 |
The Qualitative Report An online journal dedicated to qualitative research since 1990 Volume 11 Number 1 March 2006 http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR11-1/index.html |
| Ronald J.
Chenail, Ph.D., Sally St. George, Ph.D., and Dan Wulff,
Ph.D., Editors ISSN 1052-0147 |
Moving from Separate Subject to Interdisciplinary Teaching:
The Complexity of Change in a Preservice Teacher K-1 Early Field
Experience (pp. 1-19)
PDF Full
Text
Janet C. Richards and Kim T. Shea
Abstract: This phenomenological inquiry looked at 28 preservice teachers as they participated in a field-based curricula restructuring initiative that connected the disciplines of creative arts, science, and reading. The preservice teachers offered weekly interdisciplinary lessons to kindergarten and first grade students. A survey, teaching cases, and a group exit interview informed the study. Throughout most of the semester, the preservice teachers struggled with procedural and pedagogical content knowledge, concerns directly related to effective teaching. By the end of the semester, they felt comfortable teaching interdisciplinary lessons. Results suggest that preservice teacher curricular restructuring efforts are complex and that teacher educators need to consider the perspectives preservice teachers bring to the change process. Key Words: Curricular Restructuring, Interdisciplinary Lessons, Phenomenological Inquiry, and Teaching Cases
You Cant be Serious, that Ball was IN: An Investigation of Junior
Tennis Cheating Behavior (pp. 20-36)
PDF Full
Text
Jonathan Casper
Abstract: Because junior tennis players have to enforce the rules of the game against each other, cheating to give a player an unfair advantage is common. While this deviant behavior is found to be commonplace in the sport, there is little research to investigate its cause or influences. Results indicated that junior players felt that personal and parental pressures were the most common sources of perceived pressure to win that resulted in cheating behavior. The prevalence of parents who cheat was also cited as a major issue with the participants. Implications as to how the current study adds to the literature of youth cheating as well as practical implications are discussed. Key Words: Cheating, Tennis, Moral Development, and Youth Sport
Post Modern Image-Based Research: An Innovative Data
Collection Method for Illuminating Preservice Teachers Developing
Perceptions in Field-Based Courses
(pp. 37-54)
PDF Full
Text
Janet C. Richards
Abstract: As part of course requirements twenty-eight preservice teachers in a field-based content reading course created a series of self-portraits that illustrated their concerns and perceptions about teaching content reading. They accompanied their drawings with dialogue. Analysis of the portraits indicates that arts-based techniques have the potential to provide insights about preservice teachers perceived realities and understandings that narrative data alone might not reveal. The preservice teachers experienced high levels of stress as they prepared to teach their first lesson and their anxieties continued past mid-semester. By the end of the course the majority developed confidence in their teaching abilities and they were able to list a wide-range of content reading strategies however, they overlooked the visual and communicative arts. Key Words: Arts-based Techniques, Content Reading, Preservice Teachers Self-Portraits, and Visual Representations
Community Research Mythology (pp. 55-79)
PDF Full
Text
Barbara Waldern
Abstract: This article is dedicated to an in-depth discussion of the theme community and the implications the multiple meanings of community hold for the field of qualitative research. This theme surfaced from Walderns 2003 study entitled Resistance to Research in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside, which dealt with participant resistance to joining research efforts, and deserves the attention of all social researchers. In this article, the politics of the research process are discussed to evaluate and suggest improvements for reflexive methods of inquiry. Determining that the idea of community research is a myth, this work is concerned about making qualitative methods more sensitive to social inequality without compromising their rigour. Key Words: Community Research, Resistance, Reflexive Methods, Methodology, Urbanology, Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, and University Relations
Comparison of Methods and Interdisciplinary Possibilities. The
Case of Literature Reviews in Social Work and in Nursing Sciences
(pp. 80-87)
PDF Full
Text
Yves Couturier and Christian Dumas-Laverdiere
Abstract: The reflections on interdisciplinarity cover several dimensions. One, among them, concerns the nature of what occurs between two disciplines. Does inter-disciplinarity relate to an intention, to a metatheory, to the object, or to a method? It is this ultimate space that we propose to study, supported by Reswebers (2000) proposition, putting the study of the homology of forms forward as a promising way to better understand the interdisciplinarity. Therefore, we have modelled the literature review methods for social work and nursing in order to clarify what expresses, on the plan of the method, either some form homologies or else some interdisciplinary possibilities. Key Words: Methodology, Interdisciplinarity, Social Work, Nursing, and Literature Review
A Necessary Evil: The Experiences of Managers Implementing
Downsizing Programmes
(pp. 88-112)
PDF Full
Text
Ernesto Noronha and Premilla D'Cruz
Abstract: This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological study, which describes the experiences of human resource (HR) managers implementing a downsizing programme in a steel manufacturing organisation in India. Data were collected through conversational interviews. Following van Manens sententious analytic approach, the core theme of a necessary evil, emerged, which indicates that while participants were pained by their task of having to terminate workers and deprive them of their livelihood, they believed that they had no choice in the matter if they had to ensure the competitive position of the organisation and their own survival as employees. The findings of the inquiry provide insights into a virtually unstudied area and raise questions about the role of HR managers in contemporary organisations. Key Words: Downsizing, Implementors, Dilemmas, and Coping
Designing and Implementing a Qualitative Evaluation
Protocol for Non-Credit Life Long Learning Programs (pp.
