Observing The Observer: Understanding Our Selves In Field Research,
2010
Nova Southeastern University
Observing The Observer: Understanding Our Selves In Field Research, Michelle A. Manley
The Qualitative Report
In Observing the Observer, Shulamit Reinharz (2011) provides students and the novice researcher with an insightful and descriptive framework in which to understand the theoretical underpinning of ethnographical studies. The author presents an outline for comprehending unidentified and identified characteristics of the researcher in the fieldwork setting, making the self an essential tool of fieldwork.
Arts-Based Research In Education: A Review,
2010
Taos Institute
Arts-Based Research In Education: A Review, Pamela Smithbell
The Qualitative Report
What is the difference between research that uses art, research about art, and research through art? Is arts-based educational research (ABER) a method or medium? What does arts-based research look like? How is it used and evaluated? Editors Cahnmann-Taylor and Siegesmund recruited an arresting array of contributors: paradigmatic pioneers, noted artist-scholars, as well as newcomers to the field. This volume condenses the history, unique features, social contributions, and controversy into a readable, scholarly, and practical text. Each artist-researcher develops a chapter comprised of multiple elements: biography, explanation of intent, critique, photos and open-ended questions. True to ABER epistemology, these contributors …
Qualitative Health Research - A Beginner's Guide,
2010
Nova Southeastern University
Qualitative Health Research - A Beginner's Guide, Feroza Sircar-Ramsewak
The Qualitative Report
Qualitative Research in Health: An Introduction by Carol Grbich is a research text for beginners in qualitative health research. Grbich explicitly and simply introduces the new researcher to the theoretical issues, concepts, methodologies, processes, techniques, approaches, and debates in qualitative research, with a specific focus on the health sciences. Her easily-readable text gives new researchers an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of each qualitative method.
A Critique Of Four Grounded Theory Texts,
2010
University of Calgary
A Critique Of Four Grounded Theory Texts, Lise M. Allen
The Qualitative Report
This article is a review of Discovery of Grounded Theory by Glaser and Strauss, Basics of Qualitative Research by Strauss and Corbin, Constructing Grounded Theory by Charmaz, and Situational Analysis by Clarke across six categories, including the authors' purposes, structure of the books, practical applications of the books' methods, how the authors approach theory and data emergence, how the authors judge grounded theory research and finally, if the authors have achieved their purposes. For the most part, I found that all books accomplished their purposes. Discovery was weak in practical applications but strong on logical arguments for the usage of …
A Practical Approach To Qualitative Interviews,
2010
Nova Southeastern University
A Practical Approach To Qualitative Interviews, Patrice R. Leblanc
The Qualitative Report
Nigel King and Christine Horrocks (2010) provide a functional discussion of multiple topics related to interviewing in their book, Interviews in Qualitative Research. However, the authors present more than just a useful discussion of how to design, conduct, and analyze interviews. They simultaneously introduce the importance of philosophical approaches and ethics in relation to the topics discussed, making connections between these important notions and the qualitative research process they describe. Their practical approach to the topics presented makes their book a wonderful resource for novice researchers.
Applied Interpretation: A Review Of Interpretive Description By Sally Thorne,
2010
University of Calgary
Applied Interpretation: A Review Of Interpretive Description By Sally Thorne, Sally St. George
The Qualitative Report
In this book review I focus on the connections between the concepts, applied and interpretive, in conjunction with Sally's Thorne's (2008) emphasis on using interpretive qualitative research to answer the questions that practitioners encounter in their work.
Using Focus Groups In Preliminary Instrument Development: Expected And Unexpected Lessons Learned,
2010
North Carolina State University
Using Focus Groups In Preliminary Instrument Development: Expected And Unexpected Lessons Learned, Slyvia C. Nassar-Mcmillan, Mary Wyer, Maria Oliver-Hoyo, Amy Ryder-Burge
The Qualitative Report
Focus groups can be utilized effectively across various stages of instrument development. This article details selected aspects of a process in which they were employed at the initial stages of item generation and refinement in a study of occupational stereotyping. The process yielded rich contextual information about the worldview and corresponding terminology of participants. In addition, the use of a tool developed and previously employed as an approach to clinical case notes (i.e., SOAP notes), produced surprising benefits in documenting the focus group data. The purpose of this paper is to describe this process and highlight the insights that emerged. …
How To Read And Review A Book Like A Qualitative Researcher,
2010
Nova Southeastern University
How To Read And Review A Book Like A Qualitative Researcher, Ronald J. Chenail
The Qualitative Report
Reading a book with the intention of composing a review demands certain skills on the part of the reader that may differ when the goal of the read is for pleasure or scholarship. To help these reviewing readers to produce creative and useful review, the employment of qualitative research perspectives and procedures is suggested for reading books in a systematic matter leading to reviews that not only share the contents of the texts, but also transform the meaning of the texts producing new insights for the texts' authors and readers alike.
