Distributed Leadership in Elementary Schools: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdez, Vidal

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore distributed leadership and how leadership practices are actualized in three selected schools in Southern California. This qualitative, multiple case study used survey research and interviews to assess how distributed leadership was practiced in three selected elementary schools located within one school…

Formative Qualitative Evaluation for "Exploratory" ITS Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Tom

1993-01-01

Discusses evaluation methods applicable to exploratory research areas, provides an overview of qualitative and formative methods for exploratory research on intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) and describes an exploratory study in ITS knowledge acquisition which involved working with three educators to build an ITS for high school physics.…

Evaluation of Oral Performance in Outsourced Call Centres: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friginal, Eric

2013-01-01

This case study discusses the development and use of an oral performance assessment instrument intended to evaluate Filipino agents' customer service transactions with callers from the United States (US). The design and applications of the instrument were based on a longitudinal, qualitative observation of language training and customer service…

Leadership Training at First Bank of Nigeria: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawal, Fatai; Thompson, Randall; Thompson, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to identify components of an exemplary leadership development program that might serve as a framework for training leaders for banking organizations in Nigeria. We recruited 30 managers, supervisors, and officers with at least 10 years of banking experience to explore leadership…

A Case Study Understanding Employability through the Lens of Human Resource Executives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Carmeda L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to examine HR executives' perspectives on employability enhancement for employees and how it is operationalized in their workplace. The exploratory questions that guided the study were, What are the perspectives of HR executives regarding employability enhancement for employees, and In what…

Factors Affecting Pre-Service Teachers' Participation in Asynchronous Discussion: The Case of Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebrahimi, Alice; Faghih, Esmail; Marandi, Seyyedeh Susan

2016-01-01

This study reports on a qualitative small-scale exploratory study which examined the factors influencing 32 Iranian pre-service language teachers' participation in online asynchronous text-based discussion forums. By adopting a multiple case study design and analysing data gathered through semi-structured interviews and participants' online…

Knowledge Management and Law Enforcement: An Examination of Knowledge Management Strategies of the Police Information System (POLNET) in the Turkish National Police

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gultekin, Kubra

2009-01-01

This research study explores knowledge management (KM) in law enforcement, focusing on the POLNET system established by the Turkish National Police as a knowledge-sharing tool. This study employs a qualitative case study for exploratory and descriptive purposes. The qualitative data set came from semi-structured face-to-face and telephone…

Leadership Style in the Deaf Community: An Exploratory Case Study of a University President

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamm-Larew, Deborah; Stanford, Jevetta; Greene, Robert; Heacox, Christopher; Hodge, Warren

2008-01-01

A qualitative mini-case study of I. King Jordan and his leadership style explores the influence of a transformational leader on Gallaudet University and the Deaf community. The study features a template-style semistructured interview with Jordan regarding his perceptions of leadership and his personal insights. The study highlights the attributes…

Exploring the Dimensions of Brand Reputation in Higher Education--A Case Study of a Finnish Master's Degree Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suomi, Kati

2014-01-01

This exploratory study examines the dimensions that are relevant to brand reputation, particularly in the context of master's degree programmes. The data analysis is based on Vidaver-Cohen's "Business school quality dimensions and reputational attributes". The qualitative data for the case study comprise a student questionnaire and…

The "UIC German" Game App for the Enhancement of Foreign Language Learning--Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryder, Robert; Machajewski, Szymon

2017-01-01

This qualitative case study reports the adoption of gamification in a college level foreign language courses. An exploratory approach allows the authors to describe how gamification was applied and what results were documented. A custom mobile app was adopted to increase engagement and interest of students in the specific field of study. External…

Finding One's Place: A Case Study of a Music Atelierista

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bond, Vanessa L.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to document one teacher's journey as he negotiated the role of music atelierista (music studio teacher) in a school inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach (REA). Through the collection of qualitative data over a one-year time period and subsequent analysis, the author identified and described the…

Contemplating a New Model for Air Force Aerospace Medical Technician Skills Sustainment Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

qualitative research designs. The major designs described by these researchers included: grounded theory , narrative research ... phenomenological research , ethnographies , content analysis, and case study . Because each of these designs can stand alone as an individual research ...exploratory, embedded, single case study . A mixed methods research approach will be applied in an effort to discover

Co-Teacher Perceptions of Lesson Planning in the Online Scripted Math Curriculum Inclusion Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollock, Joseph

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative single case embedded exploratory case study was to investigate high school inclusion co-teachers' perceptions of the shared planning process when developing lesson plans for "Agile Mind" (2015) and to determine how teachers work to do this within the constructs of the online scripted curriculum. The…

Digital Immigrant Teacher Perceptions of an Extended Cyberhunt Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

du Plessis, Andre; Webb, Paul

2012-01-01

This quantitative and qualitative interpretive exploratory case study investigates whether exposure to an Internet based "Extended Cyberhunt" strategy enables teachers to attain a set of outcomes similar to Prensky's "Essential 21st Century Skills" and the "Critical Outcomes of the South African National Curriculum…

An Exploratory Multiple-Case Study of the Experiences of Participants in Self-Initiated Peer Support Groups among School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

House, Collette R.

2016-01-01

School leaders commonly face issues of loneliness, isolation, burnout, and depression. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore self-initiated peer support group participation for professional impact and personal impact on school leaders facing issues of loneliness, isolation, stress, and burnout. This study provides an…

A Case Study to Explore Rigorous Teaching and Testing Practices to Narrow the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isler, Tesha

2012-01-01

The problem examined in this study: Does the majority of teachers use rigorous teaching and testing practices? The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the classroom techniques of six effective teachers who use rigorous teaching and testing practices. The hypothesis for this study is that the examination of the…

A Multiple Case Study of the Literacy Instructional Leadership Behaviors of Elementary Principals in North Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herridge, Robin Lea

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the literacy instructional leadership behaviors of principals in two high poverty elementary schools in North Carolina who have experienced success with student growth in reading achievement over a three year period. This was a qualitative exploratory multiple case study. Data was gathered from 21…

Single-Parents' Persistence in Pursuit of Higher Education: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poindexter, Beryle Jean

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative case study is an exploratory study to examine what contributes to the failure of the persistence of non-residential single-parents pursuing a college degree. The participants of this study included ten non-residential single-parent students between the ages of 21 and 50. The site of the interviews was in the…

Learning about Literacy outside the Classroom: Pre-Service Teachers Reflect on Learning a Second Language through Cultural Immersion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierrez, A. Renee; Hunter, Cheryl A.

2012-01-01

This qualitative case study examined the perceived impact of immersion language study for pre-service teachers. The focus of the case was a month-long exploratory language and cultural immersion project in Costa Rica. The guiding questions were: what knowledge of teaching literacy do pre-service teachers reflect upon during a linguistic and…

The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA): A Guide to a Good Qualitative Research Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alase, Abayomi

2017-01-01

As a research methodology, qualitative research method infuses an added advantage to the exploratory capability that researchers need to explore and investigate their research studies. Qualitative methodology allows researchers to advance and apply their interpersonal and subjectivity skills to their research exploratory processes. However, in a…

Facilitating Reading Habits and Creating Peer Culture in Shared Book Reading: An Exploratory Case Study in a Toddler Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Boh Young

2017-01-01

Fifteen toddlers (2- to 3-years old, nine boys and six girls) in a university preschool classroom were observed for 7 months while spending time with books during transition time, between story time and lunch. This qualitative case study investigated the ways that teachers can facilitate toddlers' reading habits by providing literacy opportunities…

An Examination of Principals' Leadership and Its Impact on Early Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallissey, Megan

2017-01-01

This exploratory, qualitative multiple-site case study examined principals' expectations of teaching practices and children's learning for early elementary grade levels (K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd). Specifically, this study investigated principals' understanding of developmentally appropriate practices regarding instructional methods, curriculum…

Open Crowdsourcing: Leveraging Community Software Developers for IT Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phair, Derek

2012-01-01

This qualitative exploratory single-case study was designed to examine and understand the use of volunteer community participants as software developers and other project related roles, such as testers, in completing a web-based application project by a non-profit organization. This study analyzed the strategic decision to engage crowd…

Texas Borderland Community Colleges and Views regarding Undocumented Students: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jauregui, John Andrew; Slate, John R.

2010-01-01

In this study, these researchers explored Texas borderland community colleges' institutional policies and factors impacting the access, retention, and educational achievement of undocumented students. Exploratory case studies were conducted on three Texas borderland community colleges in an effort to uncover emergent themes and constructs…

A Teacher Proposed Heuristic for ICT Professional Teacher Development and Implementation in the South African Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

du Plessis, Andre; Webb, Paul

2012-01-01

This qualitative interpretive exploratory case study investigated a sample of South African teachers' perceptions of the requirements for successful implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional Teacher Development (PTD) within disadvantaged South African township schools in the Port Elizabeth district in South…

Advancing and Sustaining a Clinical Teacher Preparation Partnership: An Exploratory Qualitative Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrido, Melissa Downey

2012-01-01

The national call to "turn [teacher education] upside down" (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation and Partnerships for Improved Student Learning [NCATE], 2010, p. ii) and states' subsequent commitments to pilot recommendations necessitates study of successful…

Exploring German Preservice Teachers' Electronic and Professional Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Carolin

2006-01-01

This article presents findings from an exploratory pilot project which aimed at fostering electronic and professional literacy skills of preservice language teachers through computer-mediated peer collaboration. The research context is a qualitative case study involving cooperation via the email and chat functions of "FirstClass" among…

Culturally Responsive Teaching and Decision Making in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wairia, Charles

2017-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how teachers and administrators are culturally responsive in their teaching and decision-making in a school district in eastern United States. This study was guided by two concepts; culturally responsive teaching and culturally responsive pedagogy. The researcher conducted…

Creating Meaning from Collaboration to Implement RtI for At-Risk Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diakakis, Julia Ann

2014-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study based on Danielson's (2002) assertion that when teachers learn, student achievement improves was to examine how teachers created a collaborative learning experience through Professional Learning Community (PLC) concepts to implement Response to Intervention (RtI) with at-risk students. The…

Debriefing Interviews and Coaching Conversations: Strategies to Promote Student Reflexivity and Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maritz, J.; Jooste, K.

2011-01-01

Without conscious will and engagement in critical reflexivity as a process of growth and learning in research, students remain unaware of their subjective biases and the effect of bias on the inquiry. A qualitative, exploratory, single descriptive case study was used to explore and describe the operationalisation of debriefing interviews and…

Orientation Practices for Effective Distributed Learning Coursework: Students Speak Their Minds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brescia, William; Miller, Michael; Ibrahima, Poda; Murry, John

2004-01-01

As an increasing number of graduate education courses are moved either online or into hybrid formats, instructors and administrators need to consider strategies for how to transition students into these new learning environments. This exploratory, qualitative study looked at one case study course and provides practical recommendations for stronger…

Designing Instruction for Speed: Qualitative Insights into Instructional Design for Accelerated Online Graduate Coursework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trekles, Anastasia M.; Sims, Roderick

2013-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to explore instructional design strategies and characteristics of online, asynchronous accelerated courses and students' choices of deep or surface learning approaches within this environment. An increasing number of university programs, particularly at the graduate level, are moving to an…

Teachers' Implicit Theories and Use of ICTs in the Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cárdenas-Claros, Mónica; Oyanedel, Marianna

2016-01-01

This qualitative and exploratory case study sought to examine if and how implicit theories influence the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the language classroom in Chile. To achieve this goal, data was gathered from nine experienced university instructors in English as a Second Language. Based on…

The Impact of Powerful Oral Language Lab on Chilean EFL Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Hsuying Chiou; Andruske, Cynthia Lee

2013-01-01

This exploratory qualitative case study reports the impact of using a public-speaking structure (Powerful Oral Language Lab [POLL]) in teaching preservice Chilean English pedagogy students. It describes how this task-based method of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher training is related to language strategic competence. Twenty students…

Exploring Ohio Police Preparedness for Active Shooter Incidents in Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pignatelli, Daniel A.

2010-01-01

School shootings, such as Columbine, have prompted police executives to explore response tactics and preparedness efforts for combating active shooters. This qualitative exploratory case study focused on specific preparation initiatives that have been implemented for the purpose of dealing with active shooters. Being prepared is one of the only…

What Does the Student Psychological Contract Mean? Evidence from a UK Business School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koskina, Aikaterini

2013-01-01

Much has been written about psychological contracts in organisational contexts but very little in educational settings, especially within higher education. Using an exploratory single case study this article provides qualitative empirical evidence about the ways in which the psychological contract is perceived by a group of postgraduate students…

Information Leaks and Limitations of Role-Based Access Control Mechanisms: A Qualitative Exploratory Single Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antony, Laljith

2016-01-01

Failing to prevent leaks of confidential and proprietary information to unauthorized users from software applications is a major challenge that companies face. Access control policies defined in software applications with access control mechanisms are unable to prevent information leaks from software applications to unauthorized users. Role-based…

School Stakeholders' Experience with Navigating ICT Policy Reforms in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Vicente Chua, Jr.; Kheng, Catherine Chua Siew

2015-01-01

Using qualitative research inquiry methods, this inquiry attempts to explore how school stakeholders cope with incessant and seemingly endless transformations in schools. The central phenomenon to be studied focuses on how school stakeholders "make sense" of educational reform. In order to do this, an exploratory case study of two target…

Social Support, Motivation, and the Process of Juvenile Reentry: An Exploratory Analysis of Desistance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panuccio, Elizabeth A.; Christian, Johnna; Martinez, Damian J.; Sullivan, Mercer L.

2012-01-01

Many scholarly works and studies have explored the experience of reentry and desistance for adult offenders, but fewer studies have focused on these processes among juvenile offenders. Using qualitative case studies of juveniles released from secure confinement, this study explores the desistance process during juvenile reentry by examining how…

The Pedagogy of Science Teachers from Non-Natural Science Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods, Shaneka

2017-01-01

This is a descriptive, exploratory, qualitative, collective case study that explores the pedagogical practices of science teachers who do not hold natural science degrees. The intent of this study is to support the creation of alternative pathways for recruiting and retaining high-quality secondary science teachers in K-12 education. The…

Application Development Methodology Appropriateness: An Exploratory Case Study Bridging the Gap between Framework Characteristics and Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Lawrence H., Jr.

2013-01-01

This qualitative study analyzed experiences of twenty software developers. The research showed that all software development methodologies are distinct from each other. While some, such as waterfall, focus on traditional, plan-driven approaches that allow software requirements and design to evolve; others facilitate ambiguity and uncertainty by…

A case study of autonomy and motivation in a student-led game development project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prigmore, M.; Taylor, R.; De Luca, D.

2016-07-01

This paper presents the findings of an exploratory case study into the relationship between student autonomy and motivation in project based learning, using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to frame the investigation. The case study explores how different forms of motivation affect the students' response to challenges and their intention to complete the project. Earlier studies have made little explicit use of theoretical perspectives on student autonomy and motivation, a weakness this study attempts to address. As an exploratory case study seeking to evaluate the suitability of a particular theoretical framework, we chose a small case: three students on a one-term computer games development project. Given the small scale, the approach is necessarily qualitative, drawing on project documentation and one-to-one interviews with the students. Our conclusion is that the concepts of SDT provide a useful framework for analysing students' motivations to undertake project work, and its predictions can offer useful guidance on how to initiate and supervise such projects.

