deborah Corrigan

The Qualitative Report

This paper explores the development of three pre-service science teacher educators' understandings of some critical incidents in their development of science teachers that has impacted on the manner in which they teach about teaching in a teacher preparation program. The study draws on self-study methodology by situating their reflection on practice within a critical discourse whereby reframing has been important in learning through a reconsideration from particular critical incidents in their high school science teaching experiences. The authors argue that through critical reflection on practice, as illustrated in this paper, that the beginnings of the articulation and documentation of a …

Building A Typology Of Self-Renewal: Reflection Upon-Life Story Research, Izhar Oplatka

The Qualitative Report

The current paper provides a researcher's account of the life-story method used in a study which aimed to identify patterns of the self-renewal process among women school principals in mid-career. The subjects of this study were 25 elementary school women principals aged between 43 and 52 in Israel. The paper outlines the practical aspects of the life-story method and contributes to our understanding of the consecutive pragmatic ways to implement a life-story method aimed to explore and develop a typology of a yet unknown phenomenon. Further, the ethical implications of doing life-story interview are discussed and presented.

Toward An Understanding Of Acquired Hearing Loss In A Family: Narrative Play Format As A New Voice In Qualitative Methodology, Bruce A. Kent, Brett E. Furlonger, Delwyn A. Goodrick

The Qualitative Report

This study examines how the reality of acquired hearing loss effects one family. Some consideration is given to the medical elements of the condition but the primary concern is with the psychological and social affects of hearing loss. The affects of the loss are revealed, by using systematic introspection in a narrative play format. This writing format is evaluated as the chronology of events, emotions, turning points and coping strategies are revealed.

What Couples Say Works In Domestic Violence Therapy, Jodi R. Allen, Sally St.George

The Qualitative Report

This ethnographic study adds to our professional knowledge about the effectiveness of domestic violence counseling. We learned from couples who had been court referred for domestic violence counseling what they found to be most effective in their therapy. The study was conducted by a student practitioner-researcher. The inquiry is written in an open manner and details the procedural steps, discusses trustworthiness specific to the inquiry, and includes reflections from the authors.

"She Even Walked The Dog": The Roles Of Relational Context And Goal-Setting In A Welfare To Work Program, Lynne A. Kellner, David Haddad, Ann G. Forcier

The Qualitative Report

This report summarizes an evaluation of the effectiveness of a welfare-to-work program that is operated by the Montachusett Opportunity Council (MOC) in Central Massachusetts. The study looks at how effective the program was in helping clients achieve goals towards self-sufficiency and tries to understand the particulars of the trusting relationships between staff and clients that provided the base from which they worked to address multiple concerns impeding family financial self-sufficiency.

Affirmative Action: An Analysis Of Aa/Eeo Officers' Perceptions Of Campus Policies In The University Of Missouri System, Shawn Woodhouse

The Qualitative Report

This study sought to explore the perceptions of affirmative action officers in the University of Missouri System. Each affirmative action officer on the four University of Missouri campuses participated in an electronic or personal interview in which they responded to eight questions regarding the implementation of affirmative action policies on their respective campuses. A comparison of the officer responses revealed that each university complies with federal affirmative action guidelines, but some of the institutions in the system developed additional strategies to attract minority faculty candidates.

Let's Get Personal: Exploring The Professional Persona In Health Care, Terry Maccormack

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes how a group of counselors and counseling lecturers at a rural university in New South Wales, Australia, initiated an exploration of their personal experiences as health care providers using an innovative research approach in which they engaged in a series of open, tape-recorded conversations with one another about their work. Their method also included transcribing and analyzing their narratives in a search for underlying themes in the thoughts and feelings that they shared. The intent behind their project was to find a way to voice how health care providers are affected by their work, and in so …

A Qualitative Investigation Into Developmental Relationships For Small Business Apparel Retailers: Networks, Mentors And Role Models, Luann R. Gaskill

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this investigation was to gain an understanding of the use, function, and support dimensions of developmental relationships for small business apparel retailers by applying focus group data collection techniques and interpretive analysis. Data collection took place through eight focus groups with small business owners/managers in six mid-western communities. Results indicate that, indeed, networks, role models, and mentors are viewed as necessary and important mechanisms for information, support, and guidance. However, focus group participants noted a lack of access to such developmental relationships. In terms of functions performed, having a business colleague to confide in, and relate to, …

"Beyond Number Crunching:" Applying Qualitative Techniques In Sport Marketing Research, Aaron Smith, Bob Stewart

The Qualitative Report

Valid and reliable research is pivotal to successful sport marketing strategy. Market research may be gathered via either quantitative or qualitative means. This paper explores the theoretical background and practical applications of qualitative research techniques. It explains the appropriate context for qualitative approaches, and discusses sampling procedures with particular emphasis on the powerful but simple technique known as theoretical sampling. In addition, it clarifies and explores data analysis procedures. The purpose of this paper is to provide sport market research practitioners with a model for implementing qualitative methodologies in sport marketing campaigns.

