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The Qualitative Report

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

A Journey Of Pregnancy Loss: From Positivism To Autoethnography, Julie Sell-Smith, William D. Lax Nov 2013

A Journey Of Pregnancy Loss: From Positivism To Autoethnography, Julie Sell-Smith, William D. Lax

The Qualitative Report

When a dissertation research project exploring the impact of mind - body practices on symptoms of depression and anxiety in pregnant women with a history of miscarriage failed to yield statistically significant results, I struggled with how to demonstrate that I had gleaned knowledge from this project of nearly 3 years. When a series of parallel pregnancy losses occurred in my own life, I realized that I am heavily situated within the context of my research and need to consider my data in a different sense; one that acknowledges my own self within this process while attempting to capture the …


Before You Graduate, Read This Book–Research Design: Creating Robust Approaches For The Social Sciences (Gorard, 2013), Michael L. Clancy Nov 2013

Before You Graduate, Read This Book–Research Design: Creating Robust Approaches For The Social Sciences (Gorard, 2013), Michael L. Clancy

The Qualitative Report

Research Design: Creating Robust Approaches for the Social Sciences (Gorard, 2013) provides an easy - to - use design typology, as well as good practices and warnings, to help social scientists improve their research skills. Based on his experience, the author explains the concept of research design (as opposed to research methods), and shows the importance of carefully selected sample groups, appropriate research claims, and logical research warrants. The target audience is primarily social science researchers, but the subjects covered are applicable to any research field. The reviewer recommends Research Design as both a textbook and a reference.


The Impact Of Downsizing And Efficiency Measures On Anti-Fraud Resources, Marek Palasinski Nov 2013

The Impact Of Downsizing And Efficiency Measures On Anti-Fraud Resources, Marek Palasinski

The Qualitative Report

The main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of downsizing and efficiency measures on two key elements of operational performance - fraud detection and fraud reporting. Qualitative data were obtained from ethnographic observations of two major multinational insurance companies, which were already examined before the Global Financial Crisis, and subjected to an inter - and intra - business comparative analysis of anti - fraud resources. The paper points out a big discrepancy in opinions on the downsizing effects between junior staff and their supervisors. Whereas the latter present them as enabling the business to deal with suspicious …


Brand Equity Planning With Structuralist Rhetorical Semiotics: A Conceptual Framework, George Rossolatos Nov 2013

Brand Equity Planning With Structuralist Rhetorical Semiotics: A Conceptual Framework, George Rossolatos

The Qualitative Report

This paper furnishes a structuralist rhetorical semiotic conceptual framework for brand equity planning. The main source of brand equity that is employed for exemplification purposes is the advertising filmic text. The conceptual framework assumes as its general blueprint Greimas’s generativist model of the trajectory of signification. Structuralist operations and operations of rhetorical transformation are posited as the basis for the generation of superior brand associations. The conceptual model put forward challenges the Greimasian assumption that a depth semantic structure is reducible to a binarist rationale, while adopting a connectionist approach in the form of associative networks. At the same time, …


Using Participatory Observation To Understand Older People’S Experiences: Lessons From The Field, Josephine Tetley Nov 2013

Using Participatory Observation To Understand Older People’S Experiences: Lessons From The Field, Josephine Tetley

The Qualitative Report

This article describes how participant observation and a reflective diary were used in a study that aimed to explore how three different groups of community dwelling older people experienced and made choices about using, or refusing, a range of health and social care services. The roles of these qualitative methods are highlighted to demonstrate how they enhanced the insights gained during the course of a research study.


Spirituality In The Last Days Of Life In Persons Born In Japan, Gloria Duke Nov 2013

Spirituality In The Last Days Of Life In Persons Born In Japan, Gloria Duke

The Qualitative Report

End - of - life care is encumbered with many complex issues that can impede quality of life, especially in populations for which little is known. This study addresses spirituality and preferences for last days of life in persons born in Japan and living in eastern and south central Texas. Descriptive, qualitative methods were used for data collection and data analysis. Two major themes emerged for spirituality: Spirituality as Culture and Universality of Spirituality, and three major themes reflected preferences for the last days of life: Environmental Peace and Comfort, Interconnectedness, and Communication is Key. Nurses and health care providers …


2010 British General Election Leader Evaluations: Replicating Electoral Focus Group Research, Kristi Winters, Edzia Carvalho Nov 2013

2010 British General Election Leader Evaluations: Replicating Electoral Focus Group Research, Kristi Winters, Edzia Carvalho

