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The Qualitative Report

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Balancing Act: A Phenomenological Study Of Female Adult Learners Who Successfully Persisted In Graduate Studies, Jeff Shepherd, Barbara Mullins Nelson May 2012

Balancing Act: A Phenomenological Study Of Female Adult Learners Who Successfully Persisted In Graduate Studies, Jeff Shepherd, Barbara Mullins Nelson

The Qualitative Report

A study was conducted utilizing Cross’ (1981) barriers to adult learning as a framework to better understand how adults successfully complete their graduate studies. Participants in the study were solicited via Facebook and LinkedIn. Three female adult learners who persisted in their graduate studies while balancing demands outside academics including employment and family responsibilities were selected. The study found the barriers identified by Cross 30 years ago–institutional, dispositional and situational–were still relevant for these female graduate adult learners. The phenomenological approach allowed the participants to describe how they made meaning of these barriers while overcoming them to persist in their …


The Individually Focused Interview: Methodological Quality Without Transcription Of Audio Recordings, Aksel Skovgaard Clausen May 2012

The Individually Focused Interview: Methodological Quality Without Transcription Of Audio Recordings, Aksel Skovgaard Clausen

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, I argue—with an example—that under certain conditions replacement of audio transcriptions with a combination of simultaneously taken and jointly produced notes can be done without affecting reliability, validity, and transparency. These conditions are: (1) professional or otherwise relatively “strong” interviewees (interview persons: IPs) with diverse backgrounds; (2) thorough planning of the interview with well-focused themes; and (3) a thorough and repeated introduction to the interview. The omission of audio transcriptions is an obvious solution to the researcher who wants a breadth of range of statements stemming from the use of many more interviewees than is often possible. …


Assessment Of The Utilization Of Hiv Interventions By Sex Workers In Selected Brothels In Bangladesh: An Exploratory Study, Nafisa Lira Huq, Mahbub Elahi Chowdhury May 2012

Assessment Of The Utilization Of Hiv Interventions By Sex Workers In Selected Brothels In Bangladesh: An Exploratory Study, Nafisa Lira Huq, Mahbub Elahi Chowdhury

The Qualitative Report

In this qualitative study of brothel-based Female Sex Workers (FSWs), the authors explored factors that influence safe sex practices of FSWs within an integrated HIV intervention. Qualitative methods, including focus group discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews and key informant interviews were applied in four brothels in Bangladesh. Young and elderly FSWs, Sordarnis (Madams who own young FSWs and who may be either active or inactive sex workers themselves), program managers and providers were the participants for this study. Findings showed that condom use was high but not consistent among bonded FSWs (those who are under the control of a Sordarni) who …


Qualitative Research Gains Equality: A Review Of Research Methodology: A Step-By-Step Guide For Beginners, Li Jin May 2012

Qualitative Research Gains Equality: A Review Of Research Methodology: A Step-By-Step Guide For Beginners, Li Jin

The Qualitative Report

In this book review of Kumar’s 2011 edition of Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, I provide a summary of the book’s main content and a critical review of its content and structure including both the strengths and weaknesses. I conclude that this new edition of the book with Kumar presenting qualitative research as an equal methodology to quantitative research is an appropriate resource for students who are just starting to learn how to conduct empirical research studies. Two suggestions are provided for its future edition: (a) more classic resources about research methodology; and (b) more discussions about IRB …


Spousal Caregiver Narratives And Credible Authority: Uncertainty In Illness Of Spousal Caregivers, Karen Sodowsky Apr 2012

Spousal Caregiver Narratives And Credible Authority: Uncertainty In Illness Of Spousal Caregivers, Karen Sodowsky

The Qualitative Report

This article is taken from a larger longitudinal study that used caregiver interviews, caregiver surveys, and caregiver statistical information of one community. The interviews were conducted with six spousal caregivers to examine the narratives produced by spouses actively caring for their partners with dementia. The spousal caregivers were interviewed multiple times over approximately 12 to 18 months. The author was the caregiver counselor and had worked in the community in social services for fifteen years. The narratives were analyzed using a phenomenological approach that allowed the development of descriptions of uncertainty and sharing caregiver narratives with a specialized audience. The …