Decision Making behind the Use of Metacognitive Pedagogy within Education Methodology Coursework: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Andria Hilvitz

2011-01-01

Recent Department of Education Reports identify a need for changes in pre-service teacher education to help close the continuance of the achievement gap. The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the professor decision making about metacognitive pedagogical theory within preparation of preservice education programs. The study included…

Investing in Diversity in London Schools: Leadership Preparation for Black and Global Majority Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Lauri; Campbell-Stephens, Rosemary

2010-01-01

This article traces the historical roots, describes the philosophy and curriculum, and analyzes the approach to leadership in Investing in Diversity, a 1-year Black-led leadership development course in the London schools. An exploratory qualitative case study approach was used to collect historical and empirical data about the program over a…

An Exploratory Case Study of an American-Style, Play-Based Curriculum in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xinxin; Lam, Chun Bun

2017-01-01

An increasing number of parents in China are enrolling their preschool children in after-school programs provided by private, for-profit early learning centers. This study used a qualitative approach to explore how teachers in these centers understood and implemented play and play-based curricula. Data were collected by examining the curriculum…

Understanding Schools as High-Reliability Organizations: An Exploratory Examination of Teachers' and School Leaders' Perceptions of Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorton, Juli A.; Bellamy, G. Thomas; Reece, Anne; Carlson, Jill

2013-01-01

Drawing on research on high-reliability organizations, this interviewbased qualitative case study employs four characteristics of such organizations as a lens for analyzing the operations of one very successful K-5 public school. Results suggest that the school had processes similar to those characteristic of high-reliability organizations: a…

Navigating Family Roles within an Institutional Framework: An Exploratory Study in One Private Chinese Orphanage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neimetz, Catherine

2011-01-01

Current research in child development has espoused the benefit of family-like routines in institutional orphanage care. However, the institutional framework evident in large-group orphanage care often hampers the creation of nurturing, family-like environments. This qualitative study is part of a larger case study exploring how one private Chinese…

The Application of a Resilience Assessment Approach to Promote Campus Environmental Management: A South African Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Irene; Tempelhoff, Johann

2016-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to outline the benefits of using resilience assessment instead of command and control mechanisms to evaluate sustainable campus environments. Design/Methodology/Approach: An exploratory mixed-method design was followed for the purposes of the project. During the first qualitative phase, a historical timeline of the focal…

Online K-12 Charter School Administrators' Perceptions of Newly Hired Teachers' Transferal Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Julin

2017-01-01

When hired to teach courses online, traditionally trained teachers may struggle to transition from non-online instructional delivery skills to research-based best practice strategies designed for the online classroom. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine how online K-12 charter school administrators perceived the…

Exploring the Roles of Parents and Students in EFL Literacy Learning: A Colombian Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurtado Torres, Sergio Aldemar; Castañeda-Peña, Harold Andrés

2016-01-01

There is little scholarly information about parent involvement in their children's English as a Foreign Language (EFL henceforth) literacy learning in the Colombian context. This exploratory-qualitative study looks into the possible roles of parents and children in EFL literacy learning at home, with special emphasis on parental roles and…

Perceptions of Co-Teaching: Closing the Achievement Gap between English Language Learners and Their English Monolingual Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford-DeWaters, Carrie

2017-01-01

This qualitative exploratory single case research study used observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis to explore co-teachers' perceptions of the implementation of a co-teaching instructional model in elementary school general education classrooms with clusters of English learners (EL) in attendance. A total of four…

Technology and Career Preparation: Using Virtual Interview Recordings (VIRs) in an Apparel, Design, and Textiles (ADT) Professional Seminar Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eike, Rachel J.; Rowell, Amy; Mihuta, Tiffani

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify key virtual-recorded interview (VIR) skills that are essential to Apparel, Design, and Textile (ADT) student performance. The virtual, computer-recording interview platform, InterviewStream, was used as the data collection instrument in this qualitative, exploratory case study. Virtual interviews have been…

The Invisible Reality of Whiteness: An Examination of Whiteness in Jesuit Higher Education Student Affairs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmitz, Diane Shirley

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to promote an ethic of care and justice through the examination of the manifestations of whiteness within student affairs on a Jesuit Catholic university campus. To achieve this purpose a qualitative, exploratory case study was used to examine a student affairs division at Western Jesuit University (pseudonym), an…

How Do School Leaders Navigate ICT Educational Reform? Policy Learning Narratives from a Singapore Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chua Reyes, Vicente

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research inquiry focuses on how school leaders "make sense" of educational reform in their local contexts. In order to do this, an exploratory qualitative case study of two schools that took part in policy reform initiatives directed at ubiquitous use of information communication and technology (ICT) in the Singapore…

Community College Presidents in a Southern State: An Exploratory Qualitative Inquiry of Servant Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehning, John

2013-01-01

This exploratory qualitative inquiry added to a limited body of research on the topic of community college presidents who practice the servant leadership philosophy, their influence on organizational effectiveness, and their influence on creating benefits for their community. The research question directing this study asked, What are the…

Empowered to Play: A Case Study Describing the Impact of Powered Mobility on the Exploratory Play of Disabled Children.

PubMed

Sonday, Amshuda; Gretschel, Pam

2016-03-01

Exploratory play is one of the most vital ways in which children learn about their environment and develop. It is well documented that limited mobility restricts a child's ability to engage in their environment through exploratory play. In this study, a qualitative, collective case study design explored the impact of powered mobility on the exploratory play of two children with physical disabilities. Data were collected from the children, their parents and their siblings through participant observation and in-depth, informal interviews. This paper focuses on two themes: Opportunity to Play revealed how powered mobility increased opportunities for the children to become more actively engaged in exploratory play with others across a wider array of contexts, and My Child was Transformed highlighted significant changes in the affect and motivation of each child, which seemed to be linked to their increased internal control over their play choices. The findings suggest that the provision of powered mobility is a key contributor promoting the participation of physically disabled children in exploratory play. Because of undergraduate curricular constraints, a limitation of this study was that data were only confined to 2 months; affecting the depth of data gained that prolonged engagement would have offered. The study recommends for occupational therapy practice that occupational therapists advocate for easier access to powered mobility through governmental and policy means. The study also recommends further research be conducted on the experiences of the caregivers on how these powered mobility devices have influenced their day-to-day occupations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Italian High School Students Who Receive Private Tutoring in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rega, Andrea

2012-01-01

My purpose for this exploratory qualitative research was to gain insights into the perceptions of high school students in Italy who receive private tutoring in mathematics, about their experience and expectations. Little prior research from the perspective of the students has been conducted. Results suggest that some students use private tutoring…

Consociation as a Nominal Retention Strategy: A Qualitative Case Study of a Specific Charter School and University College Partnership Aimed at Scholastic Impetus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Jarvis

2017-01-01

This dissertation as an exploratory study examines the characteristics of the students of a charter school participating in a partnership with a university located in an improving low socioeconomic environment in the northeastern U.S., which has been dedicated to providing educational opportunities to the underserved. This dissertation also…

Children in Crisis: Special Education Status and Other Stressors in the Lives of Children Removed from School by Expulsion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edmonds-Cady, Cynthia; Hock, Robert

2008-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study examines what occurred in the lives of kindergarten through twelfth-grade students who were expelled from school in order to understand possible stressors in their lives. Data were obtained on expulsion cases from a variety of school districts in one midwestern state. The sample (N = 91) consisted of the total…

Rural K-8 Special Education Teachers' Perceptions of Their Positional Status as Special Education Teachers Who Co-Teach with Regular Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaPorte, Kristy L.

2010-01-01

This exploratory qualitative case study investigated rural K-8 special education teacher perceptions of their positional status as special education teachers who co-teach with their regular education peers. Four special education teachers participated in journal prompts, one-on-one interviews, and a focus group interview. The conceptual lens for…

An Exploratory Qualitative Study of the Self-Reported Impact of Female-Perpetrated Childhood Sexual Abuse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deering, Rebecca; Mellor, David

2011-01-01

The limited findings on the impact of female-perpetrated sexual abuse of children are often contradictory, particularly in relation to males. In this exploratory qualitative study, a sample of nine men and five women who reported that they had been sexually abused by women in their childhood were recruited from the general community. They…

Toward an Understanding of Development of Learning to Solve Ill-Defined Problems in an Online Context: A Multi-Year Qualitative Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peddibhotla, Naren

2016-01-01

The case study is a classic tool used in several educational programs that emphasizes solving of illdefined problems. Though it has been used in classroom-based teaching and educators have developed a rich repertoire of methods, its use in online courses presents different challenges. To explore factors that develop skills in solving ill-defined…

Doctoral Education in a Successful Ecological Niche: A Qualitative Exploratory Case Study of the Relationship between the Microclimate and Doctoral Students' Learning to Become a Researcher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Mette K.; Lund, Ole

2014-01-01

Scholarly communities are dependent on and often measured by their ability to attract and develop doctoral students. Recent literature suggests that most scholarly communities entail ecological niches in which the doctoral students learn the codes and practices of research. In this article, we explore the microclimate in an ecological niche of…

Graduate Transition into Work: The Bridging Role of Graduate Placement Programmes in the Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Pádraig

2015-01-01

This research looks at the role of graduate placement programmes in bridging the gap between higher education and the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. The research design and methodology used in this study was exploratory, in-depth and qualitative in nature. The research took the form of a multiple case study and focused on seven…

[Constraints and opportunities for inter-sector health promotion initiatives: a case study].

PubMed

Magalhães, Rosana

2015-07-01

This article analyzes the implementation of inter-sector initiatives linked to the Family Grant, Family Health, and School Health Programs in the Manguinhos neighborhood in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study was conducted in 2010 and 2011 and included document review, local observation, and 25 interviews with program managers, professionals, and staff. This was an exploratory case study using a qualitative approach that identified constraints and opportunities for inter-sector health experiences, contributing to the debate on the effectiveness of health promotion and poverty relief programs.

Alternative perspectives of safety in home delivered health care: a sequential exploratory mixed method study.

PubMed

Jones, Sarahjane

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to discover and describe how patients, carers and case management nurses define safety and compare it to the traditional risk reduction and harm avoidance definition of safety. Care services are increasingly being delivered in the home for patients with complex long-term conditions. However, the concept of safety remains largely unexplored. A sequential, exploratory mixed method design. A qualitative case study of the UK National Health Service case management programme in the English UK National Health Service was deployed during 2012. Thirteen interviews were conducted with patients (n = 9) and carers (n = 6) and three focus groups with nurses (n = 17) from three community care providers. The qualitative element explored the definition of safety. Data were subjected to framework analysis and themes were identified by participant group. Sequentially, a cross-sectional survey was conducted during 2013 in a fourth community care provider (patient n = 35, carer n = 19, nurse n = 26) as a form of triangulation. Patients and carers describe safety differently to case management nurses, choosing to focus on meeting needs. They use more positive language and recognize the role they have in safety in home-delivered health care. In comparison, case management nurses described safety similarly to the definitions found in the literature. However, when offered the patient and carer definition of safety, they preferentially selected this definition to their own or the literature definition. Patients and carers offer an alternative perspective on patient safety in home-delivered health care that identifies their role in ensuring safety and is more closely aligned with the empowerment philosophy of case management. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

From a CV to an ePortfolio: An Exploration of Adult Learner's Perception of the ePortfolio as a Jobseeking Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilroy, John

2017-01-01

ePortfolios are emerging as an alternative to the paper based CV in the employment recruitment process. This paper reports on the findings of research project that was designed to explore the perceptions of adult jobseekers on the use of an ePortfolio as a jobseeking tool. The research project utilised a qualitative exploratory case study to…

Using Interactive Data Visualizations for Exploratory Analysis in Undergraduate Genomics Coursework: Field Study Findings and Guidelines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirel, Barbara; Kumar, Anuj; Nong, Paige; Su, Gang; Meng, Fan

2016-02-01

Life scientists increasingly use visual analytics to explore large data sets and generate hypotheses. Undergraduate biology majors should be learning these same methods. Yet visual analytics is one of the most underdeveloped areas of undergraduate biology education. This study sought to determine the feasibility of undergraduate biology majors conducting exploratory analysis using the same interactive data visualizations as practicing scientists. We examined 22 upper level undergraduates in a genomics course as they engaged in a case-based inquiry with an interactive heat map. We qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed students' visual analytic behaviors, reasoning and outcomes to identify student performance patterns, commonly shared efficiencies and task completion. We analyzed students' successes and difficulties in applying knowledge and skills relevant to the visual analytics case and related gaps in knowledge and skill to associated tool designs. Findings show that undergraduate engagement in visual analytics is feasible and could be further strengthened through tool usability improvements. We identify these improvements. We speculate, as well, on instructional considerations that our findings suggested may also enhance visual analytics in case-based modules.

Using Interactive Data Visualizations for Exploratory Analysis in Undergraduate Genomics Coursework: Field Study Findings and Guidelines

PubMed Central

Kumar, Anuj; Nong, Paige; Su, Gang; Meng, Fan

2016-01-01

Life scientists increasingly use visual analytics to explore large data sets and generate hypotheses. Undergraduate biology majors should be learning these same methods. Yet visual analytics is one of the most underdeveloped areas of undergraduate biology education. This study sought to determine the feasibility of undergraduate biology majors conducting exploratory analysis using the same interactive data visualizations as practicing scientists. We examined 22 upper level undergraduates in a genomics course as they engaged in a case-based inquiry with an interactive heat map. We qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed students’ visual analytic behaviors, reasoning and outcomes to identify student performance patterns, commonly shared efficiencies and task completion. We analyzed students’ successes and difficulties in applying knowledge and skills relevant to the visual analytics case and related gaps in knowledge and skill to associated tool designs. Findings show that undergraduate engagement in visual analytics is feasible and could be further strengthened through tool usability improvements. We identify these improvements. We speculate, as well, on instructional considerations that our findings suggested may also enhance visual analytics in case-based modules. PMID:26877625

Impact of a stay in the intensive care unit on the preparation of Advance Directives: Descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study.

PubMed

Andreu, Pascal; Dargent, Auguste; Large, Audrey; Meunier-Beillard, Nicolas; Vinault, Sandrine; Leiva-Rojas, Uriel; Ecarnot, Fiona; Prin, Sébastien; Charles, Pierre-Emmanuel; Fournel, Isabelle; Rigaud, Jean-Philippe; Quenot, Jean-Pierre

2018-04-01

Our objective was to assess, through a qualitative, exploratory study, the thought processes of patients regarding the formulation of advance directives (AD) after a stay in the ICU. The study was conducted from May to July 2016 using telephone interviews performed by four senior ICU physicians. Inclusion criteria were: patients discharged from ICU to home>3 months earlier. Semi-directive interviews with patients focused on 5 main points surrounding AD. In total, among 159 eligible patients, data from 94 (59%) were available for analysis. Among all those interviewed, 83.5% had never heard of "advance directives". Only 2% had executed AD before ICU admission, and 7% expressed a desire to prepare AD further to their ICU stay. Among the barriers to preparation of AD, lack of information was the main reason cited for not executing AD. Patients noted the following in their AD: withdrawal of life-support in case of vegetative/minimally conscious state or when there is no longer any hope, in case of uncontrollable pain, and if impossible to wean from mechanical ventilation. The ideal time to engage patients in these discussions is most likely well before an acute health event occurs, although this warrants further investigation both before and after ICU admissions. Copyright © 2017 Société française d’anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Emotional Reactions of Students in Field Education: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litvack, Andrea; Mishna, Faye; Bogo, Marion

2010-01-01

An exploratory study using qualitative methodology was undertaken with recent MSW graduates (N=12) from 2 graduate social work programs to identify and describe the students' emotional reactions to experiences in field education. Significant and interrelated themes emerged including the subjective and unique definitions of emotionally charged…

Exploratory Honors Students: Academic Major and Career Decision Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carduner, Jessie; Padak, Gary M.; Reynolds, Jamie

2011-01-01

In this qualitative study, we investigated the academic major and career decision-making processes of honors college students who were declared as "exploratory" students in their freshman year at a large, public, midwestern university. We used semistandardized interviews and document analysis as primary data collection methods to answer…

Thematic Analysis of Medical Notes Offers Preliminary Insight into Precipitants for Asian Suicide Attempters: An Exploratory Study.

PubMed

Choo, Carol C; Ho, Roger C; Burton, André A D

2018-04-20

One important dynamic risk factor for suicide assessment includes suicide precipitant. This exploratory study used a qualitative paradigm to look into the themes surrounding precipitants for suicide attempts in Singapore. Medical records related to suicide attempters who were admitted to the emergency department of a large teaching hospital in Singapore over a three year period were subjected to analysis. A total of 666 cases were examined (69.2% females; 63.8% Chinese, 15% Malays, 15.8% Indians), ages ranged from 10 years old to 85 years old (Mean = 29.7, Standard Deviation = 16.1). The thematic analysis process that was applied to the textual data elicited key concepts labelled as Relationship issues, Financial strain, Socio-legal-academic—environmental stress, and Physical and mental illness and pain. Interpreted with other recent local research on suicide attempters in Singapore, the findings have implications for informing suicide interventions.

Exploring Perceptions of the Mental Health of Youth in Mexico: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Lisa; Varjas, Kris; Cadenhead, Catherine; Morillas, Catalina; Morris, Ashley

2012-01-01

Limited information is available regarding the mental health of children and adolescents in Mexico (Paula, Duarte, & Bordin, 2007). The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to examine the construct of mental health of children and adolescents from the emic perspective of key informants in Mexico. Utilizing qualitative methods of…

On Qualifying Qualitative Research: Emerging Perspectives and the "Deer" (Descriptive, Exploratory, Evolutionary, Repeat) Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Jason K.; Comer, Unoma; Stone, Suki

2018-01-01

This article presents the use of the qualitative research method and the challenges that this form of research imposes along with the increasingly systematic reluctance experienced by doctoral students and their chairs. Increasingly, doctoral students are opting for the qualitative approach over that of the traditional quantitative methodology.…

A qualitative analysis of an advanced practice nurse-directed transitional care model intervention.

PubMed

Bradway, Christine; Trotta, Rebecca; Bixby, M Brian; McPartland, Ellen; Wollman, M Catherine; Kapustka, Heidi; McCauley, Kathleen; Naylor, Mary D

2012-06-01

The purpose of this study was to describe barriers and facilitators to implementing a transitional care intervention for cognitively impaired older adults and their caregivers lead by advanced practice nurses (APNs). APNs implemented an evidence-based protocol to optimize transitions from hospital to home. An exploratory, qualitative directed content analysis examined 15 narrative case summaries written by APNs and fieldnotes from biweekly case conferences. Three central themes emerged: patients and caregivers having the necessary information and knowledge, care coordination, and the caregiver experience. An additional category was also identified, APNs going above and beyond. APNs implemented individualized approaches and provided care that exceeds the type of care typically staffed and reimbursed in the American health care system by applying a Transitional Care Model, advanced clinical judgment, and doing whatever was necessary to prevent negative outcomes. Reimbursement reform as well as more formalized support systems and resources are necessary for APNs to consistently provide such care to patients and their caregivers during this vulnerable time of transition.

An Exploratory Study of Sustainable Development at Italian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vagnoni, Emidia; Cavicchi, Caterina

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to outline the current status of the implementation of sustainability practices in the context of Italian public universities, highlighting the strengths and gaps. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a qualitative approach, an exploratory study design has been outlined using the model of Glavic and Lukman (2007) focusing…

An Exploratory Study of Mothers' Perceptions of Acculturation within the Preschool Context. Working Paper. WR-523

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lara-Cinisomo, Sandraluz; Thomas, Audrey Alforque

2007-01-01

This exploratory study examines the mother's perceptions of her preschooler's acculturation process, using qualitative methods to collect data from six Latino immigrant mothers about their own acculturation and that of their preschool child. Three patterns emerged: parallel dyadic acculturation, vertex dyadic acculturation, and intersegmented…

Internationalizing Higher Education (HE) in Vietnam: Insights from Higher Education Leaders--An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Dong Phong; Vickers, Margaret; Ly, Thi Minh Chau; Tran, Mai Dong

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase knowledge of the key drivers, and challenges, of the internationalization of Higher Education (HE), especially in the transitioning economy of Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory qualitative research design used semi-structured interviews. Nine senior institutional leaders from…

Therapeutic Writing: An Exploratory Speech-Language Pathology Counseling Technique

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isaki, Emi; Brown, Betty G.; Alemán, Sara; Hackstaff, Karla

2015-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study investigated the use of therapeutic writing for counseling long-term caregivers of spouses with brain injury and neurogenic communication disorders. Three participants wrote an average of six single-spaced pages of text. After analysis of the written text, the common themes of onset of diagnosis, anger, grief,…

Group Work for Korean Expatriate Women in the United States: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suh, Suhyun; Lee, Myoung-Suk

2006-01-01

This paper presents the results of exploratory research with a group of seven Korean expatriate women. The study employed a modified Reality Therapy approach over eight meetings conducted by two professionally qualified leaders who also speak Korean. Qualitative research methods were used to analyze and describe the participants' experiences.…

Hip Hop Therapy: An Exploratory Study of a Rap Music Intervention with At-Risk and Delinquent Youth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyson, Edgar H.