The Qualitative Report

This research replicates and expands upon the qualitative electoral research of Winters and Campbell by using data from focus groups conducted in Essex, England to coincide with three leadership debates during the 2010 British general election. The Qualitative Election Study of Britain (QES Britain) broadly replicated Winters and Campbell’s research design but includes innovations in data collection to more accurately capture assessments. This innovation means the data coding are based entirely on the evaluations of the participants. In our analysis we innovate in the way we display each leader’s unique evaluation structure. To capture the salience and direction of leadership …


Exploring Education Students’ Reflexivity Through The Arts And Sharing My “Bricolage” Dilemmas, Janet C. Richards Nov 2013

Exploring Education Students’ Reflexivity Through The Arts And Sharing My “Bricolage” Dilemmas, Janet C. Richards

The Qualitative Report

As part of course requirements, 16 education students in a master’s cohort tutored groups of elementary children (the same groups throughout the semester) in an after - school writing program that emphasized an ethos of care. The education students had never taught children and consequently had difficulties reflecting about their lessons through weekly e - mail communication. As the course instructor I had a hunch innovative artistic processes might unleash and heighten the education students’ abilities as reflective practitioners . Therefore, I asked them to explore their pedagogy through the arts. Concurrently, I engaged in arts - based educational research …


Calibrating The Human Instrument: Understanding The Interviewing Experience Of Novice Qualitative Researchers, Margarita S. Peredaryenko, Steven Eric Krauss Oct 2013

Calibrating The Human Instrument: Understanding The Interviewing Experience Of Novice Qualitative Researchers, Margarita S. Peredaryenko, Steven Eric Krauss

The Qualitative Report

Scientific instruments often undergo calibration to ensure that they will produce results that meet or exceed defined criteria within a specified degree of confidence. Such calibration almost always refers to mechanical instruments, those used primarily in the physical sciences. Rarely is the notion of calibration used in relation to the social and human sciences, especially in the context of qualitative research where the human being is the main research instrument. The focus of this study was to explore the experiences of novice human instruments undergoing a process similar to that of calibration. In doing so, we studied how novice qualitative …


Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Views On Their Teachers And Their Effectiveness, Mehmet Karakas Oct 2013

Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Views On Their Teachers And Their Effectiveness, Mehmet Karakas

The Qualitative Report

In this paper future elementary teachers reflect on their past experiences and talk about their teachers and the way they were taught, and portray the characteristics of effective and not so effective teachers. The study also highlights Turkish teachers` way of instruction and the strategies they use. Participants were 41 sophomore and 62 junior prospective elementary teachers enrolled in a small university in northeastern Turkey. Data were collected using mostly the document analysis techniques. Findings show that effective teachers are caring, loving, funny, and patient, show special in and out of class interest in students, and are fair to everyone. …


Experiencing Audio Recorded Research (Earr): Giving Voice To Qualitative Poster Presentations, Rasheeta Chandler, Erica H. Antsey, Cindy L. Munro, Dianne Morrison-Beedy Oct 2013

Experiencing Audio Recorded Research (Earr): Giving Voice To Qualitative Poster Presentations, Rasheeta Chandler, Erica H. Antsey, Cindy L. Munro, Dianne Morrison-Beedy

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative research emphasizes and honors the words of participants in an effort to generate meaning and knowledge, yet participants’ voices are rarely heard beyond data collection and analysis. We explore the potential to share participants' voices when disseminating research through audio - enhanced poster presentations. Technological advancements in multimedia could revolutionize poster presentations, especially for qualitative research. We describe the history of audio guides and how they can be applied to the dissemination of qualitative research. We also introduce the Experiencing Audio Recorded Research (EARR) Model to facilitate designing a multisensory approach to qualitative data dissemination through integrating audio technology …


Using I Poems To Hear The Voices And Understand The Actions Of Edd Students Conducting Action Research, Ron Zambo, Debby Zambo Oct 2013

Using I Poems To Hear The Voices And Understand The Actions Of Edd Students Conducting Action Research, Ron Zambo, Debby Zambo

The Qualitative Report

There is a movement to redefine and refocus the Educational Doctorate to improve its effectiveness in producing scholarly practitioners, that is, individuals who have the ability to blend their practical wisdom and professional knowledge to identify, frame , and solve the problems of practice they face. The EdD at Arizona State University has chosen action research as its signature pedagogy to help students develop the habits of the mind, hands and heart they need to be effective leaders. This paper describes the program and provides six I Poems developed from dissertation proposals. I Poems helped us come closer to each …