Teachers Are Making A Difference: Understanding The Influence Of Favorite Teachers, Mark A. Smith, Karen Schmidt Apr 2012

Teachers Are Making A Difference: Understanding The Influence Of Favorite Teachers, Mark A. Smith, Karen Schmidt

The Qualitative Report

Using the theoretical framework of occupational socialization, the purpose of this study was to examine preservice physical education teachers’ beliefs and values of teachers and teaching through analysis and interpretation of favorite teacher narratives. One hundred and eighty six preservice physical education teachers’ narratives were collected and analyzed using open and axial coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). The qualities and characteristics identified through analysis were organized into seven inclusive sub-categories of favorite teacher characteristics and abilities and were articulated into three central themes, described as Pay it Forward, Caring in Teaching, and Motivated to Learn. The findings suggest that understanding …


Marketing Metaphoria: Undressing The Mind Of The Consumer, Vickie Covington Apr 2012

Marketing Metaphoria: Undressing The Mind Of The Consumer, Vickie Covington

The Qualitative Report

The book by Gerald Zaltman and Lindsay Zaltman (2008), Marketing Metaphoria: What Deep Metaphors Reveal about the Minds of Consumers, builds on the premise that most thoughts are unconscious and what people think are actually in frames of pictures, not necessarily words. The authors focus on seven deep metaphors in which they believe is the key to understanding consumer’s minds and thus that marketing firms and managers can truly understand what consumer’s desire and need. These seven deep metaphors are explained in detail and are the meat of this book. Mr. Zaltman has conducted several thousand qualitative inquiries using his …


Insurrectionary Womanliness: Gender And The (Boxing) Ring, Melanie Joy Mcnaughton Apr 2012

Insurrectionary Womanliness: Gender And The (Boxing) Ring, Melanie Joy Mcnaughton

The Qualitative Report

Integrating sociological theory on sport with Judith Butler’s concept of insurrectionary speech, the author explores why and how womanliness is produced and problematized. In particular, this article investigates how participating in combat sport violates conventional womanliness by foregrounding physical capability and aggression. Using her identity as a female fighter as a starting point to engage the cultural construction of womanliness, the author connects a critical/cultural look at gender and sport with autoethnography.


Building Connections: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Qualitative Research Students’ Learning Experiences, Robin Cooper, Anne Fleisher, Fatima A. Cotton Apr 2012

Building Connections: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Qualitative Research Students’ Learning Experiences, Robin Cooper, Anne Fleisher, Fatima A. Cotton

The Qualitative Report

This paper describes a phenomenological study in which the authors explored students’ experiences learning qualitative research in a variety of academic fields. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with six participants from various academic fields who had completed at least one post-secondary-school-level qualitative research course and who were not students of the researchers. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the researchers identified five primary themes representing the lived experience and meaning found in the participants’ experience of learning qualitative research: (a) a variety of feelings are experienced, (b) a pivotal experience serves as a catalyst in the learning process, (c) the central …


Layering Sel(F)Ves: Finding Acceptance, Community And Praxis Through Collage, Sarah K. Mackenzie, Mary M. Wolf Apr 2012

Layering Sel(F)Ves: Finding Acceptance, Community And Praxis Through Collage, Sarah K. Mackenzie, Mary M. Wolf

The Qualitative Report

There are multiple aspects that shape one’s experience as a student teacher; however often as teacher educators, we focus on the intellectual rather than the emotional nature of the experience. Within this a/r/tographical inquiry, we render a story of what can happen when teacher educators intentionally engage the multidimensional nature of the student teaching experience through the integration of arts-informed epistemologies within the context of the student teaching seminar. Student teachers entered into a dialogic space of reflexivity and praxis where they discovered that their experiences mattered and did not occur in isolation. This project has implications for considering ways …