2002-01-01

Presents an exploratory study of the therapeutic potential of "Hip-Hop" therapy, an "innovative synergy of rap music, bibliotherapy, and music therapy." Finds that the quantitative and qualitative results partially supported the hypothesis that under a specific set of conditions rap music would improve the therapeutic…

How Safe Is a School? An Exploratory Study Comparing Measures and Perceptions of Safety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez, Diley; Floden, Lysbeth; Bosworth, Kris

2010-01-01

This exploratory study investigates the relation between incident reports to local law enforcement, and students' and teachers' perceptions of school safety. Using a combination of grounded theory and statistics, we compared quantitative data collected from law enforcement agencies with qualitative data provided by students and teachers during…

An Exploratory Examination of a Grant-Making Project in Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Dennis D.; McCarter, Susan; Thomas, M. Lori; Boyd, A. Suzanne

2012-01-01

Educators secure funding for MSW students to become a grant-making entity and provide monies to address local needs. An exploratory research design is used to obtain quantitative and qualitative data from students participating in the course-based project. Feedback suggests that students perceived increased abilities in the area of community needs…

Emotional and Narrative Responses of Students to Targeted Educational Experiences: An Exploratory Study Employing the Use of Emotional Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mudge, Suzanne D.; Grinnan, Cullen T.; Priesmeyer, H. Richard

2006-01-01

Current educational research suggests that emotions can either enhance or inhibit the ability to learn, with social and cultural influences causing changes in behavior and altering biological processes. In this exploratory study researchers utilized a qualitative design to seek insight into student emotions associated with school attitude and…

Going beyond Competencies: An Exploratory Study in Defining Exemplary Workplace Learning and Performance Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Terri Freeman

2009-01-01

This study was an exploratory investigation used to identify exemplary performance in four of the areas of expertise (AOEs) as described in the American Society for Training and Development's "Mapping the Future: New Workplace Learning and Performance Competencies" (2004). Qualitative data were collected from the following four AOEs: (1)…

A Social Approach to Decision-Making Capacity: Exploratory Research with People with Experience of Mental Health Treatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDaid, Shari; Delaney, Sarah

2011-01-01

This paper reports on exploratory, qualitative research conducted with eight people with experience of mental health treatment about their understanding of decision-making capacity. While acknowledging that there are times when mental or emotional distress can interfere with the capacity to make decisions, participants described how their capacity…

Results from an Exploratory Study of Sun Protection Practice: Implications for the Design of Health Promotion Messages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eadie, Douglas; MacAskill, Susan

2007-01-01

Purpose: The primary aim of the research reported here is to provide strategic guidance for the development of a national communication strategy to improve sun protection practice amongst young people. Design/methodology/approach: The research adopted an exploratory approach, employing qualitative focus groups to represent three population groups,…

Development of Evidence-Based Health Policy Documents in Developing Countries: A Case of Iran

PubMed Central

Imani-Nasab, Mohammad Hasan; Seyedin, Hesam; Majdzadeh, Reza; Yazdizadeh, Bahareh; Salehi, Masoud

2014-01-01

Background: Evidence-based policy documents that are well developed by senior civil servants and are timely available can reduce the barriers to evidence utilization by health policy makers. This study examined the barriers and facilitators in developing evidence-based health policy documents from the perspective of their producers in a developing country. Methods: In a qualitative study with a framework analysis approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews using purposive and snowball sampling. A qualitative analysis software (MAXQDA-10) was used to apply the codes and manage the data. This study was theory-based and the results were compared to exploratory studies about the factors influencing evidence-based health policymaking. Results: 18 codes and three main themes of behavioral, normative, and control beliefs were identified. Factors that influence the development of evidence-based policy documents were identified by the participants: behavioral beliefs included quality of policy documents, use of resources, knowledge and innovation, being time-consuming and contextualization; normative beliefs included policy authorities, policymakers, policy administrators, and co-workers; and control beliefs included recruitment policy, performance management, empowerment, management stability, physical environment, access to evidence, policy making process, and effect of other factors. Conclusion: Most of the cited barriers to the development of evidence-based policy were related to control beliefs, i.e. barriers at the organizational and health system levels. This study identified the factors that influence the development of evidence-based policy documents based on the components of the theory of planned behavior. But in exploratory studies on evidence utilization by health policymakers, the identified factors were only related to control behaviors. This suggests that the theoretical approach may be preferable to the exploratory approach in identifying the barriers and facilitators of a behavior. PMID:24762343

Development of evidence-based health policy documents in developing countries: a case of Iran.

PubMed

Imani-Nasab, Mohammad Hasan; Seyedin, Hesam; Majdzadeh, Reza; Yazdizadeh, Bahareh; Salehi, Masoud

2014-02-07

Evidence-based policy documents that are well developed by senior civil servants and are timely available can reduce the barriers to evidence utilization by health policy makers. This study examined the barriers and facilitators in developing evidence-based health policy documents from the perspective of their producers in a developing country. In a qualitative study with a framework analysis approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews using purposive and snowball sampling. A qualitative analysis software (MAXQDA-10) was used to apply the codes and manage the data. This study was theory-based and the results were compared to exploratory studies about the factors influencing evidence-based health policy-making. 18 codes and three main themes of behavioral, normative, and control beliefs were identified. Factors that influence the development of evidence-based policy documents were identified by the participants: behavioral beliefs included quality of policy documents, use of resources, knowledge and innovation, being time-consuming and contextualization; normative beliefs included policy authorities, policymakers, policy administrators, and co-workers; and control beliefs included recruitment policy, performance management, empowerment, management stability, physical environment, access to evidence, policy making process, and effect of other factors. Most of the cited barriers to the development of evidence-based policy were related to control beliefs, i.e. barriers at the organizational and health system levels. This study identified the factors that influence the development of evidence-based policy documents based on the components of the theory of planned behavior. But in exploratory studies on evidence utilization by health policymakers, the identified factors were only related to control behaviors. This suggests that the theoretical approach may be preferable to the exploratory approach in identifying the barriers and facilitators of a behavior.

Research Needs and Learning Format Preferences of Graduate Students at a Large Public University: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bussell, Hilary; Hagman, Jessica; Guder, Christopher S.

2017-01-01

This article reports on a study of research needs and learning preferences of graduate students at a public research university. A sequential exploratory mixed-method design was used, with a survey instrument developed from an initial qualitative stage. Significant differences were found between master's and doctoral students' and on-campus and…

Scale Development and Initial Tests of the Multidimensional Complex Adaptive Leadership Scale for School Principals: An Exploratory Mixed Method Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özen, Hamit; Turan, Selahattin

2017-01-01

This study was designed to develop the scale of the Complex Adaptive Leadership for School Principals (CAL-SP) and examine its psychometric properties. This was an exploratory mixed method research design (ES-MMD). Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to develop and assess psychometric properties of the questionnaire. This study…

Educating Children with Down Syndrome in Lebanon: An Exploratory Study of Urban Mothers' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatoum, Rima J.

2010-01-01

In view of the fact that Lebanon does not currently have a special education infrastructure, the purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to understand the phenomenon of educating children with Down syndrome (DS) in Lebanon in terms of the meanings mothers ascribe to it and their description of their experience. The intent was to develop…

Australian Adult Consumers' Beliefs about Plant Foods: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lea, Emma; Worsley, Anthony; Crawford, David

2005-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study examined consumers' perceived barriers and benefits of plant food (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds) consumption and views on the promotion of these foods. Ten focus groups were conducted in Melbourne, Australia. Groups consisted of employees of various workplaces, community group members,…

Exploring Innovation: A Qualitative Study of Academic Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beninghove, Linda Scanlon

2016-01-01

As academic libraries evolve to affirm their place as key partners in research, teaching, and learning in university communities, the process of innovation is one of great importance in the intentional design of library services, resources, and staffing. This dissertation was a qualitative, exploratory research study in which the conceptual…

A Qualitative Exploration of Management Education: Business School Offerings in Comparison to Employer Expectations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaPrince, Shelly L.

2013-01-01

The exploratory qualitative research study explored management education business school offerings in comparison to employer expectations. Through the lens of alumni and human-resources personnel participants, the research examined the skills deemed as transferrable to the workplace and competencies that undergraduate-management education alumni…

Experiences of Asian Psychologists and Counselors Trained in the USA: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goh, Michael; Yon, Kyu Jin; Shimmi, Yukiko; Hirai, Tatsuya

2014-01-01

This study qualitatively explored the pre-departure to reentry experiences of Asian international psychologists and counselors trained in the USA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants from four different Asian countries. Inductive analysis with Consensual Qualitative Research methods was used to analyze the interview…

A Qualitative Study of College-Based Peace Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boudreau, Will

2017-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory research study was to examine the perceptions of seven northeast United States, college-based, Peace Education program directors regarding their respective programs' characteristics and the challenges they face. This qualitative study was designed to fill a gap in the literature by examining the perceptions of…

The use of exploratory analyses within the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence single technology appraisal process: an evaluation and qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Kaltenthaler, Eva; Carroll, Christopher; Hill-McManus, Daniel; Scope, Alison; Holmes, Michael; Rice, Stephen; Rose, Micah; Tappenden, Paul; Woolacott, Nerys

2016-04-01

As part of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) single technology appraisal (STA) process, independent Evidence Review Groups (ERGs) critically appraise the company submission. During the critical appraisal process the ERG may undertake analyses to explore uncertainties around the company's model and their implications for decision-making. The ERG reports are a central component of the evidence considered by the NICE Technology Appraisal Committees (ACs) in their deliberations. The aim of this research was to develop an understanding of the number and type of exploratory analyses undertaken by the ERGs within the STA process and to understand how these analyses are used by the NICE ACs in their decision-making. The 100 most recently completed STAs with published guidance were selected for inclusion in the analysis. The documents considered were ERG reports, clarification letters, the first appraisal consultation document and the final appraisal determination. Over 400 documents were assessed in this study. The categories of types of exploratory analyses included fixing errors, fixing violations, addressing matters of judgement and the ERG-preferred base case. A content analysis of documents (documentary analysis) was undertaken to identify and extract relevant data, and narrative synthesis was then used to rationalise and present these data. The level and type of detail in ERG reports and clarification letters varied considerably. The vast majority (93%) of ERG reports reported one or more exploratory analyses. The most frequently reported type of analysis in these 93 ERG reports related to the category 'matters of judgement', which was reported in 83 (89%) reports. The category 'ERG base-case/preferred analysis' was reported in 45 (48%) reports, the category 'fixing errors' was reported in 33 (35%) reports and the category 'fixing violations' was reported in 17 (18%) reports. The exploratory analyses performed were the result of issues raised by an ERG in its critique of the submitted economic evidence. These analyses had more influence on recommendations earlier in the STA process than later on in the process. The descriptions of analyses undertaken were often highly specific to a particular STA and could be inconsistent across ERG reports and thus difficult to interpret. Evidence Review Groups frequently conduct exploratory analyses to test or improve the economic evaluations submitted by companies as part of the STA process. ERG exploratory analyses often have an influence on the recommendations produced by the ACs. More in-depth analysis is needed to understand how ERGs make decisions regarding which exploratory analyses should be undertaken. More research is also needed to fully understand which types of exploratory analyses are most useful to ACs in their decision-making. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

Employee motivation of senior engineers in aerospace companies in southern California: A qualitative case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banh, My-Le

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the lack of motivation of engineers with more than 15 years of experience working in aerospace companies in southern California. The sample size for this study consisted of 18 senior engineers. These participants held either a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering fields. Participants were recruited through networking with colleagues and snowball sampling. The data was collected through face-to-face and phone interviews. Participants also had the opportunity to review their responses after the interview. The data analysis resulted in 12 themes regarding the participants' perception of motivation. The top six predominant themes were (1) challenging and new assignments, (2) commitment, (3) opportunity, (4) supporting from managers, (5) team spirit, and (6) open communication. The study resulted in an in-depth understanding of how important motivation is to senior engineers. Based on the findings, leaders should create opportunities for senior employees to work on challenging assignments, acquire autonomy, and obtain more responsibilities. Providing such opportunities may motivate employees to perform well and committee with the organizations.

An Exploratory Study of the United States Naval Academy Engineering Curriculum

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

research was conducted in an entirely quantitative fashion. There is a large amount of qualitative data that was not analyzed. These data are from the... qualitative assessment of the Naval Academy’s engineering program, and would be an excellent opportunity for future research . Overall, the results of...California: Sage Publications. Patton, M. Q. (1987). How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation. California: Sage Publications. 89

"My Purpose Was to Help Them with Accounting, Not English": An Exploratory Study of Languages Other than English in Peer Assisted Study Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Supple, Briony J.; Best, Gill; Pearce, Amanda

2016-01-01

This paper considers when and for what purposes Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) Leaders at an English medium university use their first language (when that language is not the dominant language of instruction) to facilitate PASS sessions in an English speaking university. This small qualitative exploratory study examines the experiences of…

Monster in My Closet: An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Parent-Child Co-Sleeping and Nighttime Fears of Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, I. Joyce; Pettit, Rebecca W.; Kennedy, Gregory

2004-01-01

Children's nighttime fears, such as monsters in the closet, have been a common issue for the American. In children's cognitive development, vivid imagination has been recognized as a cause of fear, but not all children around the globe share this common experience. This qualitative, exploratory study examined the relationship between parent-child…

Family involvement in timely detection of changes in health of nursing homes residents: A qualitative exploratory study.

PubMed

Powell, Catherine; Blighe, Alan; Froggatt, Katherine; McCormack, Brendan; Woodward-Carlton, Barbara; Young, John; Robinson, Louise; Downs, Murna

2018-01-01

To explore family perspectives on their involvement in the timely detection of changes in their relatives' health in UK nursing homes. Increasingly, policy attention is being paid to the need to reduce hospitalisations for conditions that, if detected and treated in time, could be managed in the community. We know that family continue to be involved in the care of their family members once they have moved into a nursing home. Little is known, however, about family involvement in the timely detection of changes in health in nursing home residents. Qualitative exploratory study with thematic analysis. A purposive sampling strategy was applied. Fourteen semi-structured one-to-one interviews with family members of people living in 13 different UK nursing homes. Data were collected from November 2015-March 2016. Families were involved in the timely detection of changes in health in three key ways: noticing signs of changes in health, informing care staff about what they noticed and educating care staff about their family members' changes in health. Families suggested they could be supported to detect timely changes in health by developing effective working practices with care staff. Families can provide a special contribution to the process of timely detection in nursing homes. Their involvement needs to be negotiated, better supported, as well as given more legitimacy and structure within the nursing home. Families could provide much needed support to nursing home nurses, care assistants and managers in timely detection of changes in health. This may be achieved through communication about their preferred involvement on a case-by-case basis as well as providing appropriate support or services. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A qualitative examination of perceptions of physical activity guidelines and preferences for format.

PubMed

Berry, Tanya R; Witcher, Chad; Holt, Nicholas L; Plotnikoff, Ronald C

2010-11-01

A descriptive exploratory study was conducted to gain an understanding of public perceptions of physical activity guidelines and to discover what formats appeal to participants. Canada's Physical Activity Guide (CPAG) was used as an example of such guidelines. Data were collected from 22 participants in five focus groups (composed of female undergraduate students, female office workers, male office workers, participants in a Type II diabetes rehabilitation program, and participants in a cardiovascular rehabilitation program). Cross-case qualitative analyses were conducted. Six themes emerged under the general categories of familiarity and preferences for PA promotional materials. In terms of familiarity, participants lacked awareness of CPAG and criticized its format. In terms of preferences, participants encouraged the use of stylistically similar messaging to those used by commercial advertisers, wanted personal stories, Internet-based media, and the use of celebrities' success stories. There was little awareness of CPAG and the current format was unappealing.

Changing Fatherhood: An Exploratory Qualitative Study with African and African Caribbean Men in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Robert; Hewison, Alistair; Wildman, Stuart; Roskell, Carolyn

2013-01-01

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study undertaken with 46 African and African Caribbean men exploring their experiences of fatherhood. Data analysis was informed by Connell's theoretical work on changing gender relations. Findings indicate that fathers' lives were mediated by masculinities, racism, gender, migration and generational…

Modeling with Young Students--Quantitative and Qualitative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bliss, Joan; Ogborn, Jon; Boohan, Richard; Brosnan, Tim; Mellar, Harvey; Sakonidis, Babis

1999-01-01

A project created tasks and tools to investigate quality and nature of 11- to 14-year-old pupils' reasoning with quantitative and qualitative computer-based modeling tools. Tasks and tools were used in two innovative modes of learning: expressive, where pupils created their own models, and exploratory, where pupils investigated an expert's model.…

Measuring the Value of Succession Planning and Management: A Qualitative Study of Multinational Companies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Yeonsoo

2010-01-01

This article proposes a model for planning and operating an effective succession planning and management (SP&M) program and measuring its value. The nature of the research is exploratory, following a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews. Representatives of multinational companies interviewed for this study revealed that succession…

A Qualitative Exploration of Trajectories among Suburban Users of Methamphetamine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeri, Miriam Williams; Harbry, Liam; Gibson, David

2009-01-01

The goal of this exploratory study was to gain a better understanding of methamphetamine use among suburban users. We know very little about the mechanisms of initiation and trajectory patterns of methamphetamine use among this under-researched and hidden population. This study employed qualitative methods to examine the drug career of suburban…

Undergraduate Student Perceptions of the Pedagogy Used in a Leadership Course: A Qualitative Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odom, Summer F.

