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

Evolutionary Theory Of Mate Selection And Partners Of Trans People: A Qualitative Study Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Amanda Forde

The Qualitative Report

Despite much research into mate selection, non-heterosexual populations are often only included for comparison purposes, while trans people and their partners are overlooked. This study attempts to address this using qualitative methodology to explore the mate selection of the partners of trans people. Six participants were recruited from online communities and interviewed via instant messaging, the results were then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The author organised the results into four themes. Theme one: Identities/relationships which defy categorisation, Theme Two: Attractive traits and mate selection, Theme Three: Impact of past romantic relationships, other relationships and life changes and Theme Four: …

Induction, Deduction, And Cyclical Movement: A Review Of Qualitative Research Methods, Christine L. Patton

The Qualitative Report

In Qualitative Research Methods, Hennink, Hutter, and Bailey (2011) offer readers an overview of every phase of qualitative research from formulating research questions, to participant recruitment, to writing and presenting results. In each of these phases, the authors push readers to continuously move between induction and deduction and embrace the cyclical nature of the qualitative research process.

Participatory And Action-Oriented Dissertations: The Challenges And Importance Of Community-Engaged Graduate Research, Emily Van Der Meulen

The Qualitative Report

Graduate students commonly experience isolation and estrangement when conducting their final research projects, which can contribute to difficulties in completion. A creative and socially beneficial way to offset academic isolation is for graduate students to engage in participatory and action-oriented research projects with local communities. Facilitating a research study with a local partner can be a richly rewarding experience. This article argues that students who enjoy working in collaborative environments and want their final research projects to lead to beneficial social change can find fulfillment in action research (AR) methodologies. Critiqued by some for its lack of tangible and practical …

Qualitative Research From Start To Finish: A Book Review, Linnea L. Rademaker

The Qualitative Report

I reviewed Yin's (2011) recent publication entitled Qualitative Research from Start to Finish, with a particular eye to the benefits for the seasoned researcher, as well as significant aspects that are appropriate for the beginning and intermediate graduate student. A unique element of the book is the inclusion of a discussion of worldviews at the end of the book. Additionally, the adaptive focus of the book might be helpful for both novice and seasoned researchers.

Winning The Phd Game: Evocative Playing Of Snakes And Ladders, Carolyn Dickie

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to describe a qualitative approach to developing an understanding of the lived experiences of PhD students. Rather than relying on textbook reports and theories about studying a higher degree by research, by allowing the students' voices to be heard, explicit and conscious research can be used to generate appropriate responses to the needs of students as they progress through the PhD process. Thematic analysis focuses on identified themes and patterns of research-learner behaviours.

A Tool In The Kit: Uses Of Bullshitting Among Millennial Workers, Daniel D. Martin, Janelle L. Wilson

The Qualitative Report

This study explores the nature, use, and social organization of one form of communicative action that is common in everyday life -- "bullshitting." We use this form of communication to assess the ways in which dimensions of community, power and status are created in interaction. Abiding by the canons of ethnographic content analysis, we gathered data from over one hundred student respondents to ascertain the behaviors, utterances, and stories that people define as "bullshitting." The study finds that members of the "millennial generation" hone skills both in the telling and detection of this form of communication as they participate in …

School Counselor And School Psychologist Perceptions Of Accountability Policy: Lessons From Virginia, Ryan Richard Ruff

The Qualitative Report

This paper is concerned with the professional efficacy of school counselors and school psychologists that operate under the umbrella of accountability reforms. Research questions addressed counselor and psychologist job roles and responsibilities, as well as their personal perspectives on the impact of accountability reforms on both the classroom context and student socio-emotional development. Interviews were conducted with counselors and psychologists of varying professional experience and school level, with analysis following analytic induction. Results indicate that the efficacy of student support personnel has been negatively impacted by accountability reforms, but schools that maintain a positive culture dedicated to excellence minimize that …

Promise And Possibility For Aspiring Principals: An Emerging Leadership Identity Through Learning To Do Action Research, Stella C. Batagiannis