A Synopsis Of Synthesis: A Review Of Major And Savin-Baden's An Introduction To Qualitative Research Synthesis,
2010
Nova Southeastern University
A Synopsis Of Synthesis: A Review Of Major And Savin-Baden's An Introduction To Qualitative Research Synthesis, Christopher W. Smithmyer
The Qualitative Report
This review looks at the book An Introduction to Qualitative Research Synthesis: Managing the Information Explosion in Social Science Research, by Claire Howell Major and Maggi Savin-Baden. Following the format for reviewing a book presented by the University of Alberta (2010), this review analyzes the book by audience, point by point, and then gives a general overview of the reviewer's opinion of the book. The book has several strong features, such as the procedural explanations and the clear defense of criticisms of synthesis, few failings, and presents a strong introduction for several audiences. Overall, this is a book well worth …
Developing The Art Of Becoming A Couple: A Grounded Theory Study Of The Positive Influence Of Married And Loving It! ®,
2010
University of Idaho
Developing The Art Of Becoming A Couple: A Grounded Theory Study Of The Positive Influence Of Married And Loving It! ®, Barbara D. Petty
The Qualitative Report
Couples can improve their marriages by implementing relationship building skills they learn while participating in a marriage education program. This study addresses how marriages improved as a result of participating in the marriage education program, Married and Loving It!® and what specific components of the learning experience facilitated the change. Using grounded theory methodology, the data collected from 12 participants, six married couples through in depth semi-structured interviews, revealed how participating in Married and Loving It! ® can assist couples in improving their relationships by guiding them through a developmental process. It is through skill development and a greater understanding …
Netnography: A Method Specifically Designed To Study Cultures And Communities Online,
2010
Nova Southeastern University
Netnography: A Method Specifically Designed To Study Cultures And Communities Online, Gary M. Bowler Jr.
The Qualitative Report
With many people now using online communities such as newsgroups, blogs, forums, social networking sites, podcasting, videocasting, photosharing communities, and virtual worlds, the internet is now an important site for research. Kozinets' (2010) new text explores netnography, or the conduct of ethnography over the internet - a method specifically designed to study cultures and communities online. Guidelines for the accurate and ethical conduct of ethnographic research online are set out, with detailed, step-by-step guidance to thoroughly introduce, explain, and illustrate the method to students and researchers. Kozinets surveys the latest research on online cultures and communities, focusing on the methods …
Psychotherapeutic Treatment In Combination With Relaxation In A Flotation Tank: Effects On "Burn-Out Syndrome",
2010
Karlstad University
Psychotherapeutic Treatment In Combination With Relaxation In A Flotation Tank: Effects On "Burn-Out Syndrome", Anette Kjellgren, Hanne Buhrkall, Torsten Norlander
The Qualitative Report
The focus of this study was to investigate experiences gained from treatment combining relaxation in flotation tank with psychotherapy for sufferers from "burn-out syndrome". Six people participated in a ten week program. They were all interviewed; the data were analyzed using the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological method. Five themes emerged: (a) direct experiences during flotation, (b) effects due to the treatment sessions, (c) psychological transformation, (d) reflections about the treatment program, and (e) demanding and rewarding psychological process over time. All participants went through psychological transformations and improvements in quality of life. At the end of the treatment program, all participants …
Disciplined (Un)Knowing: The Pedagogical Possibilities Of Yogic Research As Praxis,
2010
Bucknell University
Disciplined (Un)Knowing: The Pedagogical Possibilities Of Yogic Research As Praxis, Sarah K. Mackenzie
The Qualitative Report
Within this paper, I seek to engage with the possibilities that may exist when, through a yogic lens, we disrupt those unspoken, but accepted boundaries with/in research and pedagogy that separate art and science, reader and author, student and teacher, knowing and not knowing. Using multiple genres, I explore the practice of researching and the limitations of Truth seeking to create space for dialogue across the text, as reader and writer consider the pedagogical possibilities of letting go within research. In a culture that places a premium on knowing, this work can be uncomfortable, but in the discomfort one may …
Review Of Carolyn Ellis' Book, Revision: Autoethnographic Reflections Of Life And Work,
2010
Georgia State University
Review Of Carolyn Ellis' Book, Revision: Autoethnographic Reflections Of Life And Work, Camille Sutton-Brown
The Qualitative Report
In Revision: Autoethnographic Reflections of Life and Work (2008), Carolyn Ellis demonstrates a striking ability to tell stories while simultaneously interrogating their meanings. Ellis uses autoethnography and meta-autoethnography to write herself and others into stories which connect to issues that extend beyond the particular characters in the stories. This book demonstrates the value that autoethnography can offer to researcher, reader, academia, as well as to community practice. This review introduces the term experiential layering as a way to describe Ellis' revisioning of the stories that she presented in The Ethnographic I.