2015-01-01

This exploratory, qualitative, descriptive study examined undergraduate student perspectives of pedagogy used in an undergraduate leadership elective course to describe how students view the effectiveness and impact of pedagogies used in the course. Undergraduate students (n = 28) reflected on the effectiveness of the pedagogies and the learning…

Professional School Counselors as Leaders and Active Participants in School Reform: A Phenomenological Exploratory Study to Examine the Perspectives of System-Level Supervisors of School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cicero, Gayle M.

2010-01-01

Professional school counselors' leadership capacity may well play a pivotal role in educational reform in the twenty-first century. Crucial to the success of this vision, supported by the American School Counseling Association, is the perspective of system-level supervisors of school counselors. This exploratory qualitative study employed in-depth…

The Relationship between Health Professionals and the Elderly Patient Facing Drug Prescription: A Qualitative Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lefevre, Fernando; Teixeira, Jorge Juarez Vieira; Lefevre, Ana Maria Cavalcanti; de Castro, Lia Lusitana Cardozo; Spinola, Aracy Witt de Pinho

2004-01-01

Aiming at identifying the relationship between the elderly patient facing drug prescription and health professionals, an exploratory and descriptive study of a qualitative cut was carried out using semi-structured interviews. To this end, the Collective Subject Discourse analysis technique was employed. Thirty elderly patients living in the urban…

A Qualitative Examination of Challenges Influencing Doctoral Students in an Online Doctoral Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deshpande, Anant

2016-01-01

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by students in completion of an online doctoral program at the University of Liverpool, Online Doctoral Business Administration program. We analyse the responses of 91 doctoral students in an online DBA program. Based on the exploratory qualitative study themes were developed…

An Exploration of Transformational Learning in Adults as a Result of Adventure Travel Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Michael

2013-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative research study was to identify the elements of adventure travel experiences that contribute to the process of transformational learning in adults. A qualitative research design was employed for this study. The sources of data were twelve pre-existing and de-identified interview transcriptions. A textual…

Can social capital help explain enrolment (or lack thereof) in community-based health insurance? Results of an exploratory mixed methods study from Senegal.

PubMed

Mladovsky, Philipa; Soors, Werner; Ndiaye, Pascal; Ndiaye, Alfred; Criel, Bart

2014-01-01

CBHI has achieved low population coverage in West Africa and elsewhere. Studies which seek to explain this point to inequitable enrolment, adverse selection, lack of trust in scheme management and information and low quality of health care. Interventions to address these problems have been proposed yet enrolment rates remain low. This exploratory study proposes that an under-researched determinant of CBHI enrolment is social capital. Fieldwork comprising a household survey and qualitative interviews was conducted in Senegal in 2009. Levels of bonding and bridging social capital among 720 members and non-members of CBHI across three case study schemes are compared. The results of the logistic regression suggest that, controlling for age and gender, in all three case studies members were significantly more likely than non-members to be enrolled in another community association, to have borrowed money from sources other than friends and relatives and to report having control over all community decisions affecting daily life. In two case studies, having privileged social relationships was also positively correlated with enrolment. After controlling for additional socioeconomic and health variables, the results for borrowing money remained significant. Additionally, in two case studies, reporting having control over community decisions and believing that the community would cooperate in an emergency were significantly positively correlated with enrolment. The results suggest that CBHI members had greater bridging social capital which provided them with solidarity, risk pooling, financial protection and financial credit. Qualitative interviews with 109 individuals selected from the household survey confirm this interpretation. The results ostensibly suggest that CBHI schemes should build on bridging social capital to increase coverage, for example by enrolling households through community associations. However, this may be unadvisable from an equity perspective. It is concluded that since enrolment in CBHI was less common not only among the poor, but also among those with less social capital and less power, strategies should focus on removing social as well as financial barriers to  financial protection from the cost of ill health. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding the role of individual consumer-provider relationships within assertive community treatment.

PubMed

Stanhope, Victoria; Matejkowski, Jason

2010-08-01

The widespread adoption of assertive community treatment has resulted in a shift from an individual model to a team model of case management. The shift has had implications for individual relationships between case managers and consumers, but still little is known about how these relationships develop in teams. This exploratory mixed methods study looked at how case managers and consumers negotiate individual relationships within a team model. Quantitative methods identified high and low service intensity relationships between consumers and case managers and qualitative methods explored and compared these relationships. Consumers in high service intensity relationships described a preference for certain case managers and the burden of working with multiple people. Case managers invested high service intensity relationships with special therapeutic value, articulated the challenges of coordinating care across the team, and utilized team limit setting techniques. In contrast, low service intensity relationships were more likely to reflect integration with the entire team. Findings suggest that teams need to consider how individual relationships enhance care for their consumers and how to nurture these relationships while maintaining the support necessary for case managers and consumers.

Alcohol Consumption Decisions among Nonabusing Drinkers Diagnosed with Hepatitis C: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Study

PubMed Central

Stoller, Eleanor Palo; Webster, Noah J.; Blixen, Carol E.; McCormick, Richard A.; Hund, Andrew J.; Perzynski, Adam T.; Kanuch, Stephanie W.; Thomas, Charles L.; Kercher, Kyle; Dawson, Neal V.

2009-01-01

Most studies of decisions to curtail alcohol consumption reflect experiences of abusing drinkers. We employ an exploratory sequential research design to explore the applicability of this research to the experience of nonabusing drinkers advised to curtail alcohol consumption after a Hepatitis C diagnosis. A qualitative component identified 17 new decision factors not reflected in an inventory of factors based on synthesis of existing scales. We triangulated qualitative data by supplementing semi-structured interviews with Internet postings. A quantitative component estimated prevalence and association with current drinking of these new decision factors. Patients who quit drinking tended to attribute post-diagnosis drinking to occasional triggers, whereas patients who were still drinking were more likely to endorse rationales not tied to specific triggers. PMID:20046861

An Exploratory Study of the Experiences of Recent Graduates Who Participated in the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Zaducka T. C.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of recent graduates who participated in the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program at a medium-size southeastern university. This research used a phenomenological approach, as well as qualitative interviews, to provide a detailed and insightful description about…

A Qualitative Study of Egyptian School Nurses' Attitudes and Experiences toward Sex and Relationship Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrag, Shewikar; Hayter, Mark

2014-01-01

School nurses play a vital role in the promotion of sexual health. However, there is very limited evidence of how school nurses experience this topic in an Islamic cultural setting. Using an exploratory qualitative design, 13 in-depth interviews were conducted with Egyptian school nurses. Data were subject to thematic analysis. Four themes emerged…

"Our Best Friend Is Moving Away": Exploring Parent Transition and Involvement during Their Student's First Year in College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vianden, Jorg; Ruder, Jeff T.

2012-01-01

This article documents the results of an exploratory qualitative study of parents of first-year college students at a doctoral-extensive institution in the Midwest. The qualitative survey instrument asked parents to respond to questions about transition and involvement issues during the first college year of their students. Findings suggest that…

Assessment of the Utilization of HIV Interventions by Sex Workers in Selected Brothels in Bangladesh: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huq, Nafisa Lira; Chowdhury, Mahbub Elahi

2012-01-01

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…

Criteria of Career Success among Chinese Employees: Developing a Multidimensional Scale with Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Wenxia; Sun, Jianmin; Guan, Yanjun; Li, Yuhui; Pan, Jingzhou

2013-01-01

The current research aimed to develop a multidimensional measure on the criteria of career success in a Chinese context. Items on the criteria of career success were obtained using a qualitative approach among 30 Chinese employees; exploratory factor analysis was conducted to select items and determine the factor structure among a new sample of…

A Qualitative Exploration of First Generation College Students and the Use of Facebook in the College Choice Selection Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coker, Cindy E.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory phenomenological narrative qualitative study was to investigate the influence of Facebook on first-generation college students' selection of a college framed within Hossler and Gallagher's (1987) college process model. The three questions which guided this research explored the influence of the social media website…

What Sex Abusers Say about Their Treatment: Results from a Qualitative Study on Pedophiles in Treatment at a Canadian Penitentiary Clinic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drapeau, Martin; Korner, Annett C.; Granger, Luc; Brunet, Louis

2005-01-01

This exploratory study used qualitative methodology to examine what pedophiles think about treatment, as well as their daily experience of a treatment program. To this end, twenty-three offenders receiving treatment from the La Macaza federal penitentiary clinic were interviewed using non-directive semi-structured interviews. Comparative analysis…

Building midwifery educator capacity using international partnerships: Findings from a qualitative study.

PubMed

West, Florence; Dawson, Angela; Homer, Caroline S E

2017-07-01

Midwifery educators play a critical role in strengthening the midwifery workforce globally, including in low and lower-middle income countries (LMIC) to ensure that midwives are adequately prepared to deliver quality midwifery care. The most effective approach to building midwifery educator capacity is not always clear. The aim of this study was to determine how one capacity building approach in Papua New Guinea (PNG) used international partnerships to improve teaching and learning. A qualitative exploratory case study design was used to explore the perspectives of 26 midwifery educators working in midwifery education institutions in PNG. Seven themes were identified which provide insights into the factors that enable and constrain midwifery educator capacity building. The study provides insights into strategies which may aid institutions and individuals better plan and implement international midwifery partnerships to strengthen context-specific knowledge and skills in teaching. Further research is necessary to assess how these findings can be transferred to other contexts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Changing the focus: an exploratory study of drug use and workplace violence among women of popular classes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil].

PubMed

David, Helena Maria Scherlowski Leal; Caufield, Catherine

2005-01-01

This exploratory study aimed to investigate factors related to the use of illicit and licit drugs and workplace violence in a group of women from popular classes in the city of Rio de Janeiro. We used a descriptive and analytic quantitative approach was used, as well as a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with women who suffered or were suffering workplace violence, using the collective subject discourse analysis methodology. The results showed sociodemographic and work situations that can be considered as possible risk factors for drug consumption and workplace violence. The qualitative analysis shows how this group perceives the phenomena of drug use and workplace violence, expanding the comprehension about these issues and providing conceptual and methodological elements for additional studies on this subject.

Impact of erectile dysfunction and its subsequent treatment with sildenafil: qualitative study.

PubMed

Tomlinson, John; Wright, David

2004-05-01

To determine the effects of erectile dysfunction and to explore the impact of treatment with sildenafil (Viagra). An exploratory qualitative study with semistructured interviews. Men's health clinic in NHS hospital. 40 men who had had erectile dysfunction and had attended the clinic during the year before interview. Impact of erectile dysfunction on men, their expectations of sildenafil, and impact of treatment on men and their relationships. Issues explored with exploratory qualitative approach. Erectile dysfunction caused serious distress to all those men who experienced it, with marked effects on their self esteem and their relationships. Sildenafil, when it worked, caused a great improvement in wellbeing. The expectations raised by media hyperbole with the launch of sildenafil had an adverse effect on the morale of those who found it did not work. When, according to the patient, treatment did not work, the distress was severe and for many confirmed their lack of self worth. Further study is needed to explore the feelings of men affected by erectile dysfunction and their perception of treatment. Health professionals should be aware of the extreme distress erectile dysfunction can cause.

Leadership style in the deaf community: an exploratory case study of a university president.

PubMed

Kamm-Larew, Deborah; Stanford, Jevetta; Greene, Robert; Heacox, Christopher; Hodge, Warren

2008-01-01

A qualitative mini-case study of I. King Jordan and his leadership style explores the influence of a transformational leader on Gallaudet University and the Deaf community. The study features a template-style semistructured interview with Jordan regarding his perceptions of leadership and his personal insights. The study highlights the attributes of transformational leadership and encourages further research into leadership as a tool for change in the Deaf community and the disability rights movement. This exploration of the leadership style of Gallaudet's first Deaf president is especially timely; the study was conducted between Jordan's retirement announcement and the Gallaudet Board of Trustees' decision to rescind an offer to his announced successor to become the university's next president. That tumultuous transition accentuated the disconnect between Jordan's transformational, charismatic leadership style, which affected generations of the Deaf community, and his followers' dissatisfaction with his management and successor planning.

Healthcare managers' decision making: findings of a small scale exploratory study.

PubMed

Macdonald, Jackie; Bath, Peter A; Booth, Andrew

2008-12-01

Managers who work in publicly funded healthcare organizations are an understudied group. Some of the influences on their decisions may be unique to healthcare. This study considers how to integrate research knowledge effectively into healthcare managers' decision making, and how to manage and integrate information that will include community data. This first phase in a two-phase mixed methods research study used a qualitative, multiple case studies design. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were undertaken using the critical incident technique. Interview transcripts were analysed using the NatCen Framework. One theme represented ;information and decisions'. Cases were determined to involve complex multi-level, multi-situational decisions with participants in practical rather than ceremonial work roles. Most considered organizational knowledge in the first two decision phases and external knowledge, including research, in the third phase. All participants engaged in satisficing to some degree.

Supercomputing 2002: NAS Demo Abstracts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parks, John (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The hyperwall is a new concept in visual supercomputing, conceived and developed by the NAS Exploratory Computing Group. The hyperwall will allow simultaneous and coordinated visualization and interaction of an array of processes, such as a the computations of a parameter study or the parallel evolutions of a genetic algorithm population. Making over 65 million pixels available to the user, the hyperwall will enable and elicit qualitatively new ways of leveraging computers to accomplish science. It is currently still unclear whether we will be able to transport the hyperwall to SC02. The crucial display frame still has not been completed by the metal fabrication shop, although they promised an August delivery. Also, we are still working the fragile node issue, which may require transplantation of the compute nodes from the present 2U cases into 3U cases. This modification will increase the present 3-rack configuration to 5 racks.

Moral deliberation and nursing ethics cases: elements of a methodological proposal.

PubMed

Schneider, Dulcinéia Ghizoni; Ramos, Flávia Regina Souza

2012-11-01

A qualitative study with an exploratory, descriptive and documentary design that was conducted with the objective of identifying the elements to constitute a method for the analysis of accusations of and proceedings for professional ethics infringements. The method is based on underlying elements identified inductively during analysis of professional ethics hearings judged by and filed in the archives of the Regional Nursing Board of Santa Catarina, Brazil, between 1999 and 2007. The strategies developed were based on the results of an analysis of the findings of fact (occurrences/infractions, causes and outcomes) contained in the records of 128 professional ethics hearings and on the structural elements (statements, rules and practices) identified in five example professional ethics cases. The strategies suggested for evaluating accusations of ethics infringements and the procedures involved in deliberating on ethics hearings constitute a generic proposal that will require adaptation to the context of specific professional ethics accusations.

Critical challenges in ERP implementation: A qualitative case study in the Canadian oil and gas industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menon, Sreekumar A.

This exploratory qualitative single-case study examines critical challenges encountered during ERP implementation based on individual perspectives in four project roles: senior leaders, project managers, project team members, and business users, all specifically in Canadian oil and gas industry. Data was collected by interviewing participants belonging to these categories, and by analyzing project documentation about ERP implementation. The organization for the case study was a leading multinational oil and gas company having a substantial presence in the energy sector in Canada. The study results were aligned with the six management questions regarding critical challenges in ERP: (a) circumstances to implement ERP, (b) benefits and process improvements achieved, (c) best practices implemented, (d) critical challenges encountered, (e) strategies and mitigating actions used, and (f) recommendations to improve future ERP implementations. The study results highlight six key findings. First, the study provided valid circumstances for implementing ERP systems. Second, the study underscored the importance of benefits and process improvements in ERP implementation. Third, the study highlighted that adoption of best practices is crucial for ERP Implementation. Fourth, the study found that critical challenges are encountered in ERP Implementation and are significant during ERP implementation. Fifth, the study found that strategies and mitigating actions can overcome challenges in ERP implementation. Finally, the study provided ten major recommendations on how to improve future ERP implementations.

Impact of Role Stressors on the Health of Nurse Managers: A Western Canadian Context.

PubMed

Udod, Sonia A; Cummings, Greta; Care, W Dean; Jenkins, Megan

2017-03-01

A qualitative exploratory inquiry was used to understand nurse managers' (NMs') perceptions of their role stressors, coping strategies, and self-health related outcomes as a result of frequent exposure to stressful situations in their role. Strong nursing leadership is required for desirable staff, patient, and organizational outcomes. A stressed NM will negatively influence staff nurse satisfaction and retention, patient outcomes, and organizational performance. Stress can affect NMs' mental and physical heath, leading to job dissatisfaction and turnover. A qualitative exploratory inquiry was conducted using semistructured interviews with 23 NMs and 1 focus group interview. Findings suggest that coping strategies may be inadequate, given the intensity and demands of the manager role, and could negatively impact NMs' long-term health. Senior nurse leaders can significantly impact the health and productivity of NMs by minimizing the adverse effects of role stress and foster a positive work environment.