Fostering Growth In The Survivorship Experience: Investigating Breast Cancer Survivors’ Lived Experiences Scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro From A Posttraumatic Growthperspective, Shaunna M. Burke, Catherine M. Sabiston Apr 2012

Fostering Growth In The Survivorship Experience: Investigating Breast Cancer Survivors’ Lived Experiences Scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro From A Posttraumatic Growthperspective, Shaunna M. Burke, Catherine M. Sabiston

The Qualitative Report

The aim of this study was to use an ethnographic case study approach to explore breast cancer survivors’ experiences scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro from a posttraumatic growth perspective. Three breast cancer survivors who participated in interviews and observations during a nine-day climb on the mountain were included in this study. Findings are presented first as three individual case studies and then offered as a cross-case analysis to emphasize themes that illustrated the women’s shared experiences of growing from adversity. Participation in the climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro provided an opportunity for the women to (a) nurture priorities, (b) foster self-belief, and (c) …


Precincts And Prospects In The Use Of Focus Groups In Social And Behavioral Science Research, Dominic Sagoe Apr 2012

Precincts And Prospects In The Use Of Focus Groups In Social And Behavioral Science Research, Dominic Sagoe

The Qualitative Report

Over the past few years, the focus group method has assumed a very important role as a method for collecting qualitative data in social and behavioural science research. This article elucidates theoretical and practical problems and prospects associated with the use of focus groups as a qualitative research method in social and behavioural science research. The core uses of focus groups in social and behavioural science research are discussed. In addition, the strengths and limitations of employing focus groups in social and behavioural science research are elucidated. Furthermore, the article discusses practical recommendations for strengthening the focus group method in …


Indicators Of Relatedness In Adolescent Male Groups: Toward A Qualitative Description, Heidi Hutman, Karolina Anna Konieczna, Emily Kerner, Calli Renee Armstrong, Marilyn Fitzpatrick Apr 2012

Indicators Of Relatedness In Adolescent Male Groups: Toward A Qualitative Description, Heidi Hutman, Karolina Anna Konieczna, Emily Kerner, Calli Renee Armstrong, Marilyn Fitzpatrick

The Qualitative Report

Self-determination theorists (SDT) argue that the satisfaction of the need for relatedness is essential for growth and well-being. However, the current research has yet to account for the unique ways in which adolescent males engage in behaviors to fulfill their need for relatedness within their peer groups. This qualitative study investigates relatedness in six 16-to 17-year-old adolescent males. Independent observations of videotape data and a collaborative analysis revealed 13 main indicators of moment-to-moment relatedness. These indicators include expressing belonging, referring to shared experiences, and helping others out. The indicators of relatedness are discussed in the context of SDT, and additional …


Making Markets And Constructing Crises: A Review Of Ho’S Liquidated, Alexandra B. Cox Apr 2012

Making Markets And Constructing Crises: A Review Of Ho’S Liquidated, Alexandra B. Cox

The Qualitative Report

This book review is a beginning academic researcher’s interpretation of the robust methods and rich data Ho presents in her study of investment banking culture and the market in Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street (2009). A unique contribution of the text is Ho’s combining of ethnographic methods in order to practice polymorphous engagement in her study. A weakness of the text is Ho’s lacking autoethnographic analysis of her experience as an Asian American woman on Wall Street. The book will be helpful for a scholarly audience interested in studying rigorous ethnographic methodologies and exploring the culture of Wall Street.


