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The Qualitative Report An online journal dedicated to qualitative research since 1990 Volume 9 Number 1 March 2004 http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR9-1/index.html |
| Ronald J.
Chenail, Ph.D., Sally St. George, Ph.D., and Dan Wulff,
Ph.D., Editors ISSN 1052-0147 |
Combining Causal Model and Focus Group Discussions Experiences
Learned from a Socio-Anthropological Research on the Differing Perceptions
of Caretakers and Health Professionals on Children's Health Perceptions
Bolivia/Peru) (pp. 1-17)
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Pierre Lefevre, Charles-Edouard de Suremain, Emma Rubin de Celis, and Edgar Sejas
Abstract: The paper discusses the utility of constructing causal models in focus groups. This was experienced as a complement to an in-depth ethnographic research on the differing perceptions of caretakers and health professionals on childs growth and development in Peru and Bolivia. The rational, advantages, difficulties and necessary adaptations of combining the two techniques are discussed on the basis of concrete examples. Authors conclude that the building of a causal model in a focus group session can be useful in comparing lay etiologies of diseases as perceived by different categories of caretakers and health professionals and in identifying specific health risks faced by children. Causal model building in a focus group can help renew discussions and participants interest but its use is only justified when the study concerns the perception of the causality of a given phenomenon. Key Words: Qualitative Methods, Health Risks, Causality, and Lay Etiologies
Beyond the Horizon: Visitor Meaning-Making and the Vatican
Frescoes (pp. 18-34)
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Lee Brodie
Abstract: During the summer of 2002, thirty-one medieval frescoes went on display at the Museum of Texas Tech University, the only venue in the world for this extraordinary exhibition. This paper summarizes a qualitative research study that focused on the experiences of three visitors to the Medieval Frescoes from the Vatican Museums Collection exhibition. The study applied Gadamers (1993) idea of horizons to both the visitor-participants and the frescoes to illuminate the interpretive event, the meeting of horizons, and to uncover any obstacles that might hinder the fusion of horizons. The findings of the study are presented in a readers theatre format as an alternative to traditional reporting methods so that the voices of the participants, frescoes, and researcher can be portrayed more clearly. Key Words: Horizons, Visitor Meaning-Making, Vatican Frescoes, Museum, and Art Interpretation
Outcomes-Based Education in the English Second Language Classroom
in South Africa (pp. 35-48)
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Gawie Schlebusch and Motsamai Thobedi
Abstract: The re-birth of South Africa in 1994 has brought the implementation of effective educational policies. Simultaneously, the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) approach has been introduced to advance thteaching and learning of the Learning areas in schools in South Africa. This article focuses on the learning of English as a Second Language (ESL) in Grade eight. The focus is furthermore on schools from the Black township areas, called previously disadvantaged schools. The introduction of OBE in South Africa heralds an era of meaningful teaching. The use of OBE strives to root out the last vestiges of Apartheid education. With an OBE approach, teaching and learning activities have the aim of empowering learners to succeed in the real life after leaving school. One of the main aims of using a language, for example English, is to develop communicative competence. Communicative competence is the ability to linguistically apply the language correctly in authentic situations. English though is the first language of only 9% of South African citizens (Van der Merwe & Van Niekerk, 1994). The qualitative research method was employed for this study, using semi-structured interviews and observations as research tools. The research study on ESL teaching and learning for Grade eight classes has shown that deficiencies and ineffectiveness occur in most of the classrooms. The findings confirm that Grade eight ESL learners experience problems with ESL due to insufficient use of advanced strategies for teaching and learning by the educators. Key Words: English Second Language, ESL Classrooms, and Outcomes-Based Education
Racial Identity and the Development of Body Image Issues among
African American Adolescent Girls (pp. 49-79)
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Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber, Stephanie A. Howling, Patricia Leavy, and Meg Lovejoy
Abstract: This study focuses on the impact of race, and its intersection with gender, in influencing and/or preventing the development of disordered body image. Specifically, Black samples are examined to see the role that racial identity plays in the process of developing such attitudes. Using qualitative data analysis methods rooted in grounded theory, the study finds that race is intrinsically linked to the notion of self-esteem, non-internalization, and maternal support, and that in turn these factors serve to prevent the African American sample from the development of body image dissatisfaction. Key Words: African-American, Adolescents, Body Image, and Racial Identity
Using Qualitative Methods to Understand the Educational
Experiences of Students with Dyslexia (pp. 80-93)
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Debby Zambo
Abstract: As readers, children with dyslexia are vulnerable to becoming academically, socially, and emotionally detached from education. Traditional educational practices tend to use quantitative measures to diagnose children to better serve their needs and researchers, who study students with special needs often focus on a deficit model that quantify just how far a child is from the norm. This practice, while full of good intentions, often creates emotional scars and feelings of inferiority in a child. This reductionist view of a disability is most likely different from the lived experience of the person with the disability. To get a complete picture, we must use qualitative methods to reveal childrens words, their interactions, and the entire context within which their disability is nested. In this study, I use qualitative methods to unpack the educational experiences of a group of students with dyslexia. Data were gathered from four sources: interviews with students and teachers, field notes, and journal entries. The words of the participants are presented to convey the emotional impact that a reading disability brings and to remind educators and researchers that quantitative methods do not always provide a complete picture of a childs experience in school. Key Words: Dyslexia, Reading Disabilities, Qualitative Methods, and Emotions
Mission Drift in Qualitative Research, or Moving Toward a
Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies,
Moving Back to a More Systematic Narrative Review (pp. 94-111)
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Kip Jones
Abstract: The paper argues that the systematic review of qualitative research is best served by reliance upon qualitative methods themselves. A case is made for strengthening the narrative literature review and using narrative itself as a method of review. A technique is proposed that builds upon recent developments in qualitative systematic review by the use of a narrative inductive method of analysis. The essence of qualitative work is described. The natural ability for issues of ethnicity and diversity to be investigated through a qualitative approach is elaborated Recent developments in systematic review are delineated, including the Delphi and Signal and Noise techniques, inclusion of grey literature, scoping studies and meta-ethnography. A narrative inductive interpretive method to review qualitative research is proposed, using reflective teams to analyse documents. Narrative is suggested as a knowledge-generating method and its underlying hermeneutic approach is defended as providing validity and theoretical structure. Finally, qualities that distinguish qualitative research from more quantitative investigations are delineated. Starting points for reflecting on qualitative studies and their usefulness are listed. Key Words: Qualitative Systematic Review, Evidence-Based Policy, Grey Literature, Scoping Studies, Delphi, Signal and Noise, Meta-ethnography, Narrative Review, Narrative Method, and Reflective Teams
Relating Categories in Grounded Theory Analysis: Using a
Conditional Relationship Guide and Reflective Coding Matrix (pp.