The Uses of Text Messaging in Sexual Relationships Scale: Associations with risky sexual behavior among at-risk African American emerging adults

PubMed Central

Broaddus, Michelle; Dickson-Gomez, Julia

2017-01-01

Qualitative and quantitative research was used to create the Uses of Texting in Sexual Relationships scale. At-risk, predominantly African American emerging adults participated in qualitative interviews (N = 20) and quantitative surveys (N = 110) about their uses of text messaging within romantic and sexual relationships. Exploratory factor analysis of items generated from interviews resulted in four subscales: Sexting, Relationship Maintenance, Relationship Development, and Texting for Sexual Safety. Exploratory analyses indicated associations of Sexting with more instances of condomless sex, and Texting for Sexual Safety with fewer instances of condomless sex, which was moderated by relationship power. Further research on the connections between text messaging in relationships and sexual behavior among high-risk and minority young adults is warranted, and intervention efforts to decrease sexual risks need to incorporate these avenues of sexual communication. PMID:27710089

The Uses of Texting in Sexual Relationships Scale: Associations With Risky Sexual Behavior Among At-Risk African American Emerging Adults.

PubMed

Broaddus, Michelle; Dickson-Gomez, Julia

2016-10-01

Qualitative and quantitative research was used to create the Uses of Texting in Sexual Relationships scale. At-risk, predominantly African American emerging adults participated in qualitative interviews (N = 20) and quantitative surveys (N = 110) about their uses of text messaging within romantic and sexual relationships. Exploratory factor analysis of items generated from interviews resulted in four subscales: Sexting, Relationship Maintenance, Relationship Development, and Texting for Sexual Safety. Exploratory analyses indicated associations of Sexting with more instances of condomless sex, and Texting for Sexual Safety with fewer instances of condomless sex, which was moderated by relationship power. Further research on the connections between text messaging in relationships and sexual behavior among high-risk and minority young adults is warranted, and intervention efforts to decrease sexual risks need to incorporate these avenues of sexual communication.

Analysis of a voluntary initiative to reduce sodium in processed and ultra-processed food products in Argentina: the views of public and private sector representatives.

PubMed

Castronuovo, Luciana; Allemandi, Lorena; Tiscornia, Victoria; Champagne, Beatriz; Campbell, Norm; Schoj, Verónica

2017-07-03

The Less Salt, More Life program was the first voluntary salt reduction initiative in Argentina. This article analyzes the perspectives of the stakeholders involved in this voluntary agreement between the Ministry of Health and the food industry to gradually reduce sodium content in processed foods. This exploratory case study used a qualitative approach including 29 in-depth interviews with stakeholders from the public and private sectors and identified the role of the different stakeholders and their perceptions regarding the challenges encountered in the policy process that contribute to the debate on public-private partnerships in health policies. The article also discusses the initiative's main challenges and controversies.

[Art therapy and the promotion of child development in a hospitalization context].

PubMed

Valladares, Ana Cláudia Afonso; da Silva, Mariana Teixeira

2011-09-01

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the development of hospitalized children before and after art therapy interventions. Qualitative case studies were undertaken in this descriptive-exploratory research, based on the developmental evaluation of the children. The study participants were five children between seven and ten years old, in the Hospital of Tropical Illnesses (HDT) in the city of Goiânia, state of Goiás, Brazil, in 2006. Results showed that art therapy interventions efficiently promoted children's development. Art therapy is a resource for positively channeling the variables of hospitalized children's development and for neutralizing affective factors that naturally appear, as well as for exposing the child's healthier potentials, which sometimes receive little stimulus in the context of hospitalization.

Introducing Case Management to Students in a Virtual World: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Joanne; Adams, Ruifang Hope

2013-01-01

This paper discusses a small, exploratory study introducing students to case management using role-plays conducted in a virtual world. Data from pre- and posttest questionnaires (to assess self-efficacy regarding a range of case management tasks) suggest students felt more confident in their abilities after virtual role-play participation. Also…

SUDEP: To discuss or not? Recommendations from bereaved relatives.

PubMed

Ramachandran Nair, Rajesh; Jack, Susan M; Strohm, Sonya

2016-03-01

The overarching purpose of this descriptive and exploratory qualitative study was to understand the experiences of relatives of individuals whose deaths were identified as SUDEP and to explore their preferences regarding SUDEP counseling. The principles of fundamental qualitative description informed all design decisions. Stratified purposeful sampling included 27 bereaved relatives (parent, sibling, spouse or child), aged at least 18 years, of 21 persons who passed away because of SUDEP. In-depth one-to-one interviews were conducted. Directed content analysis was used to code, categorize, and synthesize the interview data. There was consensus among all participants that the risk of SUDEP should be discussed with patients by their healthcare providers. Relatives opted for information on SUDEP at the time of, or shortly following, the diagnosis of epilepsy. Neurologists were identified as the healthcare providers who should discuss SUDEP with patients during a face-to-face encounter, subsequently supplemented with written information. It was identified that, when discussing SUDEP, emphasis should be on the risk factors, possible preventive strategies, and the rarity of incidence. The results of this study indicated that bereaved relatives wanted neurologists to inform patients about the risk of SUDEP, with optimal timing and setting of SUDEP counseling determined on a case-by-case basis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing, implementing and evaluating OSH interventions in SMEs: a pilot, exploratory study.

PubMed

Masi, Donato; Cagno, Enrico; Micheli, Guido J L

2014-01-01

The literature on occupational safety and health (OSH) interventions contains many debates on how interventions should work, but far less attention has been paid to how they actually do work, and to the contextual factors that influence their implementation, development and effect. The need of improving the understanding of the OSH interventions issue is particularly relevant for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), since they experience worse OSH conditions, and have fewer physical, economic and organizational resources if compared to larger enterprises; thus, SMEs strongly need to focus their few resources in the decision-making process so as to select and put in place only the most proper interventions. This exploratory study is based on interviews with safety officers of 5 SMEs, and it gives an overview of the key features of the actual intervention process in SMEs and of the contextual factors making this actual intervention process similar or dissimilar to the ideal case. The results show how much qualitative and experience driven the actual intervention process is; they should be used to direct the future research towards an increasingly applicable one, to enable practitioners from SMEs to develop, implement and evaluate their OSH interventions in an "ideal" way.

Teaching mindfulness meditation to adults with severe speech and physical impairments: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Goodrich, Elena; Wahbeh, Helané; Mooney, Aimee; Miller, Meghan; Oken, Barry S

2015-01-01

People with severe speech and physical impairments may benefit from mindfulness meditation training because it has the potential to enhance their ability to cope with anxiety, depression and pain and improve their attentional capacity to use brain-computer interface systems. Seven adults with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI) - defined as speech that is understood less than 25% of the time and/or severely reduced hand function for writing/typing - participated in this exploratory, uncontrolled intervention study. The objectives were to describe the development and implementation of a six-week mindfulness meditation intervention and to identify feasible outcome measures in this population. The weekly intervention was delivered by an instructor in the participant's home, and participants were encouraged to practise daily using audio recordings. The objective adherence to home practice was 10.2 minutes per day. Exploratory outcome measures were an n-back working memory task, the Attention Process Training-II Attention Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and a qualitative feedback survey. There were no statistically significant pre-post results in this small sample, yet administration of the measures proved feasible, and qualitative reports were overall positive. Obstacles to teaching mindfulness meditation to persons with SSPI are reported, and solutions are proposed.

Towards program theory validation: Crowdsourcing the qualitative analysis of participant experiences.

PubMed

Harman, Elena; Azzam, Tarek

2018-02-01

This exploratory study examines a novel tool for validating program theory through crowdsourced qualitative analysis. It combines a quantitative pattern matching framework traditionally used in theory-driven evaluation with crowdsourcing to analyze qualitative interview data. A sample of crowdsourced participants are asked to read an interview transcript and identify whether program theory components (Activities and Outcomes) are discussed and to highlight the most relevant passage about that component. The findings indicate that using crowdsourcing to analyze qualitative data can differentiate between program theory components that are supported by a participant's experience and those that are not. This approach expands the range of tools available to validate program theory using qualitative data, thus strengthening the theory-driven approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring experiences of the food environment among immigrants living in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Paulina I; Dean, Jennifer; Kirkpatrick, Sharon; Berbary, Lisbeth; Scott, Steffanie

2016-06-09

This exploratory study aimed to shed light on the role of the food environment in shaping food access among immigrants living in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario. In this qualitative case study, in-depth interviews aided by photovoice were conducted with nine immigrants, and key informant (KI) interviews were conducted with nine community stakeholders (e.g., settlement workers, planners) who held expert knowledge of the local context with respect to both the food system and experiences of immigrants in interacting with this system. In this paper, we focus specifically on insights related to the food environment, applying the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity Framework to assess economic, physical, socio-cultural and political aspects. Economic features of the food environment, including food prices and differential costs of different types of food, emerged as factors related to food access. However, interactions with the food environment were shaped by broader economic factors, such as limited employment opportunities and low income. Most immigrants felt that they had good geographic access to food, though KIs expressed concerns about the types of outlet and food that were most accessible. Immigrants discussed social networks and cultural food practices, whereas KIs discussed political issues related to supporting food security in the Region. This exploratory case study is consistent with prior research in highlighting the economic constraints within which food access exists but suggests that there may be a need to further dissect food environments.

Nursing students' experiences with the use of authentic assessment rubric and case approach in the clinical laboratories.

PubMed

Wu, Xi Vivien; Heng, Mary Anne; Wang, Wenru

2015-04-01

One current challenge for nurse educators is to examine effective nursing assessment tools which integrate nursing knowledge into practice. Authentic assessment allows nursing students to apply knowledge to real-life experiences. Contextualized cases have engaged students for preparation of diverse clinical situations and develop critical thinking skills. This study aimed to explore nursing students' experiences and learning outcomes with the use of an authentic assessment rubric and a case approach. An exploratory qualitative approach using focus-group discussions and an open-ended survey was adopted. Sixteen nursing students participated in three focus-group discussions and 39 nursing students completed an open-ended survey. Nursing students noted that an authentic assessment rubric with a case approach provided clarity for their learning goals; built confidence; developed knowledge, skill competencies and critical thinking skills; increased awareness of caring attributes and communication skills; and enriched and extended learning through self-, peer- and teacher-assessments. These findings provide rich insights for nurse educators and curriculum developers in the use of an authentic assessment rubric and a case approach in nursing education. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The development and exploratory analysis of the Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ)

PubMed Central

Darlow, Ben; Perry, Meredith; Mathieson, Fiona; Stanley, James; Melloh, Markus; Marsh, Reginald; Baxter, G David; Dowell, Anthony

2014-01-01

Objectives To develop an instrument to assess attitudes and underlying beliefs about back pain, and subsequently investigate its internal consistency and underlying structures. Design The instrument was developed by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers based on analysis of qualitative interviews with people experiencing acute and chronic back pain. Exploratory analysis was conducted using data from a population-based cross-sectional survey. Setting Qualitative interviews with community-based participants and subsequent postal survey. Participants Instrument development informed by interviews with 12 participants with acute back pain and 11 participants with chronic back pain. Data for exploratory analysis collected from New Zealand residents and citizens aged 18 years and above. 1000 participants were randomly selected from the New Zealand Electoral Roll. 602 valid responses were received. Measures The 34-item Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ) was developed. Internal consistency was evaluated by the Cronbach α coefficient. Exploratory analysis investigated the structure of the data using Principal Component Analysis. Results The 34-item long form of the scale had acceptable internal consistency (α=0.70; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.73). Exploratory analysis identified five two-item principal components which accounted for 74% of the variance in the reduced data set: ‘vulnerability of the back’; ‘relationship between back pain and injury’; ‘activity participation while experiencing back pain’; ‘prognosis of back pain’ and ‘psychological influences on recovery’. Internal consistency was acceptable for the reduced 10-item scale (α=0.61; 95% CI 0.56 to 0.66) and the identified components (α between 0.50 and 0.78). Conclusions The 34-item long form of the scale may be appropriate for use in future cross-sectional studies. The 10-item short form may be appropriate for use as a screening tool, or an outcome assessment instrument. Further testing of the 10-item Back-PAQ's construct validity, reliability, responsiveness to change and predictive ability needs to be conducted. PMID:24860003

Cybersecurity Implications for Industry, Academia, and Parents: A Qualitative Case Study in NSF STEM Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson, Gregory V.

Rationale: Former President Barack Obama's 3.9 trillion for the 2015 fiscal year budget request included a 2.9 billion investment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. Research then showed that the national spending for cybersecurity has exceeded $10.7 billion in the 2015 fiscal year. Nonetheless, the number of cyberattacks has risen year after year since 2012, potentially due to the lack of education and training in cybersecurity. Methodology: A qualitative case study research was conducted to explore and investigate the lived professional experiences of experts from San Antonio Texas whose efforts were aligned to increase the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals. To qualify the organizational needs for cybersecurity professionals, the study gathered expert opinions by surveying human resource managers pertaining to the needs of cybersecurity education. To refine and further validate data collection efforts, the study involved researcher observations and a survey of a narrow cohort to perform analytic induction to eliminate bias and exhaust the exploratory research (Maxwell, 2005). Result: The findings of the case study will: 1) help augment the importance of cybersecurity education in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, 2) be utilized as a single guide for school leaders in the process of developing cybersecurity education strategies, and 3) in the longer term, be used by the National Sciences Foundation (NSF) as an effective model to institute cybersecurity education practices nationwide and thereby reduce the existing trouble of the nation by criminal cyber actors.

Risk and Protective Factors of Micronesian Youth in Hawai’i: An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

Okamoto, Scott K.; Mayeda, David T.; Ushiroda, Mari; Rehuher, Davis; Lauilefue, Tui; Ongalibang, Ophelia

2009-01-01

This exploratory, qualitative study examined the risk and protective factors of Micronesian middle and high school students in Hawai’i. Forty one Micronesian youth participated in 9 focus groups that explored their experiences within their schools, families, and communities. The findings describe youths’ experiences of ecological stress beginning with their migration to Hawai’i, and the potential outcomes of this stress (e.g., fighting, gangs, and drug use). Cultural buffers, such as traditional practices and culturally specific prevention programs, were described as aspects that prevented adverse outcomes. Implications for prevention practice are discussed. PMID:20559460

'It's good enough': Swedish general dental practitioners on reasons for accepting substandard root filling quality.

PubMed

Dahlström, L; Lindwall, O; Rystedt, H; Reit, C

2018-04-01

The concept of 'good enough' is central and necessary in the assessment of root filling quality. The aim was to explore the concept by analysing reasons and arguments for the acceptance or rejection of substandard root filling quality as reported by general dental practitioners (GDPs) in Sweden. The study was designed as a qualitative and exploratory study based on seven videotaped focus group interviews analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. Thirty-three GDPs employed in the Public Dental Health Service in Gothenburg, Sweden, participated (4-6 GDPs/interview). In all, nine predetermined questions were followed. Before each focus group, the participants received radiographs of 37 root fillings and were asked to assess the root filling quality. The three cases representing the most divergent assessments served as a basis for the discussion. The cases were presented without clinical information; the dentists would relate to the cases as being just root filled by themselves. The radiographs did not provide a sufficient basis for decisions on whether or not to accept the root filling. This study emphasized that dentists did not primarily look for these arguments in the technical details of the root filling per se, but instead, they considered selected features of the contextual situation. The GDPs constantly introduced relevant 'ad hoc considerations' to account for the decisions they made. These contextual considerations were related to aspects of pulpal and periapical disease, risks (e.g. technical complications) or to consumed resources (personal and/or economic). It was obvious that the concept of 'good enough' does not exist as a general formula ready to be applied in particular situations. Instead, it is necessarily and irremediably tied to contextual properties that emerge from case to case. © 2017 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sustaining Latina Student Organizations: An Exploratory Instrumental Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castellanos, Michelle

2016-01-01

Utilizing the exploratory case study methodology, the author examines the conditions that support and limit a Latina-based student organization at a predominately White institution of higher education. Seven organizational structures were found to influence the organization's ability to advance its aims, from interviews, documents, observations,…

Exploratory Decision-Making as a Function of Lifelong Experience, Not Cognitive Decline

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Older adults perform worse than younger adults in some complex decision-making scenarios, which is commonly attributed to age-related declines in striatal and frontostriatal processing. Recently, this popular account has been challenged by work that considered how older adults’ performance may differ as a function of greater knowledge and experience, and by work showing that, in some cases, older adults outperform younger adults in complex decision-making tasks. In light of this controversy, we examined the performance of older and younger adults in an exploratory choice task that is amenable to model-based analyses and ostensibly not reliant on prior knowledge. Exploration is a critical aspect of decision-making poorly understood across the life span. Across 2 experiments, we addressed (a) how older and younger adults differ in exploratory choice and (b) to what extent observed differences reflect processing capacity declines. Model-based analyses suggested that the strategies used by the 2 groups were qualitatively different, resulting in relatively worse performance for older adults in 1 decision-making environment but equal performance in another. Little evidence was found that differences in processing capacity drove performance differences. Rather the results suggested that older adults’ performance might result from applying a strategy that may have been shaped by their wealth of real-word decision-making experience. While this strategy is likely to be effective in the real world, it is ill suited to some decision environments. These results underscore the importance of taking into account effects of experience in aging studies, even for tasks that do not obviously tap past experiences. PMID:26726916

[Sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and prostitution: a case study in Guinea-Conakry].

PubMed

Mantoura, P; Fournier, P; Campeau, D

2003-06-01

In Africa, many public health interventions related to the fight against HIV/AIDS are aimed at women commercial sex workers. The practices of sexual labour and prostitution are not universal, and considering them within their specific cultural context is vital to understanding these women's needs and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. An exploratory qualitative study inspired by well-rooted theory was conducted with 14 women working within formally renowned prostitution sites in Guinea-Conakry. It aimed at identifying the context and general preoccupations of these women, within which are embedded sanitary concerns. The study showed that their sexual behaviours are mostly influenced by collective, relational and economic aspects which are in turn evaluated by the women within the framework of their continuous and changing life cycle.