Defenders Against Threats Or Enablers Of Opportunities: The Screening Role Played By Gatekeepers In Researching Older People In Care Homes, Peter Scourfield Apr 2012

Defenders Against Threats Or Enablers Of Opportunities: The Screening Role Played By Gatekeepers In Researching Older People In Care Homes, Peter Scourfield

The Qualitative Report

This paper emerges from a case study of the system of statutory reviews in older people’s care homes in the UK. Informed by a review of selected literature on gaining access, this paper provides a critical account of the process of negotiating access with gatekeepers (chiefly, care home managers). The negotiations were time-consuming and largely fruitless in terms of actually gaining access to care home residents. Nevertheless, much was learned about the field, in particular, about the attitudes of those with responsibility for caring for older care home residents. The residents in care homes became “hard to reach” research subjects …


Language Symmetry: A Force Behind Persuasion, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer Apr 2012

Language Symmetry: A Force Behind Persuasion, Joseph Yeager, Linda Sommer

The Qualitative Report

Language operates according to rules. Rules mean prediction. The application of these language rules to persuasive campaigns through linguistic technology can result in major gains in advertising, political and marketing outcomes. For qualitative researchers in communications, marketing and messaging, one area of persuasive language technology can be found in the linguistic feature of symmetry. Language has many forms of symmetry, and most persuaders are unaware that a great deal of persuasion depends upon symmetrical message structures. In persuasion, a mirror image or symmetrical reflection of an attitude or opinion is more persuasive than a random or non-symmetrical message or idea. …


Reflexive Thinking Practices Of Bordered Helping Professionals: A Review Of Zingaro’S Speaking Out, Laura Bisaillon Apr 2012

Reflexive Thinking Practices Of Bordered Helping Professionals: A Review Of Zingaro’S Speaking Out, Laura Bisaillon

The Qualitative Report

Results from an interview based social science investigation into the organization of how the critical thinking and decision-making practices of thirteen experienced helping professionals are shaped are explicated. The skills and techniques these people use in their day-to-day support of people who have, like themselves, experienced oppression, inequity, and violence, is examined. The complex choices and consequences stemming from mobilizing one’s narrative as a resource in the support of others, and the price people pay to disclose the truth about themselves in this context, is carefully and compassionately explored. We learn how this group of helping professionals find sand employ …


Using Constructivist Case Study Methodology To Understand Community Development Processes: Proposed Methodological Questions To Guide The Research Process, Heidi Lauckner, Margo Paterson, Terry Krupa Mar 2012

Using Constructivist Case Study Methodology To Understand Community Development Processes: Proposed Methodological Questions To Guide The Research Process, Heidi Lauckner, Margo Paterson, Terry Krupa

The Qualitative Report

Often, research projects are presented as final products with the methodologies cleanly outlined and little attention paid to the decision-making processes that led to the chosen approach. Limited attention paid to these decision-making processes perpetuates a sense of mystery about qualitative approaches, particularly for new researchers who will likely encounter dilemmas and uncertainties in their research. This paper presents a series of questions that assisted one Ph.D. student in making key methodological choices during her research journey. In this study, a collective case study design informed by constructivist grounded theory data analysis methods was used to develop a framework of …


A Case Study Of A Case Study: Analysis Of A Robust Qualitative Research Methodology, Catherine Snyder Mar 2012

A Case Study Of A Case Study: Analysis Of A Robust Qualitative Research Methodology, Catherine Snyder

The Qualitative Report

A unique multi-part qualitative study methodology is presented from a study which tracked the transformative journeys of four career-changing women from STEM fields into secondary education. The article analyzes the study’s use of archived writing, journaling, participant-generated photography, interviews, member-checking, and reflexive analytical memos. An exploration into the interconnectedness of the methodologies used reveals a robust framework from which the first stages of grounded theory emerged. A detailed explanation of the methodological aspects of conducting the study is discussed with the purpose of making this combination of qualitative methods replicable.


