Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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.

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 …

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, 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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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, 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 …

Coming In From The Margin: Research Practices, Representation And The Ordinary, Karen P. Greiner

The Qualitative Report

This essay explores issues of marginality and representation in research, which emerged during life history interviews with Tammi, an "ordinary" woman living in Appalachia. I examine how my research practices, namely my thirst for drama and marginality, nearly silenced the preferred stories of the woman who shared her life with me. I contrast Tammi's unique yet quotidian accounts with streams of literature reflecting a tendency to neglect the commonplace by representing residents of Appalachia through tragic or heroic extremes. This essay pairs Tammi's stories with a reflection on what may have become of them had I followed my first impulse …

"We're Locking The Door": Family Histories In A Sample Of Homeless Youth, Shahid Alvi, Hannah Scott, Wendy Stanyon

The Qualitative Report

It is well known that the pathways to homelessness for young people are embedded in often ongoing negative childhood experiences. Many of these experiences are rooted in multiple and intersecting problems including, but not limited to: family conflict, abuse, addictions, and mental health issues. The authors draw upon qualitative interviews conducted with 15 homeless male and female youth between the ages of 16 and 24 in a suburban area of Southern Ontario, Canada. We describe these young people's perceptions of family experiences and find support for Elliott Currie's (2004) proposition that a broader ethos of individualism and intolerant parenting underpins …

Embodied Transcription: A Creative Method For Using Voice-Recognition Software, Christine Brooks

The Qualitative Report

Voice-recognition software is designed to be used by one user (voice) at a time, requiring a researcher to speak all of the words of a recorded interview to achieve transcription. Thus, the researcher becomes a conduit through which interview material is inscribed as written word. Embodied Transcription acknowledges performative and interpretative aspects of interview and transcription processes and explores the efficacy of utilizing the researcher's body as an epistemological tool. Influenced by performance art, feminism and postmodernism, the iterative cycles of Embodied Transcription include processes of vocalization and resonation which may foster "knowing in the body," and serve to enrich …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Comprehensive And Clear: A Review Of H. Russell Bernard And G.W. Ryan's Analyzing Qualitative Data: Systematic Approaches, Shelley Victor

The Qualitative Report

In their book Analyzing Qualitative Data: Systematic Approaches, Bernard and Ryan (2010) present a thorough review of qualitative data analysis. Main topic areas include data collection, coding, development of themes, qualitative analysis of words and detailed descriptions of grounded theory, content analysis, and schema analysis. This book is applicable and appropriate for a variety of professionals in the social sciences.

Unquestioned Answers: A Review Of Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods, Dan Wulff

The Qualitative Report

Indigenous research methods offer important considerations for qualitative researchers. The emphasis on relationships over knowledge, participation over expertism, and holism over specialized understandings draw striking distinctions for the researchers invested in honouring their participants. This highly readable and creative book presents research practices that respect the inseparability of research and other practices of living.

Playbuilding As Qualitative Research: The Play, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

Joe Norris's book on playbuilding can cause readers to think quite differently about qualitative research and plays. His evocative text encourages researchers to engage their inner playwrights and to consider how we perform knowledge and how we mediate data in order to engender novel reactions from our research participants, readers, and ourselves.

Ethnography Essentials: A Review, Robin Cooper

The Qualitative Report

Julian M. Murchison has written a thorough and thoroughly practical resource for the newcomer to ethnography. In his new book, Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting, and Presenting Your Research, he guides the novice ethnographer through the research process from conceptualization through presentation of findings. The text also includes discussion of some of the developments and debates within the field of ethnography.

Handling Qualitative Data: A Review, Diana Riviera

The Qualitative Report

In Handling Qualitative Data: A Practical Guide, Richards (2009) presents the reader with beginner-to-intermediate knowledge of qualitative research and the requirements to develop a successful project. Throughout the text there are boxes of information that capture essential steps or informative pieces that the reader should make note of or make it a point to remember. Richards also reminds the readers that one of the most important parts of research is to start. Procrastination can be the researcher's greatest enemy.

Research And Evaluation In Education And Psychology (3rd Ed.) By Donna M. Mertens- A Book Review, Candace H. Lacey

The Qualitative Report

While Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology (3rd ed.) by Donna M. Mertens (2010) is a beginning research text, in many ways it is advanced in its approach to research design. Like any revised edition, much of the material from the earlier editions is in the present edition. What makes this book different is the call to the reader to reflect on a personal understanding of research. This is accomplished through the use of "Expand Your Thinking" blocks within the text. These brief reflections allow researchers to explore their own assumptions and beliefs and consider the impact of self …

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.