113-137)
PDF
Full Text
Dennis L. McElhoe, George Kamberelis, and Jerry L. Peters
Abstract: This study was undertaken to determine whether an evaluation model employing multiple methods of data collection and analysis might yield more useful information for improving lifelong learning courses than existing models. Major findings included: (1) learning satisfaction appears to be dependent on the instructional environment adults may be most comfortable with and; (2) the confidence gained in using computers, rather than skills acquisition, was the greatest benefit students derived from their participation. Findings from this study suggest the value of mixed methods evaluation designs for generating information that is useful for improving lifelong learning courses. Findings also suggest the need for much more research in this domain of inquiry. Key Words: Non-credit Life Long Learning Programs, Mixed Methods Evaluation, Adult Learners, and Student Satisfaction
College Student Mentors and Latino Youth: A Qualitative
Study of the Mentoring Relationship (pp. 138-160)
PDF Full
Text
Lisa L. Knoche and Byron L. Zamboanga
Abstract: This phenomenological study describes the meaning of mentoring relationships from the perspectives of six purposefully selected mentors involved in the Latino Achievement Mentoring Program (LAMP), and investigates underlying themes regarding the mentors relationships. Clusters of themes pertaining to the mentors relationship with the mentee, the relationship of the mentor with the mentees family, and the mentors personal and professional development contributed to the meaning of the mentoring relationship for LAMP mentors. Mentors highlighted challenges that characterized the mentoring relationships at various points in time: However, relationship strengths outweighed potential obstacles. Findings are useful for programs that target Latino youth, and have implications for the recruitment and retention of mentors. Findings bring to light the need for future research that considers the quality of the mentoring relationship and its influence on outcomes for mentoring participants. Key Words: Youth Mentoring, Latino Youth, Phenomenology, Latino Achievement Mentoring Program (LAMP), and Mentoring Relationships
Phenomenological Research and Adolescent Female
Sexuality: Discoveries and Applications (pp. 161-181)
PDF Full
Text
Gabrielle Morrissey and Joy Higgs
Abstract: This paper presents research in female first sexual intercourse in Australia. Previous research in adolescent sexual behavior, particularly issues around first sexual intercourse behavior, has mainly utilized quantitative methodology. Our research adopted a qualitative approach to provide unique insight into adolescent sexual behavior, attitudes, and development. We used phenomenology to investigate adolescent female sexual experiences. The findings can inform national and international sexuality education. Key Words: Phenomenology, Sexuality Research, and Sexuality Education
Low Self-Esteem of Psychotherapy Patients: A Qualitative
Inquiry (pp. 182-208)
PDF Full
Text
Jacob D. van Zyl, Elsje M. Cronje, and Catharine Payze
Abstract: In this article the story of 11 male psychotherapeutic patients with low self-esteem is told within the context of the research process. The literature suggests that the concept of self-esteem has a significant influence on the way an individual experiences his/her world. Therefore, the meaning that the psychotherapeutic patients associated with negative and positive labels, as it relates to self-esteem, was examined using grounded theory. The main storyline is conceptualized as follows; negative suggestion from the patients past leads to low self-esteem which is, within his emotional problematics and by means of a negative thinking scheme, unhealthily handled. Therapy from a medical hypno-analytical perspective is used to replace negative labels by facilitating the attachment of positive meaning to his self-esteem. Key Words: Grounded Theory, Holism, Hypnotherapy, Labeling Theory, Meaning, Medical Hypno-Analytical Approach, Negative Labels, Positive Labels, Psychotherapy Patients, Qualitative Research, Self-Esteem, Self-Esteem Induction, Understanding