Thorough And Thought-Provoking: A Review Of Packer’S The Science Of Qualitative Research, Oksana Parylo Mar 2012

Thorough And Thought-Provoking: A Review Of Packer’S The Science Of Qualitative Research, Oksana Parylo

The Qualitative Report

The conflict between qualitative and quantitative directions in educational research is not new; however, this debate has resurfaced in the accountability era. The Science of Qualitative Research by Martin Packer (2011) is a thought-provoking book that explains why one should engage in qualitative research. Artfully combining history, examples, and his own reflections on the topic, Packer offers a list of well-grounded arguments that show the importance of and the need for qualitative research. Although this book does not explain how to design and conduct qualitative studies, it makes a good read for all those interested in theories behind modern qualitative …


Investigating Esl Graduate Students’ Intercultural Experiences Of Academic English Writing: A First Person Narration Of A Streamlined Qualitative Study Process, Lianhong Gao Mar 2012

Investigating Esl Graduate Students’ Intercultural Experiences Of Academic English Writing: A First Person Narration Of A Streamlined Qualitative Study Process, Lianhong Gao

The Qualitative Report

This report is a first person narration of the entire process of a qualitative study exploring the impact of ESL students’ native cultural and rhetorical conventions, as well as classroom cultures on their academic English writing in American universities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. A coding system was constructed to analyze transcriptions of the interviews. The study found that there were impacts of L1 culture on the students’ academic English writing, but their effects were minor. The main factors associated with ESL students’ English writing were their familiarity with the disciplinary contents and general composing skills. Implications for culturally …


Method And Writing: A Review Of Adams’ Narrating The Close, Sandra L. Faulkner Mar 2012

Method And Writing: A Review Of Adams’ Narrating The Close, Sandra L. Faulkner

The Qualitative Report

The reviewer starts the review with her reading strategy of beginning with the discussion of the method. She argues that Adams’ work expands definitions of culture and what constitutes the field in ethnographic work in a beautifully written piece of autoethnography. Adams marries method, writing, and topic matter. The reviewer believes that this text would be appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students as well as those of us wanting an excellent example of autoethnography. In conclusion, the reviewer claims excitement to see where this will take ethnographers in the future, and especially those of us interested in the study of …


Parents’ Experiences During Their Infant’S Transition From Neonatal Intensive Care Unit To Home: A Qualitative Study, Sharon W. Hutchinson, Marydee A. Spillett, Mary Cronin Mar 2012

Parents’ Experiences During Their Infant’S Transition From Neonatal Intensive Care Unit To Home: A Qualitative Study, Sharon W. Hutchinson, Marydee A. Spillett, Mary Cronin

The Qualitative Report

Limited literature exists which examines how parents of infants hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) transition from their infant’s NICU hospital stay to home. This study examines the question, “What are the experiences of parents during their infant’s transition from the NICU to home? Grounded theory methods served as the paradigm to explore twelve NICU parents’ experiences during their infant’s transition. The basic social psychological process identified was “becoming a parent” which was based on the core problem “I’m not a parent.” Analysis of data contributed to a model described by the researchers as the resultant Model of …


The Process Of Creation: A Novel Methodology For Analyzing Multimodal Data, Erica Rosenfeld Halverson, Michelle Bass, David Woods Mar 2012

The Process Of Creation: A Novel Methodology For Analyzing Multimodal Data, Erica Rosenfeld Halverson, Michelle Bass, David Woods

The Qualitative Report

In the 21st century, meaning making is a multimodal act; we communicate what we know and how we know it using much more than printed text on a blank page. As a result, qualitative researchers need new methodologies, methods, and tools for working with the complex artifacts that our research subjects produce. In this article we describe the co-development of an analytic methodology and a tool for working with youth produced films as multimodal artifacts of youth engagement with identity. Specifically, we describe how to employ this multimodal framework in data analysis, with an emphasis on how different modes interact …


Democracy And Social Justice In Sarajevo’S Schools, Peter Mcdermott, Brian Kirby Lanahan Mar 2012

Democracy And Social Justice In Sarajevo’S Schools, Peter Mcdermott, Brian Kirby Lanahan

The Qualitative Report

After the end of the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, the people of Sarajevo found themselves rebuilding their country while also learning to live with their former enemies in this developing democracy. In this study we examined the extent to which democratic practices and social justice values were being taught in Sarajevo’s schools. Using a case study method, we gathered data gathered from interviews with educators in a variety of roles in Sarajevo, observations of elementary and secondary classroom teaching, and daily reflective journal entries about living and teaching in the city during the fall of 2008. Our data analyses revealed that …


