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Articles 5101 - 5130 of 6128

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

A Healing Echo: Methodological Reflections Of A Working-Class Researcher On Class, Allison L. Hurst Sep 2008

A Healing Echo: Methodological Reflections Of A Working-Class Researcher On Class, Allison L. Hurst

The Qualitative Report

College students from the working cl ass have interesting stories to tell about the meaning and operation of mobility through education. The author, herself a “working-class academic,” explores some of the issues and dilemmas of uncovering and presenting these stories. Specifically, the author addresses: (1) the effects of interviewing those similar to one’s self; (2) the possibility of losing voice when interviewing too many participants; (3) the responsibility of the researcher to take seriously the importance of renaming interview participants to ensure both anonymity and integrity; (4) the question of audience; and (5) the issue of reliability.


The False Witness: Artistic Research On Stage, Orit Simhoni Sep 2008

The False Witness: Artistic Research On Stage, Orit Simhoni

The Qualitative Report

Sharing research findings with others is a fundamental concern of researchers. Qualitative research results may be disseminated in conventional (e.g., scholarly text or presentation) or innovative (e.g., art, drama, or poetry) forms. Given that researchers should select the best form of presentation of their work, it is worthwhile to explore creative options. One such option is theatrical performance. The purpose of this study is to describe one playwright’s experience in creating a research- based drama, The False Witness. While focusing on the process of research-based drama, this article is intended to inform researchers and artists about the potential of a …


Unraveling Ethics: Reflections From A Community-Based Participatory Research Project With Youth, Christine A. Walsh, Jennifer Hewson, Michael Shier Sep 2008

Unraveling Ethics: Reflections From A Community-Based Participatory Research Project With Youth, Christine A. Walsh, Jennifer Hewson, Michael Shier

The Qualitative Report

There is limited literature describing the ethical dilemmas that arise when conducting community-based participatory research. The following provides a case example of ethical dilemmas that developed during a multi-method community-based participatory action research project with youth in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Several ethical dilemmas emerged during the course of the study related to the community in which the research was being undertaken, the recruitment of participants, and the overall research process. As important are possible harm s that may arise when the researcher is no longer involved. These ethical dilemmas and potential solutions are discussed in relation to social work research …


Making The Connection Between Prayer, Faith, And Forgiveness In Roman Catholic Families, Mindi Batson, Loren Marks Sep 2008

Making The Connection Between Prayer, Faith, And Forgiveness In Roman Catholic Families, Mindi Batson, Loren Marks

The Qualitative Report

This study examines meanings and processes associated with religious practices of prayer, building faith, and forgiving through in-depth, qualitative interviews with six highly religious Roman Catholic families with children. Families were interviewed using a narrative approach that asked participants to share experiences and challenges related to faith and family life. Three primary themes in the interviews included: (a) prayer helps piece the puzzle together, (b) faith builds a foundation, and (c) forgiveness allows unity to flourish.


The Use Of Complex Adaptive Systems As A Generative Metaphor In An Action Research Study Of An Organisation, Callum Brown Sep 2008

The Use Of Complex Adaptive Systems As A Generative Metaphor In An Action Research Study Of An Organisation, Callum Brown

The Qualitative Report

Understanding the dynamic behaviour of organisations is challenging and this study uses a model of complex adaptive systems as a generative metaphor to address this challenge. The research question addressed is: How might a conceptual model of complex adaptive systems be used to assist in understanding the dynamic nature of organisations? Using an action research methodology, 6 Ai r Force internal management consulting teams were exposed to overlapping attributes of complex adaptive systems. The study shows that participants found the attributes valuable in understanding the dynamic nature of organisations; however they did present challenges for understanding. Despite being challenging to …


How To Be Happy By Calling For Change: Constructs Of Happiness And Meaningfulness Amongst Social Movement Activists, Alice Mills, Jeremy Smith Sep 2008

How To Be Happy By Calling For Change: Constructs Of Happiness And Meaningfulness Amongst Social Movement Activists, Alice Mills, Jeremy Smith