112-126)
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Karen Wilson Scott
Abstract: This paper describes the process for employing two principal instruments for relating the categories identifying the central phenomenon in grounded theory analysis. The Conditional Relationship Guide contextualizes the central phenomenon and relates structure with process. The second tool, the Reflective Coding Matrix, captures the higher level of abstraction necessary to bridge to the final phase of grounded theory analysis, selective coding and interpretation and ultimately to the theory generation. Examples of each instrument are provided and discussed. Key Words: Grounded Theory, Grounded Theory Analysis, Analytic Coding, Analytic Categories, Conditional Relationship Guide, and Reflective Coding Matrix
Rethinking Validity in Qualitative Research from a Social
Constructionist Perspective: From Is this valid research? to What is this
research valid for? (pp. 127-136)
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Jeffrey P. Aguinaldo
Abstract: This article theorises the issue of validity that is premised upon social constructionist assumptions, particularly as it is applied to the assessment of qualitative research. As a social construction, validity must thus be interrogated for its discursive function within the social sciences. I will argue that, as a criterion of assessment, validity polices the social science enterprise and thus, functions as a practice of power through the de/legitimation of social knowledge, research practice, and experiential possibilities. This critique will lead into a reformulation of validity that actively recognizes and negotiates its practice of power. Within this reformulation, research findings are conceptualised as representations and should be scrutinized for their realist, critical, deconstructive, and reflexive narrative function. Put simply, assessing qualitative research entails multiple and contradictory readings of its representational failures and successes. Therefore, validity is no longer conceived as a determination (i.e., is valid versus is not valid) but a continual process of interrogation. This new framework will be applied to my Masters thesis research that explored domestic violence and relationship abuse among gay males. Implications for research practice are discussed. Key Words: Qualitative Methodology, Validity, Social Constructionism, Gay Male Partner Abuse
Studying Human-Centered IT Innovation Using a Grounded Action
Learning Approach (pp. 137-160)
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David J. Pauleen and Pak Yoong
Abstract: This paper describes how two research methodologies, grounded theory and action learning, were combined to produce a rigorous yet creative and flexible method for field study of a recent IT-based innovation, virtual teams. Essentially, an action learning program was used to train facilitators of virtual teams and generate research data while grounded theory techniques were used to analyze and interpret the data. This paper shows how this combined method can be used to develop local and practical theory for complex, human-centered areas of information technology. The implications of this grounded action learning approach for practice and research in IS will be discussed. Key Words: Action Learning, Action Research, Grounded Theory, Virtual Teams, and IS Research
Faster, Richer, Better: Rapid Appraisal Techniques for the Study
of IS Implementation in Virtual Communities (pp. 161-174)
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Linda Wilkins, Paula Swatman and Tanya Castleman
Abstract: A major issue in Information Systems (IS) research is how to combine relevance and rigor (Benbasat & Zmud, 1999) and reduce the widening gap between research results and adoption (Dunn, 1994). Qualitative researchers make use of interpretivist methods to add richness and depth to their understanding of user problems. Interpretivist methods applied to IS implementations can thus result in research which communicates those findings more effectively. However standard interpretivist data-collection and analysis methods can be time-consuming and expensive. Findings based on these methods may be irrelevant to practitioners by the time they reach publication stage. A potential solution to this problem lies in Rapid Appraisal or RA, a qualitative appraisal methodology derived from rural development-related research. It offers IS researchers an additional technique for learning and acquiring relevant information in a limited period of time that supplements current data collection and analysis techniques. RA adds value to the traditional approach for studying diffusion of innovation, supporting and extending the IS researchers qualitative tool-kit. In this paper we review an electronic gateway designed to facilitate the diffusion of an Australian government to business [G2B] export documentation system, EXDOC, which was first implemented with meat producers. RA techniques were used to collect and analyse data regarding the implementation of the first regional Electronic Trade Facilitation Center [ETFC] successfully established for Australian exporters in the horticulture sector. The findings from the original EXDOC implementation in the meat sector were confirmed and extended through this study. These include the importance of developing a governance structure that ensures all community members share the benefits of an implementation and the fact that virtual trading communities are attractive to users only if they add value to their business and extend standard ways of operating. Interactive interviews, part of the RA approach; also enabled us to expand our understanding of the way in which procedures developed in the course of implementing an electronic market represent value-adding opportunities for virtual trading communities. The paper has special relevance for researchers investigating adoption and diffusion issues experienced by small-scale producers with low exposure to technology in remote and rural settings. Key Words: Virtual Communities, Adoption and Diffusion of Online Systems, and Qualitative Research Methods