The Qualitative Report

This case study explored the promise and possibility of doing action research both for aspiring principals engaged in such research and for professors using it as pedagogy for teaching educational leadership. The study of a class of graduate students aspiring to be principals had a constructivist theoretical framework. The research design consisted of three tiers: tier one: a reflective self-study by the professor evaluating the pedagogy of developing action research team projects; tier two: an analysis of the self-evaluations of the aspiring principals on the pedagogy of developing action research team projects and its effect on their learning; and tier …

Stigmatization Of Overweight Patients By Nurses, Eileen Creel, Ken Tillman

The Qualitative Report

The focus of this research study was the exploration of the phenomenon of stigmatization of obese persons by nurses. The philosophical tradition of Phenomenology based on Heidegger's view of the person guided the researchers in uncovering the meaning of stigmatization for eight chronically ill individuals with a body mass index greater than 30. Stigmatization by nurses for this group of medically obese women meant being exposed to unintentional harm, presuppositions, and reluctant care. Perceptions of stigma were manifested in shame, marginalization, and anxiety in seeking health care. Nursing care could advance positive outcomes when including non-discriminatory care related to weight …

Conversations On Method: Deconstructing Policy Through The Researcher Reflective Journal, Ruth C. Slotnick, Valerie J. Janesick

The Qualitative Report

In this article the authors argue that the researcher reflective journal is a critical interpretive tool for conducting educational policy analysis. The idea for this research grew from the experiences of a doctoral candidate (Ruth) in pursuit of a policy focused dissertation and a series of on-going conversations with her qualitative methodologist (Valerie). The structure of the paper takes a dialogue form on the topic of policy analysis and the various uses of the journal, including found data poetry and photographic representations of the self as a research instrument, which may expand the findings and increase options for data presentation. …

Till Death Do Us Part: Lived Experiences Of Hiv-Positive Married African American Women, Lorece V. Edwards, Shalon M. Irving, Anita S. Hawkins

The Qualitative Report

HIV/AIDS disease continues to be an escalating health problem, particularly among women. However, African American women are among the leading demographic groups for HIV prevalence in the United States. The typical woman with HIV/AIDS is young, in her late twenties, economically challenged, and of childbearing age. Participants were recruited from an HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic to explore their perceptions of social support, life experiences and marriage. Data were collected through tape-recorded interviews using a semi-structured guide and journaling. Participants reported that most of their time was spent providing care for their husbands who were HIV-positive. Very often their health and well-being …

The Unfocused Focus Group: Benefit Or Bane?, Nancy K. Franz

The Qualitative Report

Facilitating successful focus groups requires both science and art. One element that can fully challenge focus group facilitators includes how to handle the unfocused focus group. This article describes "unfocus" and the benefits and disadvantages of unfocus in focus groups. Lessons learned from and approaches taken on this journey are shared to enhance focus group facilitation best practices.

A Definition Of Gender Role Conflict Among Black Professional Fathers, Ora Robinson

The Qualitative Report

There is very little literature that depicts the parental role of Black professional fathers positively or that samples Black participants from the upper economic strata. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into how Black professional fathers experience or perceive gender role conflict and identify clinical implications. Grounded in phenomenological methodology and gender role conflict theory, the framework is based on gender role devaluations, gender role restrictions, and gender role violations (O'Neil, Good, & Holmes, 1995). The emerging experiences found in this project were (a) a conflict between the Black and White races and (b) conflict with parental …

Mind The Gap: Unexpected Pitfalls In Doing Classroom Research, Amanda A. Baker, Joseph J. Lee

The Qualitative Report

Inherent in classroom research are the inevitable, and often unanticipated, challenges experienced by researchers. This article moves beyond the main issues highlighted in the literature and identifies some of the problems the authors encountered when conducting two common methodological procedures, classroom observations and stimulated recall interviews (SRIs), as part of our dissertation research investigations. The paper first surveys what the literature describes as the main areas of concern with these two procedures. It then pulls away from these resources to explore actual difficulties we experienced that we believe are inadequately addressed in the literature. Using illustrations from our dissertation projects, …