The Qualitative Report

This paper focuses on how social movement activists view happiness in relation to their political involvement. Interviewers asked activists questions about their personal histories and feelings. The phenomenological strategy involved focused on interviews with subjects who could speak richly about their commitments and emotions. The data from the 11 subjects revealed that there was no simple relationship between a commitment to social activism and subjects’ experiences of happiness. Several subjects oriented their responses to the relationship between meaningfulness, activism, and happiness. In discussion of the analyzed data, the authors suggest that a relationship is evident between the positions articulated by …


Conceptualizing From The Inside: Advantages, Complications, And Demands On Insider Positionality, Christina Chavez Sep 2008

Conceptualizing From The Inside: Advantages, Complications, And Demands On Insider Positionality, Christina Chavez

The Qualitative Report

The debate on insider/outsider positionality has raised issues about the methodological advantages and liabilities between the two, yet no clear account exists for what insider scholars can expect when they enter the field. First, I conceptualize how insider positionality can dually benefit and disadvantage the insider. Using a partial review of insider studies, including my study of my multigenerational Mexican American family, I also present a practical discussion on specific insider advantages and complications. In conclusion, I present a new approach to training novice insider scholars that will help them mediate between insider perspective and researcher position, an approach that …


Exploring The Enactment Of Functional Curriculum In Self-Contained Cross-Categorical Programs: A Case Study, Emily C. Bouck Sep 2008

Exploring The Enactment Of Functional Curriculum In Self-Contained Cross-Categorical Programs: A Case Study, Emily C. Bouck

The Qualitative Report

Little research has been devoted to studying functional curriculum in secondary special education programs, self-contained cross-categorical programs, or curriculum enactment in special education, which warrants study of the culmination of these issues. This article presents a case study that attempts to answer, “What is the nature of the enactment of functional curriculum in rural self-contained cross-categorical programs?” The study occurred in two rural secondary self-contained cross-categorical programs with two teachers, four paraprofessionals, and 15 students. The findings suggest that the curriculum was enacted in the moment, was relative, and created tensions between special education and general education. The findings also …


Legitimizing Through Language: Political Discourse Worlds In Northern Ireland After The 1998 Agreement, Laura Filardo-Llamas Aug 2008

Legitimizing Through Language: Political Discourse Worlds In Northern Ireland After The 1998 Agreement, Laura Filardo-Llamas

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper employs the hypothesis that one of the functions of political discourse is to legitimise a perceived point of view by promoting certain representations of a socio-political reality. It could be argued that the 1998 Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement creates a paradoxical reality in Northern Ireland because its language is so vague that it can be interpreted in different ways. This paper analyses linguistic categories used in the text of the Agreement to reveal the type of peaceful reality promoted and the constructive ambiguity used to facilitate agreement. It argues that the success of the peace process depended to …


Narratives Of Legitimacy: Political Discourse In The Early Phase Of The Troubles In Northern Ireland, Sissel Rosland Aug 2008

Narratives Of Legitimacy: Political Discourse In The Early Phase Of The Troubles In Northern Ireland, Sissel Rosland

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article examines the discursive construction of legitimacy in the early phase of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The empirical material covers the debate on internment without trial from 1971 till 1975 – a debate which involved conflicting claims of legitimacy. Some strongly defended internment as a legitimate step in the fight against the IRA, whilst others regarded it as an illegitimate measure employed by a corrupt political regime. These conflicting claims of legitimacy entailed a conceptual battle concerned with the construction and authorisation of political order. The article explores this battle along three dimensions: law, violence, and democracy.


Volume 15, Number 1 (Summer 2008), Peace And Conflict Studies Aug 2008

Volume 15, Number 1 (Summer 2008), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.


Political Discourse In The Republic Of Ireland And Its Function In The Troubles And Peace Process In Northern Ireland, Catherine O'Donnell Aug 2008

Political Discourse In The Republic Of Ireland And Its Function In The Troubles And Peace Process In Northern Ireland, Catherine O'Donnell

Peace and Conflict Studies

Despite some historical divergence, political parties in the Republic of Ireland shared some key objectives in response to the Troubles. Most consistently, each of the main parties (Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael) sought to undermine support for the IRA in Northern Ireland and de-legitimise arguments by Sinn Féin and the IRA. Over the course of the peace process, such common priorities developed into a wider shared discourse on the principles for agreement in Northern Ireland. The parties in the Republic soon established a vocal consensus incorporating support for the Good Friday Agreement, Sinn Féin involvement in politics in Northern Ireland, …