Alive In The Reading: Nayaran And Chekhov, Laurie Ecke Oct 2013

Alive In The Reading: Nayaran And Chekhov, Laurie Ecke

The Qualitative Report

Kirin Nayaran's Alive in the Writing: Crafting Ethnography in the Company of Chekhov is a five - section book about finding "company amid the often isolating and difficult aspects of writing" (p. xiii). As an English Literature major, I recall the basic tenets of story - writing: plot, setting, and characterization. Narayan's chapters offer a kinder entry. "Story and Theory" invoke Anton Chekhov as an ethnographic companion offering expertise about the essentials of writing a good story. "Place," "Person," and "Voice" take the innocent writer further in to the power of writing, until "Self" provides a denouement of sorts, when …


Bobby Fischer In Socio-Cultural Perspective: Application Of Hiller’S (2011) Multi-Layered Chronological Chart Methodology, Jospeh G. Ponterotto, Jason D. Reynolds Oct 2013

Bobby Fischer In Socio-Cultural Perspective: Application Of Hiller’S (2011) Multi-Layered Chronological Chart Methodology, Jospeh G. Ponterotto, Jason D. Reynolds

The Qualitative Report

This article presents a case study application of Hiller’s (2011) Multi - Layered Chronological Chart (MLCC) methodology to the life story of former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer. Designed for use in qualitative biographical studies, the MLCC is adapted here for psychobiographical research. In 1972, Fischer became an American Cold War hero as he wrestled the World Chess Championship from a half century of Soviet domination. His rapid rise to world fame was followed by infamy as Fischer abandoned competitive chess, grew increasingly Anti - Semitic and Anti - American, became a fugitive from U.S. justice, and died in relative …


Prototype Modeling Vs. Item Response Theory – A Paradigm Shift For Measurement Professionals, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer, Juliette Faughnan, Christophe Geerkens Oct 2013

Prototype Modeling Vs. Item Response Theory – A Paradigm Shift For Measurement Professionals, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer, Juliette Faughnan, Christophe Geerkens

The Qualitative Report

In science, the usual research mode is to discover cause - and - effect mechanisms operating behind superficial reality. Aviation, for example, uses prototype modeling to develop improved aircraft from one generation to the next. In stark contrast to prototype modeling’s search for causal mechanisms, assessment technologies remain dominated by probability strategies — which is why psychological assessment lags behind the hard sciences. A major difference in results exists between inferences produced through item response theory versus the cause - effect prototyping strategies of aerospace and other techno - savvy industries. Parallel to aerospace strategies, systems analysis of language, using …


Empowering Indigenous Community Through Community Radio: A Case Study From Nepal, Sudhamshu Dahal, I. Arul Aram Oct 2013

Empowering Indigenous Community Through Community Radio: A Case Study From Nepal, Sudhamshu Dahal, I. Arul Aram

The Qualitative Report

The recently won People’s Democracy ( Loktantra ) in Nepal has transpired a contested yet ever demanding platform furthering rights and identity movements. The availability of alternative voices through community radios is a space to emancipate the identity movement towards indigenous empowerment and asserting their respectful and equitable entry in to “ New Nepal .” Within the theoretical framework of identity and democracy this research is based on the study of community radios as “ case study organizations .” We have used media ethnography and media text analysis including the observation to both corroborate and contradict with the participants’ understandings …


Playing Set® To Discover Qualitative Data Analysis, Jean Scandlyn, Sarah Hautzinger Oct 2013

Playing Set® To Discover Qualitative Data Analysis, Jean Scandlyn, Sarah Hautzinger

The Qualitative Report

This article describes the use of an experiential classroom exercise using the card game Set® to introduce concepts related to qualitative approaches to research design and analysis, particularly those based in an interpretive framework. The multiple components of the game, which centers on visual pattern recognition, parallel the “organic” complexity of ethnographic investigation and demonstrate how strong interpretations can be supported with qualitative evidence. The first author adapted the exercise, originally developed by the second author for teaching undergraduate anthropology students, for use in workshops teaching qualitative research to mid - career professionals working on health - related projects in …


The Therapeutic Interview Process In Qualitative Research Studies, Judith A. Nelson, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Lisa A. Wines, Rebecca K. Frels Oct 2013

The Therapeutic Interview Process In Qualitative Research Studies, Judith A. Nelson, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Lisa A. Wines, Rebecca K. Frels