School Board Elections: Theories Meet Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garn, Gregg; Copeland, Gary

2014-01-01

This exploratory article relies on qualitative data generated from observations and focus group interviews to investigate what motivates citizens to vote in school board elections and how they choose among candidates. Our review of literature suggests that capture theory, dissatisfaction theory, retrospective voting, partisanship, issue voting,…

Exploring First-Year College Students' Cultural Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tharp, D. Scott

2017-01-01

The development of college students' cultural competence is important in an increasingly diverse world. This exploratory, qualitative, action research study examined how 158 first-year students understood and applied core concepts after participating in a standardized diversity and social justice lesson plan designed using transformative education…

Exploring Experienced Professionals' Reflections on Computing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Exter, Marisa; Turnage, Nichole

2012-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study examines computing professional's memories of their own formal and non-formal educational experiences, their reflections on how these have prepared them for their professional roles, and their recommendations for an "ideal" undergraduate degree program. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews of…

An exploratory sequential design to validate measures of moral emotions.

PubMed

Márquez, Margarita G; Delgado, Ana R

2017-05-01

This paper presents an exploratory and sequential mixed methods approach in validating measures of knowledge of the moral emotions of contempt, anger and disgust. The sample comprised 60 participants in the qualitative phase when a measurement instrument was designed. Item stems, response options and correction keys were planned following the results obtained in a descriptive phenomenological analysis of the interviews. In the quantitative phase, the scale was used with a sample of 102 Spanish participants, and the results were analysed with the Rasch model. In the qualitative phase, salient themes included reasons, objects and action tendencies. In the quantitative phase, good psychometric properties were obtained. The model fit was adequate. However, some changes had to be made to the scale in order to improve the proportion of variance explained. Substantive and methodological im-plications of this mixed-methods study are discussed. Had the study used a single re-search method in isolation, aspects of the global understanding of contempt, anger and disgust would have been lost.

How do community pharmacists make decisions? Results of an exploratory qualitative study in Ontario.

PubMed

Gregory, Paul A M; Whyte, Brenna; Austin, Zubin

2016-03-01

As the complexity of pharmacy practice increases, pharmacists are required to make more decisions under ambiguous or information-deficient conditions. There is scant literature examining how pharmacists make decisions and what factors or values influence their choices. The objective of this exploratory research was to characterize decision-making patterns in the clinical setting of community pharmacists in Ontario. The think-aloud decision-making method was used for this study. Community pharmacists with 3 or more years' experience were presented with 2 clinical case studies dealing with challenging situations and were asked to verbally reason through their decision-making process while being probed by an interviewer for clarification, justification and further explication. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using a protocol analysis method. A total of 12 pharmacists participated in this study. Participants experienced cognitive dissonance in attempting to reconcile their desire for a clear and confrontation-free conclusion to the case discussion and the reality of the challenge presented within each case. Strategies for resolving this cognitive dissonance included strong emphasis on the educational (rather than decision-making) role of the pharmacist, the value of strong interpersonal relationships as a way to avoid conflict and achieve desired outcomes, the desire to seek external advice or defer to others' authority to avoid making a decision and the use of strict interpretations of rules to avoid ambiguity and contextual interpretation. This research was neither representative nor generalizable but was indicative of patterns of decisional avoidance and fear of assuming responsibility for outcomes that warrant further investigation. The think-aloud method functioned effectively in this context and provided insights into pharmacists' decision-making patterns in the clinical setting. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2016;149:90-98.

A case study examination of structure and function in a state health department chronic disease unit.

PubMed

Alongi, Jeanne

2015-04-01

I explored the structural and operational practices of the chronic disease prevention and control unit of a state health department and proposed a conceptual model of structure, function, and effectiveness for future study. My exploratory case study examined 7 elements of organizational structure and practice. My interviews with staff and external stakeholders of a single chronic disease unit yielded quantitative and qualitative data that I coded by perspective, process, relationship, and activity. I analyzed these for patterns and emerging themes. Chi-square analysis revealed significant correlations among collaboration with goal ambiguity, political support, and responsiveness, and evidence-based decisions with goal ambiguity and responsiveness. Although my study design did not permit conclusions about causality, my findings suggested that some elements of the model might facilitate effectiveness for chronic disease units and should be studied further. My findings might have important implications for identifying levers around which capacity can be built that may strengthen effectiveness.

A Case Study Examination of Structure and Function in a State Health Department Chronic Disease Unit

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Objectives. I explored the structural and operational practices of the chronic disease prevention and control unit of a state health department and proposed a conceptual model of structure, function, and effectiveness for future study. Methods. My exploratory case study examined 7 elements of organizational structure and practice. My interviews with staff and external stakeholders of a single chronic disease unit yielded quantitative and qualitative data that I coded by perspective, process, relationship, and activity. I analyzed these for patterns and emerging themes. Results. Chi-square analysis revealed significant correlations among collaboration with goal ambiguity, political support, and responsiveness, and evidence-based decisions with goal ambiguity and responsiveness. Conclusions. Although my study design did not permit conclusions about causality, my findings suggested that some elements of the model might facilitate effectiveness for chronic disease units and should be studied further. My findings might have important implications for identifying levers around which capacity can be built that may strengthen effectiveness. PMID:25689211

Electronics Lab Instructors' Approaches to Troubleshooting Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2017-01-01

In this exploratory qualitative study, we describe instructors' self-reported practices for teaching and assessing students' ability to troubleshoot in electronics lab courses. We collected audio data from interviews with 20 electronics instructors from 18 institutions that varied by size, selectivity, and other factors. In addition to describing…

Leadership Development Experiences of Exemplary Roman Catholic Parish Priests: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ong, Rosemarie A.

2013-01-01

This qualitative, phenomenological study addressed the research question: How do exemplary Roman Catholic parish priests perceive and describe their leadership development experience? The study explored experiences considered important in developing leadership, including how they occurred, the meaning provided, the definition of exemplary…

Exploring the Work Experiences of School Counselors of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollarhide, Colette T.; Bowen, Nikol V.; Baker, Caroline A.; Kassoy, Felice R.; Mayes, Renae D.; Baughman, Amber V.

2014-01-01

In spite of research suggesting the importance of diverse professionals in education (Mattison & Aber, 2007), no studies have explored the professional experiences of school counselors of Color. In this exploratory grounded-theory qualitative study, researchers interviewed 19 school counselors of Color. Responses revealed both positive and…

Secondary School Students' Views of Inhibiting Factors in Seeking Counselling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Stephanie; Quinn, Philip

2012-01-01

This study examines secondary school students' perceptions of inhibiting factors in seeking counselling. Responses to a questionnaire completed by 1346 secondary school students were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Exploratory factor analysis highlighted that within 21 pre-defined inhibiting factors, items loaded strongly on…

Pre-Service Teacher Cultural Identity Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Maurella Louise

2013-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to conduct exploratory qualitative research to investigate how PSTs and practicing teachers experience cultural and racial identity development or changes in identity. Rather than examine the "what" or contributors to identity development, I will explore the "how" or processes of identity…

Analysis of Students' Arguments on Evolutionary Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basel, Nicolai; Harms, Ute; Prechtl, Helmut

2013-01-01

A qualitative exploratory study was conducted to reveal students' argumentation skills in the context of the topic of evolution. Transcripts from problem-centred interviews on secondary students' beliefs about evolutionary processes of adaptation were analysed using a content analysis approach. For this purpose two categorical systems were…

Arab International Students' Experiences in a U.S. University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abo Rabia, Hazza M.

2015-01-01

This qualitative, exploratory study described the experiences of Arab international students in a U.S. postsecondary institution. This research identified those factors that Arab international students reported as facilitating or obstructing their academic success, promoting or limiting their socialization within the context of their postsecondary…

Perspectives of Online Graduate Preparation Programs for Student Affairs Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connolly, Sara; Diepenbrock, Amy

2011-01-01

This exploratory research study utilized qualitative and quantitative research methods to determine how midlevel student affairs professionals perceive online education for preparation in the field. The participants noted that they do not perceive online education as equivalent to master's degree preparation programs for student affairs…

Developing Leadership: Exploring Childhoods of Women University Presidents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madsen, Susan R.

2007-01-01

Purpose: Researchers argue that much of who we are is developed during childhood. Yet, little exploratory research has been conducted regarding the childhood experiences, activities, personalities, and perceptions of successful leaders. This paper aims to address this issue. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth, qualitative interviews were…

Coping and Suicidality among Homeless Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kidd, Sean A.; Carroll, Michelle R.

2007-01-01

This study examined the impact of coping strategies employed by homeless youth upon suicidal ideation, suicide attempts on the streets, and feeling trapped/helpless. Coping strategies examined in the analysis included problem-focused and avoidant coping, along with several coping strategies identified in previous exploratory qualitative studies.…

An Exploratory Multiple Case Study about Using Game-Based Learning in STEM Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vu, Phu; Feinstein, Sheryl

2017-01-01

This exploratory multiple case study attempted to examine whether game-based learning activities had any impacts on students' academic performances and behaviors, and what perceptions the teachers had toward implementing games into their classrooms. Data used in this study included 101 students' pre and post-test scores, and four structured…

Multimedia Exploratory Data Analysis for Geospatial Data Mining: The Case for Augmented Seriation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gluck, Myke

2001-01-01

Reviews the role of exploratory data analysis (EDA) for spatial data mining and presents a case study addressing environmental risk assessments in New York State to illustrate the feasibility and usability of augmenting seriation for spatial data analysis. Describes augmentation with multimedia tools to understand relationships among spatial,…

An Exploratory Case Study of PBIS Implementation Using Social Network Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitcomb, Sara A.; Woodland, Rebecca H.; Barry, Shannon K.

2017-01-01

An exploratory case study is presented in which social network analysis (SNA) was used to explore how school teaming structures influence the implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). The authors theorized that PBIS leadership teams that include members with connections to all other information-sharing…

What motivates women to breastfeed in Lebanon: An exploratory qualitative analysis.

PubMed

BouDiab, Sarah; Werle, Carolina

2018-04-01

This exploratory qualitative study examined the influence of injunctive and descriptive norms on breastfeeding, a health-improving behaviour related to a highly committed personal decision. The research explores the different mechanisms through which social norms impact breastfeeding behaviour pre or post-adoption of breastfeeding practice. A qualitative approach was used by performing in-depth analysis of cross-sectional accounts of women in Lebanon contemplating adoption of breastfeeding practice and women who already breastfed. Interviews were also conducted with medical professionals, lactation specialists, and breastfeeding activists. On one hand, the attitude of the medical professionals and the government efforts are two mechanisms that stimulate the injunctive norms. On the other hand, the descriptive norms are defined by community attitude aggregated with societal beliefs and expectations on women's image and role in society. Both types of social norms are in constant interplay with personal norms and each type becomes more salient at different periods over time. The findings suggest that social norms are major determinants of breastfeeding behaviour. The influence of the type of social norm-descriptive or injunctive-on the decision to breastfeed varies according to the moment of life the mother is living. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Aids for Role Definition (CARD) to improve interprofessional team crisis resource management: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Renna, Tania Di; Crooks, Simone; Pigford, Ashlee-Ann; Clarkin, Chantalle; Fraser, Amy B; Bunting, Alexandra C; Bould, M Dylan; Boet, Sylvain

2016-09-01

This study aimed to assess the perceived value of the Cognitive Aids for Role Definition (CARD) protocol for simulated intraoperative cardiac arrests. Sixteen interprofessional operating room teams completed three consecutive simulated intraoperative cardiac arrest scenarios: current standard, no CARD; CARD, no CARD teaching; and CARD, didactic teaching. Each team participated in a focus group interview immediately following the third scenario; data were transcribed verbatim and qualitatively analysed. After 6 months, participants formed eight new teams randomised to two groups (CARD or no CARD) and completed a retention intraoperative cardiac arrest simulation scenario. All simulation sessions were video recorded and expert raters assessed team performance. Qualitative analysis of the 16 focus group interviews revealed 3 thematic dimensions: role definition in crisis management; logistical issues; and the "real life" applicability of CARD. Members of the interprofessional team perceived CARD very positively. Exploratory quantitative analysis found no significant differences in team performance with or without CARD (p > 0.05). In conclusion, qualitative data suggest that the CARD protocol clarifies roles and team coordination during interprofessional crisis management and has the potential to improve the team performance. The concept of a self-organising team with defined roles is promising for patient safety.

Physician organization care management capabilities associated with effective inpatient utilization management: a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis.

PubMed

Sheehy, Thomas J; Thygeson, N Marcus

2014-12-03

We studied the relationship between physician organization (PO) care management capabilities and inpatient utilization in order to identify PO characteristics or capabilities associated with low inpatient bed-days per thousand. We used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to conduct an exploratory comparative case series study. Data about PO capabilities were collected using structured interviews with medical directors at fourteen California POs that are delegated to provide inpatient utilization management (UM) for HMO members of a California health plan. Health plan acute hospital claims from 2011 were extracted from a reporting data warehouse and used to calculate inpatient utilization statistics. Supplementary analyses were conducted using Fisher's Exact Test and Student's T-test. POs with low inpatient bed-days per thousand minimized length of stay and surgical admissions by actively engaging in concurrent review, discharge planning, and surgical prior authorization, and by contracting directly with hospitalists to provide UM-related services. Disease and case management were associated with lower medical admissions and readmissions, respectively, but not lower bed-days per thousand. Care management methods focused on managing length of stay and elective surgical admissions are associated with low bed-days per thousand in high-risk California POs delegated for inpatient UM. Reducing medical admissions alone is insufficient to achieve low bed-days per thousand. California POs with high bed-days per thousand are not applying care management best practices.

The extent to which Latina/o preservice teachers demonstrate culturally responsive teaching practices during science and mathematics instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, Cecilia M.

2011-12-01

Complex social, racial, economic, and political issues involved in the practice of teaching today require beginning teachers to be informed, skilled, and culturally responsive when entering the classroom. Teacher educators must educate future teachers in ways that will help them teach all children regardless of language, cultural background, or prior knowledge. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) novice teachers described and demonstrated culturally responsive teaching strategies using their students' cultural and academic profiles to inform practice in science and mathematics instruction. This qualitative exploratory case study considered the culturally responsive teaching practices of 12, non-traditional, Latina/o students as they progressed through a distance-based collaborative teacher education program. Qualitative techniques used throughout this exploratory case study investigated cultural responsiveness of these student teachers as they demonstrated their abilities to: a) integrate content and facilitate knowledge construction; b) illustrate social justice and prejudice reduction; and c) develop students academically. In conclusion, student teachers participating in this study demonstrated their ability to integrate content by: (1) including content from other cultures, (2) building positive teacher-student relationships, and (3) holding high expectations for all students. They also demonstrated their ability to facilitate knowledge construction by building on what students knew. Since there is not sufficient data to support the student teachers' abilities to assist students in learning to be critical, independent thinkers who are open to other ways of knowing, no conclusions regarding this subcategory could be drawn. Student teachers in this study illustrated prejudice reduction by: (1) using native language support to assist students in learning and understanding science and math content, (2) fostering positive student-student interactions, and (3) creating a safe learning environment. Results also indicated that these student teachers demonstrated their ability to develop students academically by creating opportunities for learning in the classroom through their knowledge of students and by the use of research-based instructional strategies. However, based on the data collected as part of this study, the student teachers' abilities to illustrate or model social justice during science and math instruction were not demonstrated.

Exploratory qualitative case study of lab-type activity interactions in an online graduate geoscience course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciavarella, Veronica C.

This exploratory qualitative case study investigated the use of lab-type activities in an online graduate geoscience course. Constructivism is the theoretical framework used to explain how learning happens in lab-type activity, and provided the goals to which successful learning in lab-type activity is compared. This study focused on the learner-instructor, learner-learner, and perceptions of the learner-content interactions that occurred related to lab-type activities in an online graduate geoscience course to determine: if the instructor appeared as a facilitator of the learning process in the interactions over the activities; if students engaged in discussion and reflection about the activities; if students perceived the activities as meaningful and authentic; and if students perceived using higher order thinking and prior knowledge while interacting with the content. Ten graduate students from three offerings of the course participated in this study, as well as the instructor and designer of the course content and lab-type activities. Data were collected through interviews, and observation and analysis of the lab-type activities, instructor feedback to students in their graded activities, and discussion that occurred between the instructor and students and among students about the lab-type activities in discussion forums. The nature of the instructor's interactions in discussion forums, in feedback to students on graded activities, and reported by students' in interviews supported that, in the learner-instructor interactions, the instructor of this course was a facilitator who guided and scaffolded the students towards successfully completing the activities. Students engaged in discussion and reflected on the activities, but most learner-learner interactions in discussion forums about the lab-type activities appeared to occur for the purpose of comparison of results, support, and empathy. Students' success at higher order thinking type questions in lab-type activities and their perceptions reported in interviews of using higher order thinking in their interactions with the lab-type activities supported that the learner-content interactions involved higher order thinking. Students also reported finding the activities realistic, meaningful and authentic, and this increased their interest with the activities, and the activities aided their understanding of the content.

An exploratory study of Muslim adolescents' views on sexuality: Implications for sex education and prevention

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background This paper describes the results of an exploratory qualitative study on Muslim adolescents' views on sexuality in the Netherlands. Methods Data were gathered from an Internet forum on which 44 Muslim and 33 non-Muslim adolescents discussed sexuality as it relates to Islam. These discussions were subsequently analyzed for content using Nvivo 2.0. Results Our analysis revealed several issues that are relevant for the design of future sex education programs targeting Muslim youth. Apart from some expected outcomes regarding, for example, taboos on sexuality, sex outside marriage, abortion, homosexuality and conservative gender roles, our analyses showed that in cases of disputes 1) discussions were polarized, 2) opponents used the same Qur'anic passages to support their views, and 3) the authority of an Imam was questioned when his interpretation of Qur'anic passages was not in line with the views of participants. Conclusions Our findings show that current approaches to sex education among Muslim youth are likely to be unsuccessful given the rigidity of sexual norms in Muslim society. In addition, we also identified new barriers to sex education among Muslim youth (e.g. lack of respect for an Imam who opposes a youth's views on sexuality). PMID:20815921

E-Learning: Ageing Workforce versus Technology-Savvy Generation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Karen; Fleming, Julie; Keijsers, Wilhelmina

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide description and analysis of how a traditional industry is currently using e-learning, and to identify how the potential of e-learning can be realised whilst acknowledging the technological divide between younger and older workers. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory qualitative methodology…

Women Faculty, Professional Identity, and Generational Disposition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marine, Susan B.; Martínez Alemán, Ana M.