Interpreting New Labour's Political Discourse On The Northern Ireland Peace Process, Aaron Edwards Aug 2008

Interpreting New Labour's Political Discourse On The Northern Ireland Peace Process, Aaron Edwards

Peace and Conflict Studies

New Labour‟s superintendence of the Northern Ireland peace process has re-opened debate about the party‟s stance on the “Irish question”. While some commentators hold the view that it remains ideologically wedded to the nationalist goal of Irish unity, it could be argued that Labour‟s Northern Ireland policy has been characterised by an ambivalent non-interventionist approach. The “peace strategy” pursued by Tony Blair‟s three administrations between 1997 and 2007 is examined in light of the political discourse articulated by key actors within New Labour itself. Moreover, the interpretive approach in British political science is utilised to illuminate key variables, such as …


Front Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies Aug 2008

Front Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.


The Role Of Political Discourse In Conflict Transformation: Evidence From Northern Ireland, Katy Hayward Aug 2008

The Role Of Political Discourse In Conflict Transformation: Evidence From Northern Ireland, Katy Hayward

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article introduces this volume by constructing a model for analysing political discourse as an instrument of conflict and peace, drawing on evidence from the Northern Ireland case. It identifies three processes, or stages, in a peace process in which political discourse can play a unique and crucial role: (i) the construction of a (conceptual) framework within which negotiations can take place, (ii) the facilitation of agreement between moderate and extreme positions, and (iii) the forging of common ground. The motivating thesis of this research is that discourse analysis is a vital resource for deepening our knowledge of why, how …


“Humespeak”: The Sdlp, Political Discourse, And The Northern Ireland Peace Process, P. J. Mcloughlin Aug 2008

“Humespeak”: The Sdlp, Political Discourse, And The Northern Ireland Peace Process, P. J. Mcloughlin

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper explores the vital role played by the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in the formulation of a new political discourse and conceptual approach to the Northern Ireland problem. In particular, it shows how John Hume, party leader through the 1980s and 1990s, helped to propagate this discourse, and in doing so influenced policy-making in London and Dublin, and thinking within the republican movement. Although the paper emphasises the importance of this influence, it concludes by considering the reasons why the Ulster unionist community have remained so unreceptive to the political discourse of Hume and the SDLP.


Dup Discourses On Violence And Their Impact On The Northern Ireland Peace Process, Amber Rankin, Gladys Ganiel Aug 2008

Dup Discourses On Violence And Their Impact On The Northern Ireland Peace Process, Amber Rankin, Gladys Ganiel

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper analyses the Democratic Unionist Party‟s (DUP) discourses about paramilitary violence in Northern Ireland. Drawing on narrative analysis of DUP discourses reported in Northern Ireland‟s largest unionist newspaper, the News Letter (1998–2006), it explores the relationship between the party‟s identity, its discourses about republican and loyalist paramilitaries, and the impact of these words on the DUP‟s electoral success and on the peace process. The paper argues that these discourses may haunt the progress of peace-building, not least because the DUP will find it hard to disentangle itself from a history of scepticism and nay-saying even as it takes a …


“Faith, Crown And State”: Contemporary Discourses Within The Orange Order In Northern Ireland, James W. Mcauley, Jonathan Tonge Aug 2008

“Faith, Crown And State”: Contemporary Discourses Within The Orange Order In Northern Ireland, James W. Mcauley, Jonathan Tonge

Peace and Conflict Studies

Despite a decline in membership in recent decades the Orange Order remains one of the largest and most significant organisations within civil society in Northern Ireland, representing a significant proportion of the Protestant population. The Orange Order claims a moral and political rationale to opposition to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and many of the political consequences that have followed. Drawing upon a large membership survey of the Orange institution (the first such survey ever undertaken), and abetted by in-depth semi-structured interviews, this paper examines core political and social attitudes of Orange Order members in a post-conflict environment. It identifies …


The Maintenance Of Republican Ideology And Tactics In The Discourses Of Ira Former Prisoners, Peter Shirlow, Jonathan Tonge, James W. Mcauley Aug 2008