Biography As Pedagogy: A Review Of Hemingway’S Boat: Everything He Loved And Lost, 1934-1961, Daryl Ward Mar 2012

Biography As Pedagogy: A Review Of Hemingway’S Boat: Everything He Loved And Lost, 1934-1961, Daryl Ward

The Qualitative Report

Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved and Lost, 1934-1961 (2011) by Paul Hendrickson is an excellent example of a dual-purpose book for qualitative researchers. It firsts provides an example of high-quality scholarship in the field of life history research. It also offers the reader specific insights into the practice of qualitative research and how that data is used to create a narrative of the participant’s life. Through the use of authorial participation, a grounded narrative framework, and a detailed description of his research process, Hendrickson’s book is a keen exemplar of the process and product of qualitative work.


Critical Reflections: Interpretation And Analysis Of Japanese Women’S Settlement Experiences, Atsushi Takeda Mar 2012

Critical Reflections: Interpretation And Analysis Of Japanese Women’S Settlement Experiences, Atsushi Takeda

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, I discuss how I came to call into question the way in which I interpreted interview data in my dissertation, which investigated the migration and settlement experience of Japanese women who are married to Australian men and reside in Australia. Through critical reflections, I realized the way in which the positionality of researchers and their experience, values, and beliefs may influence interpretation of data. The translation process of the interview data reminded me of the similarity with the data analysis process. I illustrate how such possible impact changed the meaning of data through sharing my reflections.


Narratives From The Online Frontier: A K-12 Student’S Experience In An Online Learning Environment, Michael Barbour, Jason Siko, Jacinda Sumara, Kaye Simuel-Everage Mar 2012

Narratives From The Online Frontier: A K-12 Student’S Experience In An Online Learning Environment, Michael Barbour, Jason Siko, Jacinda Sumara, Kaye Simuel-Everage

The Qualitative Report

Despite a large increase in the number of students enrolled in online courses, published research on student experiences in these environments is minimal. This article reports the narrative analysis of a series of interviews conducted with a female student at a brick-and-mortar school enrolled in a single virtual school course. Her narratives describe a student who often struggled with the content in her online course and was reluctant to interact with her online teacher. When she interacted with people online, it was using text, because she was shy and the hardware often did not work. Darlene’s experiences, likely typical of …


Mysteries And Qualitative Research? Review Of Mats Alvesson And Dan Kärreman’S Qualitative Research And Theory Development: Mystery As Method, Tom Strong Mar 2012

Mysteries And Qualitative Research? Review Of Mats Alvesson And Dan Kärreman’S Qualitative Research And Theory Development: Mystery As Method, Tom Strong

The Qualitative Report

In an era of postmodern and social constructionist thought, qualitative researchers have experienced method as a mess. This time of conflict and tension has contributed to concerns and questions about researchers’ interpretive and reflexive contributions to the study of social reality. Into these confusing times, Mats Alvesson and Dan Kärreman, social constructionist researchers, take a novel approach to how qualitative research can inform theory development. They suggest researchers embrace the mysteries when trying to make sense of social situations by taking a reflective and interpretive approach towards their empirical material to create results that can challenge established theory and thus …


Conducting Qualitative Data Analysis: Managing Dynamic Tensions Within, Part One, Ronald J. Chenail Mar 2012

Conducting Qualitative Data Analysis: Managing Dynamic Tensions Within, Part One, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

In the third of a series of “how-to” essays on conducting qualitative data analysis, Ron Chenail examines the dynamic tensions within the process of qualitative data analysis that qualitative researchers must manage in order to produce credible and creative results. These tensions include (a) the qualities of the data and the qualitative data analysis of these qualities, (b) errors of deficiency and exuberance, (c) tacit and public knowledge, (d) separation and connection, and (e) verticality and horizontality.