The Multi-Site Study: An Innovative Research Methodology, Josée Audet, Gérald D'Amboise

The Qualitative Report

The Multi-Site Study is a qualitative research approach that we designed to gain an in-depth knowledge of an organizational phenomenon that had barely been researched: strategic scanning. It combines several approaches to case study research, borrowing from the positivist tradition, the interpretative approach and the qualitative research corpus. It involves the observation and analysis of several sites using namely cross-case comparisons and explanation building techniques to analyze data. The following report primarily explains the thought process that led to the research decision, a description of the process itself is then presented, followed by an illustration and discussion of the results …

Using Case Study Methodology In Nursing Research, Donna M. Zucker

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate a research method that may contribute a unique and valuable method of eliciting phenomena of interest to nursing. Case study method can be used as a creative alternative to traditional approaches to description, emphasizing the patient's perspective as central to the process. This manuscript will define case study method, and discuss various case study designs. Approaches and tactics from a variety of disciplines, and theoretical or philosophical perspectives are discussed with an emphasis on method and analysis. The bulk of the manuscript outlines the stages used in a case study of men …

The Journey Of A Beginning Researcher, Susanne Schwarz Mccotter

The Qualitative Report

As I embarked on the first major research project of my career as a researcher, I sought a clearly written article that would help me through some common obstacles in qualitative research. This article outlines those problems and offers some solutions from one researcher's perspective. Some of the problems described and discussed include how to use theory and integrate it with data, the issues that arise from being a simultaneous researcher and participant, and how to represent participants with integrity and authenticity. This methodological piece offers suggestions for novice researchers as they embark on their own journeys as qualitative scientists.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Parental Experiences And The Role Of Family Counselors, Patrick J. Morrissette

The Qualitative Report

This paper discusses the experiences of foster/adoptive parents who raise children diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the instrumental role family counselors can play regarding child management issues, intimate relationships, larger system collaboration, and research. For the actual study, six parents participated in individual, in-depth tape-recorded interviews. Each interview was transcribed, thematically analyzed, and revealed seven predominant themes including (a) constant vigil, (b) effects on marriages, (c) child management, (d) parental issues, (e) interactions with professional community, (f) emancipation concerns, and (g) medical implications. The ways in which family counselors can intervene are reviewed and include the role of clinician, …

Perceived Drinking Norms, Attention To Social Comparison Information, And Alcohol Use Among College Students, Katherine B. Novak, Lizabeth A. Crawford

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Numerous studies indicate that normative campus drinking practices are important in determining college undergraduates’ use and abuse of alcohol. The purpose of this paper was to extend this literature by assessing the extent to which a dispositional susceptibility to peer influence, measured using the Attention to Social Comparison Information subscale (Lennox & Wolfe, 1984), moderates this relationships. Consistent with prior research, the perception that alcohol use and abuse are common campus activities was associated with high levels of drinking across students. Attention to social comparison information also had a direct positive effect on alcohol consumption among the undergraduates surveyed. Moreover, …

The Grandparent-Raising-Grandchildren Phenomenon In Michigan, Linda Gail Kimball

Dissertations

Role theory, specifically the incongruous and time-disordered role fit confronted by grandparent caregivers, provides the theoretical basis for this inductive qualitative research study.

A cohort of thirty-five grandparent caregivers, predominantly White, middle-income, older and married, participated in this study. Also included were seven leaders of support groups for grandparents responsible for raising their grandchildren.

Instrumentation included 23 questions to elicit demographic information from the grandparent caregiver. Additionally, the grandparents and the support group leaders responded to a set of focused questions designed to identify (a) the issues facing grandparents who are primary caregivers for their grandchildren, (b) the implications for …

Community Practice: A Training Ground For Social Work Students, Mylo G. Jennings

The Qualitative Report

Providing services to communities while providing education and training for social work practice in communities is at the core of this paper. These activities are discussed and reviewed in the context of social work in communities. Social work field placements (internships) in communities can provide positive learning experiences for students and excellent services to communities. The Winslow Project, a two-year community-focused placement for two group of first year master of social work (M.S.W.) Students is described and the results of this project are discussed. In order to fulfill a commitment to the community concept, students need a well-defined concept of …