The Maintenance Of Republican Ideology And Tactics In The Discourses Of Ira Former Prisoners, Peter Shirlow, Jonathan Tonge, James W. Mcauley

Peace and Conflict Studies

The debate concerning ideology and ideological shifts during peace-building in Northern Ireland has generally failed to account for the attitudes and opinions of former combatants concerning the nature and meaning of discursively constructed identities and political strategies. This invisibility is peculiar in that debates concerning ideological shifts have been driven by academic analysis or by those former combatants who maintain that the Irish peace process is paralleled by core ideological abandonment. The material presented within this article indicates that former Provisional Irish Republican prisoners do not view the peace process as involving ideological ditching but instead that their commitment to …


Back Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies Aug 2008

Back Matter, Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.


Palinode: The Heteronormative Re/Production Of Transsexual, Jodi Kaufman Jun 2008

Palinode: The Heteronormative Re/Production Of Transsexual, Jodi Kaufman

The Qualitative Report

This project began at the intersection of several conversations: Recently Jay Prosser (2005) wrote a palinode of his analysis of Del Lagrace's photograph of the genitals of a female -to-male transsexual. Recanting his original reading of the photograph as a referent directly linked to "male," Prosser re-read the photograph, suggesting "the referent [is] unsuturable with the signifier," in other words concluding that transsexuality...is...irreconcilable...within gender representation" (p. 176). This idea of a palinode caught my attention. How could I re-read my data to realize what was lost in the original, to find that which exceeded the bounds of signification so I …


Teachers Who Left The Teaching Profession: A Qualitative Understanding, Lisa Gonzalez, Michelle Stallone Brown, John R. Slate Jun 2008

Teachers Who Left The Teaching Profession: A Qualitative Understanding, Lisa Gonzalez, Michelle Stallone Brown, John R. Slate

The Qualitative Report

In this study, the researchers investigated public school teacher attrition in the State of Texas. The study examined the problem by focusing on the predominant reasons teachers give for leaving the profession after working only one year as a teacher. Eight persons who had left the teaching profession after one year teaching were contacted and interviewed concerning their reasons for leaving. The three most influential factors found were lack of administrative support, difficulties with student discipline, and low salary levels. Study findings and implications for policy are discussed.


Qualitative Research And Consumer Policy: Focus Group Discussions As A Form Of Consumer Participation, Eva Heiskanen, Katja Järvelä, Annukka Pulliainen, Mika Saastamoinen Jun 2008

Qualitative Research And Consumer Policy: Focus Group Discussions As A Form Of Consumer Participation, Eva Heiskanen, Katja Järvelä, Annukka Pulliainen, Mika Saastamoinen

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes our ongoing attempts to involve consumers in innovation and technology policy by means of a national Consumer Panel, using focus group discussions as the primary method of consumer participation. We evaluate our experiences of the usefulness of focus group discussions in this context by considering two examples of studies focused on product safety. We evaluate the usefulness of this method in promoting consumer empowerment, deliberation, and multivocality in the assessment of new technologies and innovations. We also raised some critical questions that require further analysis and discussion.


First Love: A Case Study In Quantitative Appropriation Of Social Concepts, Diederik F. Janssen Jun 2008

First Love: A Case Study In Quantitative Appropriation Of Social Concepts, Diederik F. Janssen

The Qualitative Report

Peer love is a highly invested autobiographical marker, and its scientific ascent can be studied in terms of its literature’s motives, stated objectives, exclusions, and delimitations. In this article an overview of numeric and selected ethnographic data on the timing of “first love” is presented, to inform an assessment of the ontological underpinnings of milestone research common to quantitative sociology and developmental psychology. Complicating scientific normalization of love’s initiatory connotation, selected ethnographic observations on the timing and notion of early/first love in non-Western societies are presented. These observations facilitate a critique of love as a heterosocial, propaedeutic event, and hence, …


Why Video? How Technology Advances Method, Martin J. Downing Jun 2008

Why Video? How Technology Advances Method, Martin J. Downing

The Qualitative Report

This paper reports on the use of video to enhance qualitative research. Advances in technology have improved our ability to capture lived experiences through visual means. I reflect on my previous work with individuals living with HIV/AIDS, the results of which are described in another paper, to evaluate the effectiveness of video as a medium that not only collects data, but also produces knowledge. I have provided strategies for confronting specific technological barriers and concerns in research. I made sure to consider my own role within this research, and have chosen to share the personal insights and revelations that occurred …