Exercising The Mind: A Review Of Stretching Exercises For Qualitative Researchers, Kristen Chorba

The Qualitative Report

In this third version of Stretching Exercises for Qualitative Researchers, Janesick (2011) continues to refine and expand upon ways in which qualitative researchers-both new to the field and experienced-can extend and hone a number of skills essential to being an effective researcher. This book will be helpful to those wishing to learn more about and practice the art of qualitative research. Janesick combines valuable information and practical exercises in this text, which will assist in the development of skills essential to qualitative research, including interviewing, observing, journaling, narrating, analyzing, interpreting, and collaborating. This new edition includes a discussion on using …

Case Closed: An Earnest Review Of Ganon's Case Study As Research Method, Brian T. Gearity

The Qualitative Report

Gagnon's (2011) text is the most recent contribution to the growing corpus of knowledge on case study research. As a whole, the text contains all of the typical parts one would expect in an introductory text on case study research. The text begins with a brief discussion of paradigms and epistemologies and then gives way to issues of reliability and validity. Next, the reader is taken through a "step-by-step" approach to case study research with chapters on data collection, analysis, interpretation and writing reports. Drawing upon his own experiences using case study method, Gagnon identifies enduring concerns and provides several …

Is Less More And More Less…? The Effect Of Two Types Of Interviewer Experience On “Don’T Know” Responses In Calendar And Standardized Interviews, Ipek Bilgen

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

Among interviewing context factors, the level of interviewer experience has been observed to be associated with item nonresponse rates in surveys (Singer et al., 1983, Bailar et al., 1977; Pickery & Loosveldt, 1998). The findings regarding the direction of this association, however, are equivocal. This dissertation addresses competing theories behind the relationship between interviewer experience and item nonresponse. The explored experience types are general interviewer experience, gained via survey administration during a lifetime, and within-study interviewer exposure, gained during administration of a particular study fielding period. Item nonresponse was measured via respondents’ “don’t know” responses.

To date, methodological …

Doctoral Students' Conceptions Of Research, Rod Pitcher

The Qualitative Report

In this paper I report a study of the conceptions of research held by a sample of doctoral students at an Australian research-intensive university. I take a unique approach by using metaphor analysis to study the students' conceptions. The students in this study were recruited for an on-line survey in which they answered questions relating to their conceptions of research. I arrived at four categories that I have labelled research is explorative, research is constructive, research is spatial, and research is organic.

Methodological And Ethical Dilemmas Encountered During Field Research Of Family Violence Experienced By Adolescent Women In Buenos Aires, Natalia Luxardo, Graciela Colombo, Gabriela Iglesias

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this article is to examine some obstacles and dilemmas related to methodological strategies and ethical considerations that arose during the fieldwork of research focused on family violence during the stages of pregnancy and childbirth in adolescent females in Buenos Aires during 2007. From this study, we are able to contribute some reflections in the arena of qualitative and mixed methods inquiries. Some of the problematic topics encountered were: institutional constraints, questionnaires with categories too abstract for the target population, lack of interest in participating, orthodox methods that did not work in the field and ethical protocols that …

How To Conduct Qualitative Research On The Patient's Experience, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

From a perspective of patient-centered healthcare, exploring patients' (a) preconceptions, (b) treatment experiences, (c) quality of life, (d) satisfaction, (e) illness understandings, and (f) design are all critical components in improving primary health care and research. Utilizing qualitative approaches to discover patients' experiences can provide valuable information for practitioners and investigators alike. In this paper, the author describes how researchers can select from among five major qualitative designs (i.e., primary qualitative research, qualitative evaluation, collaborative inquiry, mixed method, and qualitative meta-study) and five preeminent qualitative methodologies (i.e., descriptive, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and narrative) to create studies to meet their …