2018-01-01

In an exploratory qualitative study, the generational dispositions of tenured women faculty from the Boomer Generation were examined. As pioneers and now senior members in the academic profession in the Golden Era of American higher education, they exist in a common historical location characterized by cultural forces and events that helped to…

Educational Practices for a New Nigeria: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydin, Hasan; Lafer, Stephen

2015-01-01

This article reports on a qualitative study conducted at the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges (NTICs) in Abuja, Nigeria. Twenty-two participants comprised of three administrators, seven teachers, four parents, and eight students participated in the study. The data collected through observations, informal, formal and semi-structured in-depth…

Listening to Korean Immigrant Mothers: Meanings of Raising a Child with a Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

You, Hyun-Kyung; Rosenkoetter, Sharon E.

2014-01-01

Primary caregivers' beliefs often influence their experiences of providing care to children with disabilities. This exploratory study qualitatively probed the meanings that five Korean immigrant mothers attributed to the unanticipated responsibility of parenting children with autism spectrum disorders and communication disorders. From a symbolic…

Role of Clinical Education Experiences on Athletic Training Students' Development of Professional Commitment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Dodge, Thomas

2015-01-01

Context: Limited evidence exists on the role clinical education can play in the development of athletic training student commitment for the profession. Objective: Investigating the role clinical education experiences play on the development of passion for athletic training. Design: Exploratory qualitative study. Setting: Athletic training…

A Search for Identity: Exploring Core Competencies for Interdisciplinary Environmental Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vincent, Shirley Gayle

2010-01-01

Scope and method of study: The study is national in scope, exploratory, and utilized a combination of qualitative and quantitative social science methods. Findings and conclusions: Interdisciplinary environmental (IE) programs in higher education in the United States are both diverse and dynamic in their curriculum designs. Though these…

Ontario Kindergarten Teachers' Social Media Discussions about Full Day Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Meghan

2014-01-01

This exploratory netnographic study describes how a sample of Ontario kindergarten teachers perceive the new Ontario Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) curriculum. Discussions from teacher message boards, the comment sections of online news articles, and interviews with kindergarten teachers were analyzed and coded using a qualitative approach. Analysis…

Is Communications a Strategic Activity in UK Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapleo, Chris

2006-01-01

This qualitative exploratory paper investigates whether communications/public relations is regarded by opinion formers in UK education as a strategic business activity or a tactical marketing tool. It is based upon depth interviews with 16 senior managers with strategic roles in UK higher or further education, or Government bodies, conducted…

College Men's Perceptions of Their Leadership Practice: Unpacking Power and Influence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tillapaugh, Daniel; Haber-Curran, Paige

2016-01-01

This qualitative exploratory study focuses on the leadership experiences of college men who held leadership roles in campus organizations. The researchers examined the students' experiences of leading their organizations and group members and the students' perceptions of gender roles influencing their leadership practice. Four male participants at…

Departmental Dialogues: Facilitating Positive Academic Climates to Improve Equity in STEM Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Maja Husar; Jackson, J. Kasi; Stoiko, Rachel

2016-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study examined faculty responses to a collegiality-building process called Dialogues. The process used a series of discussions and activities to guide faculty members toward a common, mutually beneficially goal, while changing patterns of interaction. The responses revealed how faculty members experienced…

School Psychology in the Czech Republic: Development, Status and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kavenská, Veronika; Smékalová, Eleonora; Šmahaj, Jan

2013-01-01

This intensive exploratory research maps the working conditions of school psychologists in the Czech Republic. An electronic questionnaire consisting of 71 questions (58 quantitative, 13 qualitative) from nine fields was used as a research tool. The respondent sample ("N"?=?63; 53 females, 10 males) indicate that they are largely…

Instructional Leadership in Greek and English Outstanding Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaparou, Maria; Bush, Tony

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine instructional leadership (IL) in outstanding secondary schools within a centralised (Greece) and a partially decentralised (England) education context. Design/methodology/approach: Since the purpose of the study is exploratory, the researchers adopt a qualitative approach, employing a series of four…

Practicing and Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Representations of Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weller, Jessica Kristine

2012-01-01

This qualitative exploratory study investigated practicing and pre-service elementary teachers' representations of the nature of matter and the ways in which those representations were transformed into teaching representations. Seven practicing elementary teachers from a rural elementary school and five pre-service elementary teachers were…

Graduate Students' Perceptions of Professional Power in Social Work Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bundy-Fazioli, Kimberly; Quijano, Louise M.; Bubar, Roe

2013-01-01

The study of ways that professional power is perceived in social work practice is limited. This exploratory qualitative study analyzes second-year MSW students' perceptions of professional power in social work practice. This inquiry is guided by social constructivism and symbolic interactionism perspectives. The authors used constant comparison…

The Information Seeking and Use Behaviors of Retired Investors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Lisa G.

2013-01-01

This exploratory study examines the information seeking and use behaviors of a group of US retired or near-retirement investors from everyday life information seeking and serious leisure perspectives. Although primarily qualitative, it also collects and analyzes quantitative data to describe retired investors' information preferences and use.…

Hospice Decision Making: Diagnosis Makes a Difference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldrop, Deborah P.; Meeker, Mary Ann

2012-01-01

Purpose: This study explored the process of decision making about hospice enrollment and identified factors that influence the timing of that decision. Methods: This study employed an exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional design and was conducted using qualitative methods. In-depth in-person semistructured interviews were conducted with 36…

Youth Homelessness and Social Stigma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kidd, Sean A.

2007-01-01

Building upon previous exploratory qualitative research (Kidd S.A. (2003) "Child Adol. Social Work J." 20(4):235-261), this paper examines the mental health implications of social stigma as it is experienced by homeless youth. Surveys conducted with 208 youths on the streets and in agencies in New York City and Toronto revealed…

"Second Generation" Voices: Queer Youth with Lesbian/Bisexual Mothers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuvalanka, Katherine A.; Goldberg, Abbie E.

2009-01-01

Research on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth with LGBTQ parents is absent in the social science literature. The present qualitative, exploratory study utilized a social constructionist and queer theoretical lens through which to explore the sexual/gender identity formation and disclosure experiences…

Designing a Virtual-Reality-Based, Gamelike Math Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Xinhao; Ke, Fengfeng

2016-01-01

This exploratory study examined the design issues related to a virtual-reality-based, gamelike learning environment (VRGLE) developed via OpenSimulator, an open-source virtual reality server. The researchers collected qualitative data to examine the VRGLE's usability, playability, and content integration for math learning. They found it important…

Athletic Training Educators' Pedagogical Strategies for Preparing Students to Address Sudden Death in Sport

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Pagnotta, Kelly D.; Salvatore, Anthony C.; Casa, Douglas J.

2013-01-01

Context: Educational training programs both impart knowledge and allow students to practice skills to gain clinical competence. Objective: Understand the educational training provided to athletic training students regarding sudden death in sport beyond exertional heat stroke. Design: An exploratory, qualitative study using telephone interviews and…

Parents of Youth Who Identify as Transgender: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Danielle; Sikorski, Jonathon; Savage, Todd A.; Woitaszewski, Scott A.

2014-01-01

This article explores the experiences, perceptions, support systems, and coping strategies on which parents of youth who identify as transgender rely. Based on data gathered via interviews with parents of youth who identify as transgender and analyzed using the consensual qualitative research method, parental challenges and concerns about their…

Educating Educators about Second Language Idiomaticity through Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liontas, John I.

2013-01-01

Idiomaticity is central to linguistic theory. Despite the pervasiveness of idioms in language, pedagogical articles in professional journals have yet to pay attention to the benefits of idiom instruction in the second language (SL) classroom. Addressing this concern, this article reports the results of an exploratory qualitative research study…

Male Teachers' Experiences of Own Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Botha, Johan; Myburgh, Chris; Poggenpoel, Marie

2013-01-01

We describe an exploratory, descriptive, and contextual study on the lived experiences of 17 male teachers' own aggression in the Gert Sibande district in Mpumalanga province. Individual phenomenological interviews were used to collect data from these volunteers for this qualitative research. The data were analysed by means of an open coding…

A Look at Simultaneous Interpretation. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barik, Henri C.

This paper summarizes the findings of an exploratory study concerned with certain temporal and qualitative aspects of simultaneous interpretation. Six French-English interpreters (2 professionals, 2 students and 2 amateurs) translated tape-recorded passages representing different types of materials from their weaker into their dominant language or…

White Teachers' Reactions to the Racial Treatment of Middle-School Black Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battle, Stefan

2017-01-01

This qualitative exploratory study, informed by grounded theory, used questionnaires and unstructured interviews based on fictionalized vignettes to examine urban, public, middle-school White teachers' attitudes about middle-school Black boys, questioning whether and how such attitudes might influence classroom interactions. Twenty-four…

Education for Sustainable Development: An Exploratory Study in a Portuguese University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torres, Ricardo; Vieira, Rui Marques; Rodrigues, Ana V.; Sá, Patrícia; Moreira, Gillian

2017-01-01

Purpose: The research aims to evaluate whether this educational approach is being implemented in a Portuguese public university and looking for explicit references to education for sustainable development (ESD) in the online descriptions of course units (CU). Design/methodology/approach: The research design adopted for this qualitative research…

What Is an Empowerment Approach to Working with Sexual Assault Survivors?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ullman, Sarah E.; Townsend, Stephanie M.

2008-01-01

This exploratory study sought to better understand what constitutes the empowerment approach used by rape crisis advocates working with sexual assault survivors. A grounded theory, qualitative, semistructured interview study was conducted of rape victim advocates (N=25) working in rape crisis centers in a large metropolitan area. Several…

Children's Use of iPads in Outdoor Environmental Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kacoroski, Joy; Liddicoat, Kendra R.; Kerlin, Steve

2016-01-01

This exploratory study aimed to understand how use of digital technology, specifically iPads, impacts the learning experiences of children during outdoor environmental education programs. iPads were integrated into water quality education programs for fifth grade students from an urban area. Qualitative observations were analyzed to document…

U.S.-Born Salvadoran American Women with Learning Disabilities in Transition to Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortiz, Deanna M.

2010-01-01

This exploratory and descriptive qualitative interview study examined the postsecondary experiences of three Salvadoran-American women with learning disabilities (LD) living in the District of Columbia in the 3 years since graduating from high school. This research analyzed the young women's experiences in employment, education, community…

Smart Clickers in the Classroom: "Technolust" or the Potential to Engage Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Robert D.

2013-01-01

This exploratory action research investigation provided the opportunity for a collaborative examination of the pedagogy underlying the use of wireless clicker technology within an elementary school environment. It investigated the uncomfortable truths of their use and revealed some unanticipated benefits. Using a triangulated qualitative data…

Enhancing Listening with Captions and Transcripts: Exploring Learner Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danan, Martine

2016-01-01

Through an analysis of students' reactions to transcription exercises, this exploratory study examined some of the differences between two forms of written help enhancing listening passages--second language (L2) captions and transcripts. This primarily qualitative analysis highlighted the role that student proficiency levels may have played in…

Learning through Experience: The Transition from Doctoral Student to Social Work Educator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oktay, Julianne S.; Jacobson, Jodi M.; Fisher, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

The researchers conducted an exploratory study using grounded theory qualitative research methods to examine experiences of social work doctoral students as they learned to teach ("N"?=?14). A core category, "learning through experience," representing a basic social process, was identified. The doctoral students experienced…

Vietnamese International Student Repatriates: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Le, Anh

2014-01-01

The main purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the experiences of Vietnamese international students who returned to Vietnam after graduation from a U.S. higher education institution (henceforth, the repatriates). Areas to be explored include the transitional period, perceptions of the relevance of the U.S. education to their current…

Electronic Information Resources in Undergraduate Education: An Exploratory Study of Opportunities for Student Learning and Independence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDowell, Liz

2002-01-01

This qualitative interview-based study examines lecturer perspectives on the roles of electronic information resources in undergraduate education. Highlights include electronic academic libraries; changes toward more constructivist approaches to learning; information quality on the Web; plagiarism; information use; information literacy; and…

Youth Expectations about Therapeutic Alliance in a Residential Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manso, Ana; Rauktis, Mary Elizabeth; Boyd, A. Suzanne

2008-01-01

This exploratory study used qualitative methods to better understand how youths in a residential setting perceive their relationships with the counselors. Using focus group methodology, the study focused on how youth describe the relationship, what staff qualities the youth are able to identify as important in engaging and maintaining the…

Factors That Influence Adoption and Use of Location-Sharing Social Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Xinru Woo

2014-01-01

This work aims to understand real-world factors shaping behaviors and attitudes towards location-sharing social networks (LSSN), especially as to why people avoid or abandon this technology, or limit their usage. Based on interview-based qualitative research and survey-based exploratory quantitative research, I hypothesize conceptual models…

How Do Interaction Experiences Influence Doctoral Students' Academic Pursuits in Biomedical Research?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kong, Xiaoqing; Chakraverty, Devasmita; Jeffe, Donna B.; Andriole, Dorothy A.; Wathington, Heather D.; Tai, Robert H.

2013-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study investigated how doctoral students reported their personal and professional interaction experiences that they believed might facilitate or impede their academic pursuits in biomedical research. We collected 19 in-depth interviews with doctoral students in biomedical research from eight universities, and we based…

What Managers Do to Create Healthy Work Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kroth, Michael; Boverie, Patricia; Zondlo, John

2007-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to determine what successful managers do to create healthy work environments in a healthcare organization. Managers using exemplary behaviors were selected and interviewed based on employee satisfaction surveys, and focus groups were conducted with employees who worked for them. Effective…

Reasoning Processes Used by Paramedics to Solve Clinical Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Melissa

2009-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to determine the reasoning processes used by paramedics to solve clinical problems. Existing research documents concern over the accuracy of paramedics' clinical decision-making, but no research was found that examines the cognitive processes by which paramedics make either faulty or accurate…

A Descriptive Study of Differing School Health Delivery Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Sherri I.; Maughan, Erin

2017-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to identify and describe emerging models of school health services. Participants (N = 11) provided information regarding their models in semistructured phone interviews. Results identified a variety of funding sources as well as different staffing configurations and supervision. Strengths of…

The Student Perception of Faculty Scale: Development, Testing and Practical Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Thomas S.

2017-01-01

This study involved a sample group of students residing in residential halls at a state university in a qualitative and quantitative analysis to measure their perceptions of the university's faculty. Exploratory, then confirmatory, factor analysis revealed a 3-factor model representing teaching faculty: a negative, emotionally challenging…

Community Attitudes toward Birth Fathers Motives for Adoption Placement and Single Parenting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miall, Charlene E.; March, Karen

2005-01-01

Community attitudes toward birth fathers were examined using 82 exploratory qualitative interviews and 706 survey respondents in Canada. Community attitudes were more positive toward birth fathers raising their children over adoption, when birth mothers were unable or unwilling to parent the child. Overall, respondents considered birth fathers…

Early Education and Professional Choice: Brazilian Teachers' Views

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galvão, Afonso; Brasil, Ive

2014-01-01

This qualitative and exploratory research is aimed at investigating the underlying reasons for the professional choice of Brazilian teachers who work within early education. Seventeen teachers (seven from public schools and 10 from private schools) were interviewed in depth in a semi-structured manner. Questions concerned the reasons that guided…

Secondary Teachers' Understanding and Use of Reflection: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laverick, Vincent T.

2017-01-01

As teachers are examining methods to improve their practices due to teacher evaluation systems that incorporate student growth, a renewed focus has been placed on teacher effectiveness. Because reflective teachers have been shown to be more effective, this qualitative study examined the understanding of reflection among five secondary school…

Stakeholders' Qualitative Perspectives of Effective Telepractice Pedagogy in Speech-Language Pathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overby, Megan S.

2018-01-01

Background: Academic programmes in speech-language pathology are increasingly providing telehealth/telepractice clinical education to students. Despite this growth, there is little information describing effective ways to teach it. Aims: The current exploratory study analyzed the perceptions of speech-language pathology/therapy (SLP/SLT) faculty,…

An Exploratory Study of Taiwanese Mathematics Teachers' Conceptions of School Mathematics, School Statistics, and Their Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Kai-Lin

2014-01-01

This study used phenomenography, a qualitative method, to investigate Taiwanese mathematics teachers' conceptions of school mathematics, school statistics, and their differences. To collect data, we interviewed five mathematics teachers by open questions. They also responded to statements drawn on mathematical/statistical conceptions and…

The Discussion of Biotechnology Controversial Issues--An Exploratory Study about Its Potentialities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rocha dos Reis, Pedro

This paper describes a qualitative research that used small group discussion activities centered in biotechnology and genetics controversies as a contribution to the promotion of students' thinking tools. Students' written conclusions and reflections about the activities, teachers' interviews, participant observation of the classes, and their…

Mind the Gap: Staff and Postgraduate Perceptions of Student Experience in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arambewela, Rodney; Maringe, Felix

2012-01-01

Faced with conflicting pressures of student diversity, retention and demands for change in a volatile international education marketing environment, universities have become more focused on enhancing student experience as a strategic response to achieving competitive advantage. Based on an exploratory qualitative study conducted in a UK…

Factors That Impact How Civil Society Intermediaries Perceive Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, William L.