A Hermeneutic Reading Into "What Strategy Is": Ambiguous Means-End Relationship,
2010
Buckinghamshire New University
A Hermeneutic Reading Into "What Strategy Is": Ambiguous Means-End Relationship, Ali Bakir, Milar Todorovic
The Qualitative Report
Given the underutilization of hermeneutic research in organizations and the recognition that we do not know what strategy is, we undertake a hermeneutic reading of authorial texts to develop a robust understanding of strategy. We enter into a self-reflexive dialogue with the text to accomplish a fusion of horizons where we hope to turn our prejudices into productive prejudices. In this dialogue, we utilize competing strategy paradigms within a framework that treats the means-end relationship and its underpinning rationality as central to our understanding. This study portrays strategy as a series of intended actions operating along the instrumental/objective - interpretive/subjective …
A View From The Inside: An In-Depth Look At A Female University Student's Experience With A Feel-Based Intervention To Enhance Self-Confidence And Self-Talk,
2010
University of Ottawa
A View From The Inside: An In-Depth Look At A Female University Student's Experience With A Feel-Based Intervention To Enhance Self-Confidence And Self-Talk, Eva Guérin, Isabelle Arcand, Natalie Durand-Bush
The Qualitative Report
The primary goal of this investigation was to document, using the participatory paradigm, a female university student's experience with a feel-based intervention intended to enhance the quality of her academic experiences including her self-confidence and self-talk. In this unique qualitative case study, the student participated in a 15-week intervention that included multiple in-depth interviews and regular journaling, both of which prompted regular self-monitoring and self-reflection. A narrative account illustrates how the student learned to regulate the way she felt through the intervention, leading to increased self-awareness and self-control, as well as enhanced self-talk and self-confidence.
Avoiding Traps In Member Checking,
2010
Minnesota State University
Avoiding Traps In Member Checking, Julie A. Carlson
The Qualitative Report
Due to the variations of design and protocol in qualitative inquiry, researchers may inadvertently create problems for themselves in terms of the trustworthiness of their research. Miscommunication between participants and researchers can especially arise from the unique and unpredictable nature of human dynamics. In this paper I contend that such problems, or traps, can easily and at times unknowingly be set during the qualitative process known as member checking, threatening the researcher/participant relationship and possibly the stability of the study. In this paper, I examine member checking through five vignettes personally experienced. These vignettes are preceded by a presentation of …
The Four Key Factors That Drive Successful Decisions,
2010
Sommer Yeager, LLC.
The Four Key Factors That Drive Successful Decisions, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer
The Qualitative Report
The mechanisms of language operate as the vehicles for motivation, thinking and deciding. Language is a replica, a model, a representational map of reality. In the same way that a flawed roadmap will misrepresent reality and mislead a traveler, a flawed linguistic rationale will mislead a decision maker in any situation. In high-stakes situations that occur in globalized organizations, such as the current economic meltdown, the importance and consequences of flawed linguistic rationales are obvious. Simple suggestions for self examination of linguistic rationales are offered.
In Praise Of Irrationality: Self, "East" And "West" In Greek Teachers' Speeches On National Day Commemorations,
2010
University of Ioannina
In Praise Of Irrationality: Self, "East" And "West" In Greek Teachers' Speeches On National Day Commemorations, Lucianna Benincasa
The Qualitative Report
In this qualitative study of school discourse on national day commemorations, focus is on the "social creativity strategies" through which group members can improve their social identity. Discourse analysis was carried out on thirty-nine teachers' speeches delivered in Greek schools between 1998 and 2004. The speakers scorn rationality and logic, stereotypically attributed to "the West" (a "West" which is perceived not to include Greece), as cold and not human. The Greeks' successful national struggles are presented instead as the result of irrationality. They claim irrationality to be the most human and thus the most valuable quality, which places Greece first …
The Analysis Of An Unsuccessful Novice Teacher's Induction Experiences: A Case Study Presented Through Layered Account,
2010
Boise State University
The Analysis Of An Unsuccessful Novice Teacher's Induction Experiences: A Case Study Presented Through Layered Account, Sara Winstead Fry
The Qualitative Report
Although induction support is heralded as an effective way to reduce high attrition among beginning teachers, nationwide increases in induction participation have not been accompanied by a comparable reduction in attrition rates. This inconsistency suggests some induction programs may not provide adequate support. This article presents the results of a case study that explored the experiences of a beginning teacher who left the profession despite participation in an induction program. The research question was: "Why was Stella unsuccessful in her second year of teaching?" The results are presented through the postmodern ethnographic method of layered account (Ronai, 1997). In addition …