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to describe the systemic strategies used in marriage and family therapy relevant to interviews, via what we call the therapeutic interview process, that expand the meaning of a research study for both the counselor researcher and the participant(s). We outline the therapeutic interview process for conducting transformative - based interviews via similar strategies from a family systems perspective conceptualized by Charlés (2007). The central core of the interview process is the therapeutic conversation itself that involves the systemic whole. This therapeutic conversation is facilitated by debriefing interviews, whereby the counselor researcher is interviewed to …


The Sexy Issue: Visual Expressions Of Heteronormativity And Gender Identities In Cosmopolitan Magazine, Michael J. Saraceno, Rachel B. Tambling Oct 2013

The Sexy Issue: Visual Expressions Of Heteronormativity And Gender Identities In Cosmopolitan Magazine, Michael J. Saraceno, Rachel B. Tambling

The Qualitative Report

The current study used a qualitative image analysis to explore observed interactional behaviors communicated through images printed in Cosmopolitan magazine during the calendar year of 2009 as a means to infer social values . Two general inquiries were used to guide the manner with which behavior was observed: is a heteronormative bias present and what values regarding the expressions of sexual orientation and gender identities can be inferred from these images. The sample consisted of 722 individual images depicting groups of two or more persons. Images were coded for group gender composition, activities engaged in, and physical touch . Results …


A Tool Also For Linguists: A Review Of Paul Sullivan’S Qualitative Data Analysis Using A Dialogical Approach, Grandon Goertz Oct 2013

A Tool Also For Linguists: A Review Of Paul Sullivan’S Qualitative Data Analysis Using A Dialogical Approach, Grandon Goertz

The Qualitative Report

Paul Sullivan (2013) introduces a method of speech analysis that uses a dialogical approach, which is distinguished from critical discourse analysis, phenomenological analysis, and grounded theory by its hermeneutic of trust. In this approach, data is analyzed using a pairing of bureaucratic and theoretical methods that indicates in the speech where the key moments are and where intonation expresses meaning. In the evaluation process subjectivity is defined and described. The types of data that would be especially suited to this approach include interviews, focus group speech, and conversation. This dialogic approach also has applications in the field of linguistics


Dialectical Inquiry–Does It Deliver? A User Based Research Experience, James Seligman Sep 2013

Dialectical Inquiry–Does It Deliver? A User Based Research Experience, James Seligman

The Qualitative Report

Dialectical Enquiry (DI) as a research method was used in the study of customer/student experience and its management (CEM) in not for profit as higher education. The (DI) method is applied to senders, receivers of the customer experience across six English universities to gather real world data using an imposed dialectical structure and analysis. By conducting sixty interviews from the actors involved an extensive data base was developed., The enquiry was grounded in interviewing actors and their real experiences (the phenomena) from which data was analyzed to create scripts, themes and eventually three models of not for profit CEM. Seven …


Performativity In The Real World: How Playing With Purpose Informs And Inspires Social Scientists, Laura Beer Sep 2013

Performativity In The Real World: How Playing With Purpose Informs And Inspires Social Scientists, Laura Beer

The Qualitative Report

An adventure into a realm where scholarly endeavor and artistry live in harmony, Playing with Purpose is an inviting, provocative, intimate exploration of the intersection between the arts and social sciences. Mary and Ken Gergen are steeped in tradition al research methods and have evolved out of these into fluid expressions of their work that are academically rigorous and artistically satisfying.


One Head – Many Hats: Expectations Of A Rural Superintendent, Jim D. Copeland Sep 2013

One Head – Many Hats: Expectations Of A Rural Superintendent, Jim D. Copeland

The Qualitative Report

Although urban and suburban school superintendents serve the largest group of students in terms of sheer numbers of schoolchildren, there are actually more superintendents serving in rural school districts in the United States. I examined the expected roles or “hats” of the rural superintendent by collecting data from several districts located in NE Colorado. Interviews of school board members and superintendents provided data, which suggested that the expected roles of a rural superintendent are multiple and varied. Five major themes or “hats” emerged that rural communities expected their superintendent to wear. These themes or hats included those of manager, planner, …


Graduate Students’ Perception Of Standards And Accreditation In Higher Education In Turkey: A Qualitative Analysis, Ismail Yuksel Sep 2013

Graduate Students’ Perception Of Standards And Accreditation In Higher Education In Turkey: A Qualitative Analysis, Ismail Yuksel