Flooding Challenges Pakistan’S Government And The International Community, Altaf Ullah Khan, Mary H. Schwoebel

Conflict Resolution Studies Faculty Articles

The flooding and associated devastation that have battered Pakistan since late July 2010 present yet another series of challenges to its government, already contending with violence from extremist groups. The international community would do well to assist the Pakistani government in responding effectively to these challenges.

Natural disasters are social as well as environmental events. The poor and marginalized members of society suffer the most. Marginalization is one of the root causes of violence and militancy in Pakistan.

As the government of Pakistan responds to the suffering of its people and the damage to the environment and infrastructure, it should …

Restorative Writing: Connecting Adjudicated Students To Local And Global Communities, Cheryl Lynn Duckworth

CAHSS Faculty Presentations, Proceedings, Lectures, and Symposia

Poets and memoirists have known for millennia that the written word can clarify, beautify and heal, as the students of Room 5C often discover. Writing, of course, is also a key tool of peaceful social change. As such, the written word can be where personal and social change, structure and agency, meet in the classroom. Yet how often is this power leveraged in our juvenile detention home schools? How often do we ask juvenile offenders to be critical participants, even leaders, in their communities? Freire would remind us that the problems juvenile offender-students face are themselves the best curriculum.

This …

Simulation In Nursing Education: A Review Of The Research, Pamela G. Sanford

The Qualitative Report

Simulation in education has been used at least since the time of World War II. Simulation in nursing education in the form of static manikins, role playing, CPR manikins, and other techniques has also been utilized as a teaching modality for quite some time. High-fidelity simulation is a relatively new area in nursing education and utilizes high technology simulation monitors and computers. This technology offers new avenues for teaching student nurses scenarios as well as critical thinking and reflection on lived experience and practice. However, the outcome research in the area of high-fidelity simulation in nursing education is limited at …

Practicing Reflexivity In The Study Of Italian Migrants In London, Francesca Romana Seganti

The Qualitative Report

This article discusses the centrality of reflexivity in qualitative research through examples from my study on the role new media play in the lives of Italians in London. My hypothesis was that Italians were "in transit" in London and they were using new media to build "temporary" communities. I conducted in-depth interviews with members of the Italianialondra.com online community. I found they settled in London and the online community, instead of supporting "nomadic" identities, was used for re-territorialization. Through reflexivity I was able to determine the reasons for a partially wrong hypothesis. I also identified biases that clouded my interpretations …

Using Qualitative Research To Identify And Address The Unique Needs Of Caregivers Of Persons With Alzheimer's Disease, Breanda K. Wheeler

The Qualitative Report

This paper reviews articles describing qualitative research that explores the unique needs of caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Qualitative research methodologies used in these studies include hermeneutic phenomenology, descriptive studies with focus groups, and individual interviews. Researchers identified needs and concerns unique to caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease including the need for knowledge about the disease, care recipient and caregiver issues, resource needs, and coping post-nursing home placement. Suggestions for addressing the needs were given by study participants. Implications for nurses and other professionals working with caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease were addressed. The importance of qualitative …

Creative Combinations In Qualitative Inquiry, Robin Cooper

The Qualitative Report

In Qualitative Inquiry: Thematic, Narrative and Arts-Informed Perspectives, Lynn Butler-Kisber offers students of qualitative research a valuable resource that provides useful foundational information about both traditional and arts-based qualitative methods. At the same time, by bringing a discussion of these various methodological approaches together into one text, the book inspires possibilities for creative combinations in qualitative research design.

Conducting A Focus Group, Barbara Packer-Muti

The Qualitative Report

Conducting focus groups seems to be a process that is practically intuitive. However, this key practice in qualitative research requires that a novice facilitator must do his or her homework. This article describes the process by which I became more cognizant of the tools necessary to be successful in planning and running focus groups. The article provides information about books and articles that were useful in providing practical information. It also details the use of the "learning-by-doing" journey embarked upon at my institution, whereby we conducted 56 town hall meetings over a four month time period using a focus group …

What Are The Issues Confronting Infertile Women? A Qualitative And Quantitative Approach, Katja Hämmerli, Hansjörg Znoj, Thomas Berger

The Qualitative Report

Infertility is a stressful experience, yet little is known about the specific issues confronting infertile women. In the present study, researchers sought to identify themes important to infertile women and examine possible associations with mental health levels. Using qualitative content analysis, researchers analyzed the email messages of 57 infertile women participating in a German-language Internet-based treatment for infertility. The themes most important to infertile women were emotions surrounding their wish for a child, coping with this unfulfilled wish, and medical aspects. Clinically anxious women reported substantially and significantly more negative and positive emotions than non-anxious women did (Mann-Whitney U(1)=178; p=0.034). …