Mixed Methods Analysis And Information Visualization: Graphical Display For Effective Communication Of Research Results, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Wendy B. Dickinson Jun 2008

Mixed Methods Analysis And Information Visualization: Graphical Display For Effective Communication Of Research Results, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Wendy B. Dickinson

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, we introduce various graphical methods that can be used to represent data in mixed research. First, we present a broad taxonomy of visual representation. Next, we use this taxonomy to provide an overview of visual techniques for quantitative data display and qualitative data display. Then, we propose what we call “crossover” visual extensions to summarize and integrate both qualitative and quantitative results within the same framework. We provide several examples of crossover (mixed research) graphical displays that illustrate this natural extension. In so doing, we contend that the use of crossover (mixed research) graphical displays enhances researchers’ …


Extending The Conversation: Qualitative Research As Dialogic Collaborative Process, Trena Paulus, Marianne Woodside, Mary Ziegler Jun 2008

Extending The Conversation: Qualitative Research As Dialogic Collaborative Process, Trena Paulus, Marianne Woodside, Mary Ziegler

The Qualitative Report

Collaborative research often refers to collaboration among the researcher and the participants. Few studies investigate the collaborative process among researchers themselves. Assumptions about the qualitative research process, particularly ways to establish rigor and transparency, are pervasive. Our experience con ducting three collaborative empirical research studies challenged and transformed our assumptions about qualitative research: (a) research planning taught as concrete and linear rather than as emergent and iterative, (b) data analysis conceptualized as individual discovery rather than collaboratively-constructed meaning, and (c) findings represented as individual product rather than as part of an ongoing conversation. We address each assumption, including how our …


Madhubani Art: A Journey Of An Education Researcher Seeking Self-Development Answers Through Art And Self-Study, Kavita Mittapalli, Anastasia P. Samaras Jun 2008

Madhubani Art: A Journey Of An Education Researcher Seeking Self-Development Answers Through Art And Self-Study, Kavita Mittapalli, Anastasia P. Samaras

The Qualitative Report

This study is situated within a self-study research methods course to scaffold doctoral students’ explorations of the intersections of their culture, and research interests using arts as a tool. Embracing the arts as a research method, the first author painted a self-portrait using the vibrant colors of Madhubani art which holds cultural significance to her. She utilized Blumer’s (1986) and Mead’s (1934) theory of symbolic interactionism to explain the process of her self-development as a researcher. Combining her self-portrait with an earlier research study proved valuable as a conduit for understanding and interpreting her work as a research methodologist. This …


The Unexpected Rewards Of Qualitative Research In Assessment: A Case Example, Penny Singh Jun 2008

The Unexpected Rewards Of Qualitative Research In Assessment: A Case Example, Penny Singh

The Qualitative Report

This paper reports on the inclusion of an oral component of assessment in science at two tertiary institutions in South Africa. The purpose of this paper is not to report on the results of the assessments conducted, but to focus on some of the unexpected rewards of conducting qualitative research in assessment. Using focus group discussions within a qualitative framework allowed me insights into the thoughts and experiences of the students and assessors, making the benefits of oral assessment apparent. These benefits included how assessment can be used as a learning opportunity, the advantages of homogeneous versus heterogeneous groups, and …


Using Technology To Enhance Qualitative Research With Hidden Populations, John Matthews, Elizabeth P. Cramer Jun 2008

Using Technology To Enhance Qualitative Research With Hidden Populations, John Matthews, Elizabeth P. Cramer

The Qualitative Report

Advances in technology provide researchers with increased opportunities to locate and conduct research with populations that have historically been inaccessible. This manuscript de scribes the development of private, voluntary web-based groups, and the process for using web cameras to conduct individual web-based interviews as a method of data collection in qualitative research. Also contained within are detailed steps for utilizing each of these technological innovations as well an exploration of the ethical issues related to using technology to enhance the research experience with members of hidden populations, using the GLBT population as a referent group.