The Qualitative Report

My aim in this this study was to investigate graduate students’ perceptions about the concepts of standard and accreditation and their views on the problems of accreditation in Turkey. I conducted research on 26 graduate students in Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Turkey. I administered an open - ended questionnaire consisting of four questions to collect the data. To analyze the data I used content analysis technique. The internal consistency of the study was found 0.81. My initial findings showed that the participants associated the concept of quality especially with reliability, first - class, and expensive which are commonly used; associated the …


Surviving: One Family’S Experience With Cancer, Jennifer M. Denmon Sep 2013

Surviving: One Family’S Experience With Cancer, Jennifer M. Denmon

The Qualitative Report

People experience trauma in many ways. Discussing the trauma in the form of illness narratives can be beneficial, not only to the patient, but for their families as well (Hydén, 1997). Illness narratives are becoming more popular in the medical field, but mostly are written from the perspective of the patient and their spouse. Little is written from the perspective of the children. In this article, my immediate family and I write our narratives detailing the experience of my father’s cancer. Major themes that emerged from our stories are disbelief, unreliable memories, wanting to forge ahead, and a stronger family. …


Strategies For Data Gathering And Reporting Voices From The Field: A Review Of Applied Ethnography: Guidelines For Field Research, Loum S.L. Constantine Sep 2013

Strategies For Data Gathering And Reporting Voices From The Field: A Review Of Applied Ethnography: Guidelines For Field Research, Loum S.L. Constantine

The Qualitative Report

The importance of applied research cannot be underestimated in this era of evidence - based implementation of intervention programs in health, community development, education, agriculture and other applied disciplines. Research reports of many qualitative studies have turned out short on quality due to poor data gathering techniques, analysis and write - up of findings. “Applied ethnography: guidelines for field research” is an authoritative narrative answering to this serious methodological flaws in applied research within ethnographic context. It presents rich and deep practical field experiences applicable in all qualitative research undertakings that demonstrate skills in planning field research ; from gaining …


A Qualitative Exploration Of Emerging Adults’ And Parents’ Perspectives On Communicating Adulthood Status, Jessica F. Jablonski, Sara Dettinger Martino Sep 2013

A Qualitative Exploration Of Emerging Adults’ And Parents’ Perspectives On Communicating Adulthood Status, Jessica F. Jablonski, Sara Dettinger Martino

The Qualitative Report

In this study the authors examine parent - child communication in Emerging Adulthood. Thirty - seven college students and one or both of their parents completed written questionnaires assessing whether the parent had verbally communicated or did some action to acknowledge the Emerging Adult’s maturity. Communication about changes in the parent - child relationship, as well as the Emerging Adult’s decision - making abilities, obligations to the family, and financial responsibilities were also assessed. The responses to the open ended questions were qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory. The findings indicated that the Emerging Adults’ and parents’ responses were very similar, …


Understanding Student Veterans In Transition, Kevin C. Jones Sep 2013

Understanding Student Veterans In Transition, Kevin C. Jones

The Qualitative Report

In this research report the author details a phenomenological study documenting identity development in student veterans making the transition from active military service to higher education. This study took place at a doctoral granting proprietary university with a significant veteran population and consisted of in - depth interviews. This analysis illustrates how student veterans construct and achieve more complex senses of self that incorporate their experiences as service member, veteran, and civilian student into a coherent identity


Words Of Wisdom, For Now ...The Constructivist Credo, Michele Repass Sep 2013

Words Of Wisdom, For Now ...The Constructivist Credo, Michele Repass

The Qualitative Report

In The Constructivist Credo, Yvonna S. Lincoln and Egon G. Guba present 133 conjectures they believe should guide researchers who use a constructivist approach. In addition, several chapters from a recent dissertation are included and annotated to show how the conjectures might be used in practice.


“I Love My Work But...” The Professionalization Of Early Childhood Education, Margaret Boyd Sep 2013

“I Love My Work But...” The Professionalization Of Early Childhood Education, Margaret Boyd

The Qualitative Report

There are two separate but related issues that have challenged advocates, researchers and practitioners in the field of early education and care work for decades : improving the quality of children’s programs and increasing the wages and benefits of the workers. The solution has been framed as a need for professionalizing the workforce – professional development training, higher education and enhanced skills. While seeking professional status is expected to improve the quality of childcare programs and worker compensation, the relationship between quality, compensation and professional development training has not been fully explored. Through in - depth interviews with 32 early …