2017-01-01

Civil society organisations increasingly mediate the creation and exchange of evidence in their activities with policy-makers and practitioners. This article extends knowledge on evidence in policy-making settings to civil society contexts. As an exploratory and qualitative study, it shows how nine UK-based organisations working on issues…

Student Leaders at Women's Postsecondary Institutions: A Global Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renn, Kristen A.; Lytle, Jesse H.

2010-01-01

The single-sex higher education sector is growing worldwide as more women seek access to postsecondary education. Although positive learning outcomes--including leadership development--of women's colleges are well documented in the United States, less is known internationally. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study of 46 student leaders…

Emerging Action Research Traditions: Rigor in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Karen E.; Nicolaides, Aliki; Marsick, Victoria J.

2016-01-01

The authors argue here that contemporary use of action research shares the exploratory, inductive nature of many qualitative research approaches--no matter the type of data collected--because the type of research problems studied are set in complex, dynamic, rapidly changing contexts and because action research is undertaken to support social and…

Employees' Perceptions of Barriers to Participation in Training and Development in Small Engineering Businesses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Susomrith, Pattanee; Coetzer, Alan

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate barriers to employee participation in voluntary formal training and development opportunities from the perspective of employees in small engineering businesses. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory qualitative methodology involving data collection via site visits and in-depth semi-structured…

Students with Disabilities and Clinical Placement: Understanding the Perspective of Healthcare Organisations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rankin, Elaine Ruth; Nayda, Robyn; Cocks, Susan; Smith, Morgan

2010-01-01

The Australian Disability Discrimination Act (1992) has challenged higher education to meet the increasing needs of students with different abilities. This may be more so in programmes that have practice components where students must demonstrate competency, regardless of their situation. This qualitative exploratory study undertaken at the…

"We Now Have a Patient and Not a Criminal": An Exploratory Study of Judges and Lawyers' Views on Suicide Attempters and the Law in Ghana.

PubMed

Osafo, Joseph; Akotia, Charity S; Andoh-Arthur, Johnny; Boakye, Kofi E; N-B Quarshie, Emmanuel

2018-05-01

This study explored the views of judges and lawyers of the superior courts of Ghana on the law criminalizing attempted suicide. Qualitative data were collected from 12 experienced legal practitioners of the superior courts (five judges and seven lawyers) using a semi-structured interview schedule. Thematic analysis of the data yielded three main perspectives: In defence of the Law, Advocating a Repeal, and Pro-Health Orientation. Although exploratory, the findings of this study offer cues for stepping up suicide literacy and advocacy programmes toward either a repeal of the law or a reform.

Instructional Design, Facilitation, and Perceived Learning Outcomes: An Exploratory Case Study of a Human Trafficking MOOC for Attitudinal Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Sunnie Lee; Loizzo, Jamie; Watson, William R.; Mueller, Chad; Lim, Jieun; Ertmer, Peggy A.

2016-01-01

This exploratory case study describes the design and facilitation of a massive open online course (MOOC) for attitudinal change regarding human trafficking. It examines the course from the learners', instructor's, and instructional designer's perspectives. Two interviews with the instructor and instructional designer were conducted, and data from…

Characteristics of Effective Pedagogy of Third Grade English Learners in Language Arts: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merwin, Gregory J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify pedagogical and non-pedagogical factors that affect the academic achievement of English Learner (EL) students in the area of language arts at Dr. Albert Schweitzer Elementary School in Anaheim, California. The researcher conducted an exploratory multiple case study to develop a comprehensive, contextual…

Policy and Persistence: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Case Study of "Last Mile" Students at Portland State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wubbold, Joseph Mark

2012-01-01

In an extension of educational attainment research, this exploratory mixed- methods case study examines the influence of institutional policies on the behavior of five cohorts (n = 925) of traditional first time, full time (FTFT) freshmen--called "Last Mile" students--at one urban research university located in the Pacific Northwest.…

[Structural elements of critical thinking of nurses in emergency care].

PubMed

Crossetti, Maria da Graça Oliveira; Bittencourt, Greicy Kelly Gouveia Dias; Lima, Ana Amélia Antunes; de Góes, Marta Georgina Oliveira; Saurin, Gislaine

2014-09-01

The objective of this study was to analyze the structural elements of critical thinking (CT) of nurses in the clinical decision-making process. This exploratory, qualitative study was conducted with 20 emergency care nurses in three hospitals in southern Brazil. Data were collected from April to June 2009, and a validated clinical case was applied from which nurses listed health problems, prescribed care and listed the structural elements of CT. Content analysis resulted in categories used to determine priority structural elements of CT, namely theoretical foundations and practical relationship to clinical decision making; technical and scientific knowledge and clinical experience, thought processes and clinical decision making: clinical reasoning and basis for clinical judgments of nurses: patient assessment and ethics. It was concluded that thinking critically is a skill that enables implementation of a secure and effective nursing care process.

Dialogue: network that intertwines the pedagogical relationship into the practical-reflective teaching.

PubMed

Lima, Margarete Maria de; Reibnitz, Kenya Schmidt; Kloh, Daiana; Vendruscolo, Carine; Corrêa, Aline Bússolo

2016-01-01

to understand how dialogue occurs in the pedagogical relation in the practical reflective teaching in an undergraduate program in nursing. qualitative research, case study. Data collection was conducted from May 2013 to September 2014 with eight professors of Nursing, by means of observation and interviews. Data analysis followed the operational proposal constituted by the exploratory stage and the interpretive stage. point the dialogue established within the pedagogical relation as a challenge to be faced in practical-reflective teaching, so professor and student build a relationship that foster thought and action in the theoretical context and in the field of practice. in establishing a dialogic-reflective tone in the pedagogical relationship, the professor opens paths to new discoveries, enabling the creation of teaching-learning spaces that stimulate autonomy, abilities, and critical and reflective attitudes of students along their education.

Philanthropic Due Diligence: Exploratory Case Studies To Improve Investments in Urban Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Christine; Harvey, James; DeArmond, Michael

This paper is designed to help funders avoid some of the pitfalls of embarking on major reform efforts in troubled urban districts, proposing exploratory case studies as a tool to improve philanthropic giving. The paper explains what is behind the two major flaws of philanthropic investment (not knowing how one thinks schools will improve and not…

Effects of an Incentive Based Budgeting System on Institutional Performance Indicators: An Exploratory Longitudinal Case Study of a Public University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willett, Michael S.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory longitudinal case study was to examine how the implementation of an Incentive Based Budgeting (IBB) system (i.e., Responsibility-Centered Management [RCM]) affected selected institutional performance indicators at the campus level and two comparable schools at a large Mid-Western public University. The value of…

How Do Pre-Service Teachers Understand Intercultural Competence during a Short-Term Student Teaching Abroad Program: An Exploratory, Collective Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrow, Elizabeth Cynthia

2017-01-01

This dissertation explores how four pre-service teachers (PSTs) came to define and understand intercultural competence (ICC) during a short-term student teaching abroad program. In this exploratory, collective case study I highlight the participants' voice by analyzing their definitions of ICC before, during, and after their experience in Germany…

Exploratory Case Studies of the Role of the Community School Coordinator: Developing the School Social Network in Urban Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruffin, Verna Dean

2013-01-01

This exploratory case study examines the role of the community school coordinator (CSC) in the community school model in two urban elementary schools. It seeks to understand how the role and responsibilities of a community school coordinator supports fostering relationships with parents, teachers, students and the community (i.e. building the…

An Exploratory Case Study of Olympiad Students' Attitudes towards and Passion for Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Mary; Venville, Grady

2011-01-01

Much is known about high school students' attitudes towards science but there is almost no research on what passion for science might look like and how it might be manifested. This exploratory case study took advantage of a unique group of highly gifted science students participating in the Australian Science Olympiad (N = 69) to explore their…

The Value of Tuition Assistance Programs: A Multiple Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tlapa, Margie

2017-01-01

Organizations invest billions annually in the form of Tuition Assistance Programs (TAP) with little knowledge as to the reasons why employees choose to participate. The purpose of this multiple exploratory case study was to explore the perceptions of employees with access to a TAP of at least $5,250 per year. Interviews were conducted with 17…

Predictive Ability from ePortfolios of Student Achievement Associated with Professional Teaching Standards: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, Phillip; Burrack, Frederick

2017-01-01

This exploratory case study, focused on a music teacher preparation program, examined the coursework ePortfolios of pre-service music teachers to determine if any parts of the ePortfolio process predicted teaching effectiveness in the classroom during the student teaching semester. Sixty-five undergraduate pre-service music teachers made up the…

Investigating Teachers' Appraisal of Unexpected Moments and Underlying Values: An Exploratory Case in the Context of Changing Mathematics Classroom Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanna, Jillian M.; Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth; Seah, Wee Tiong

2015-01-01

This article provides an exploratory case study that examines what one teacher indicated as unexpected as she worked to become more purposeful about her classroom discourse practices. We found that she highlighted three areas as being unexpected: (1) aspects of lesson enactment; (2) characteristics of student learning and (3) her own…

Applications of mixed-methods methodology in clinical pharmacy research.

PubMed

Hadi, Muhammad Abdul; Closs, S José

2016-06-01

Introduction Mixed-methods methodology, as the name suggests refers to mixing of elements of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in a single study. In the past decade, mixed-methods methodology has gained popularity among healthcare researchers as it promises to bring together the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Methodology A number of mixed-methods designs are available in the literature and the four most commonly used designs in healthcare research are: the convergent parallel design, the embedded design, the exploratory design, and the explanatory design. Each has its own unique advantages, challenges and procedures and selection of a particular design should be guided by the research question. Guidance on designing, conducting and reporting mixed-methods research is available in the literature, so it is advisable to adhere to this to ensure methodological rigour. When to use it is best suited when the research questions require: triangulating findings from different methodologies to explain a single phenomenon; clarifying the results of one method using another method; informing the design of one method based on the findings of another method, development of a scale/questionnaire and answering different research questions within a single study. Two case studies have been presented to illustrate possible applications of mixed-methods methodology. Limitations Possessing the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, interpretation and integration remains the biggest challenge for researchers conducting mixed-methods studies. Sequential study designs are often time consuming, being in two (or more) phases whereas concurrent study designs may require more than one data collector to collect both qualitative and quantitative data at the same time.

Barriers to the widespread adoption of health data standards: an exploratory qualitative study in tertiary healthcare organizations in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Alkraiji, Abdullah; Jackson, Thomas; Murray, Ian

2013-04-01

Although health data standards are perceived to be the essential solution for interoperability barriers within medical IT systems, the level of adoption of those standards still remains frustratingly low. Little is known about the barriers facing their adoption within the healthcare organizations context. In addressing this gap in the literature, based on IT related standards adoption theories such as Diffusion of Innovation Theory and the theories surrounding the Economics of Standards, a qualitative multiple-case study was undertaken in Saudi Arabia to investigate those barriers. The results exposed that few standards were adopted because of four broad reasons, managerial, technical, educational and governmental. While some of the findings can be rooted to those related standards theories, others can be underpinned through the normative literature. Core barriers are the lack of a national regulator and a data exchange plan, and the lack of an adequate policy regarding medical IT systems and information management and national healthcare system; also important are technical barriers and the switching costs to the standards. The outcome of this study can be used in forming effective interventions when planning to use health data standards and, in particular those in developing countries.

Unruly grandmothers, ghosts and ancestors: Chinese elders and the importance of culture in dementia evaluations.

PubMed

Elliott, Kathryn S; Di Minno, Mariann

2006-01-01

This article explores the cultural clashes that occurred when Chinese patients at an Alzheimer's center in California were evaluated for dementia. Lack of familiarity with Chinese culture made the culturally mainstream American clinicians at this center more likely to misinterpret the behavior of elderly Chinese-speaking patients and their families and, thereby, more likely to misdiagnose such patients and suggest culturally inappropriate recommendations. This tendency was reduced when relevant cultural knowledge was incorporated into the clinical evaluation. The evaluation process at this clinic and two patient examples are discussed to illustrate that familiarity with a patient's cultural background is essential for accurate diagnosis and referral. This ethnographic case study places the evaluation process in one particular clinic in cultural context and is suggestive in the way that exploratory qualitative research is meant to be, rather than broadly representative of dementia clinics or clinicians as a whole. However, problems created by cultural clashes at this clinic do suggest that what may be happening at other dementia clinics as they encounter increasingly more patients from diverse cultural backgrounds is an important empirical question worthy of further research, using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

The development and exploratory analysis of the Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ).

PubMed

Darlow, Ben; Perry, Meredith; Mathieson, Fiona; Stanley, James; Melloh, Markus; Marsh, Reginald; Baxter, G David; Dowell, Anthony

2014-05-23

To develop an instrument to assess attitudes and underlying beliefs about back pain, and subsequently investigate its internal consistency and underlying structures. The instrument was developed by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers based on analysis of qualitative interviews with people experiencing acute and chronic back pain. Exploratory analysis was conducted using data from a population-based cross-sectional survey. Qualitative interviews with community-based participants and subsequent postal survey. Instrument development informed by interviews with 12 participants with acute back pain and 11 participants with chronic back pain. Data for exploratory analysis collected from New Zealand residents and citizens aged 18 years and above. 1000 participants were randomly selected from the New Zealand Electoral Roll. 602 valid responses were received. The 34-item Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ) was developed. Internal consistency was evaluated by the Cronbach α coefficient. Exploratory analysis investigated the structure of the data using Principal Component Analysis. The 34-item long form of the scale had acceptable internal consistency (α=0.70; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.73). Exploratory analysis identified five two-item principal components which accounted for 74% of the variance in the reduced data set: 'vulnerability of the back'; 'relationship between back pain and injury'; 'activity participation while experiencing back pain'; 'prognosis of back pain' and 'psychological influences on recovery'. Internal consistency was acceptable for the reduced 10-item scale (α=0.61; 95% CI 0.56 to 0.66) and the identified components (α between 0.50 and 0.78). The 34-item long form of the scale may be appropriate for use in future cross-sectional studies. The 10-item short form may be appropriate for use as a screening tool, or an outcome assessment instrument. Further testing of the 10-item Back-PAQ's construct validity, reliability, responsiveness to change and predictive ability needs to be conducted. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Capturing Career Reflections: Construction of an Instrument to Explore Careers and Career Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Kimberly S.; Hite, Linda M.; Mansour-Cole, Dina

2006-01-01

This study describes the development and validation of an instrument to tap employee reflections on career interests, needs and career development opportunities. Item construction was based on issues identified in previous qualitative research and themes prevalent in recent HRD career development literature. Pilot data for an exploratory factor…

The Importance of the Professor in College Classroom Climate for Immigrant Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boesch, Becky

2014-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study examined the role that professors play in classroom climate for immigrant students within their first two years in higher education. The research questions were 1) How are immigrant students generally experiencing the climate of higher education classrooms? 2) How specifically does the immigrant student's…

Open Access Theses in Institutional Repositories: An Exploratory Study of the Perceptions of Doctoral Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanton, Kate Valentine; Liew, Chern Li

2011-01-01

Introduction: We examine doctoral students' awareness of and attitudes to open access forms of publication. Levels of awareness of open access and the concept of institutional repositories, publishing behaviour and perceptions of benefits and risks of open access publishing were explored. Method: Qualitative and quantitative data were collected…

Brothers, Sisters and Fictive Kin: Communication about Sex among Urban Black Siblings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Scyatta A.; Hooper, Lisa M.; Persad, Malini

2014-01-01

Siblings have been shown to influence youth substance use and violent behavior. However, limited research has examined sibling-influences on sexual activity, particularly among urban Black youth. The current qualitative research was an exploratory study to describe discussions among siblings about sex and sexual health. Individual interviews were…

The Education Ideal of the Democratic Citizen in Germany: Challenges and Changing Trends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck, Alexy; Geissel, Brigitte

2009-01-01

This article draws on exploratory qualitative interviews with German education policy experts. We ask whether, as Germany faces new challenges, changes have occurred in respect of the education ideal of the democratic citizen; perceived implications for civic education and schooling are also drawn out. Interviews were conducted with senior…

Sewing for a Cause: Implementing and Evaluating Service-Learning in a Clothing Construction Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Charles; Kobia, Caroline

2016-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory investigation is to examine the use of a pedagogical framework to guide the development of a successful service-learning project within a technical program (clothing construction) as determined by increased student engagement and qualitative feedback. This investigation uses student reflection comparisons to assess…

Insights on the Intersection of Health Equity and School Nutrition Policy Implementation: An Exploratory Qualitative Secondary Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asada, Yuka; Hughes, Alejandro; Chriqui, Jamie

2017-01-01

Background: Recent federal policies aimed to ensure that all children have equitable access to healthy school nutrition environments. However, historically, disparities have persisted in the quality of school nutrition environments across geographic and socioeconomic groups. There is limited literature addressing if and how recent efforts to…

It Shall Not Return to Me Void: Teaching Religious Content to Individuals with Cognitive Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iguchi, Carolyn M.

2010-01-01

This research is an exploratory qualitative investigation into the challenges of teaching religious material to individuals with cognitive disabilities. The study setting was a single large evangelical Christian church known for excellence in ministry to individuals with disabilities and their families. The following issues were explored: (a)…

Does Writing Have Any Effect on Mathematics Success?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dündar, Sefa

2016-01-01

In this study, the relationship between mathematics success and the formal properties and contents of the notebooks in which students take notes during mathematics classes have been examined. The exploratory model, in which quantitative and qualitative data are used together, has been used in this study. This study consists of 176 students from 3…

Children's Birthday Celebrations from the Lived Experiences of Low-Income Rural Mothers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jaerim; Katras, Mary Jo; Bauer, Jean W.

2009-01-01

This exploratory study investigates how low-income rural families celebrate children's birthdays, using interview data from 128 mothers residing in five states. Findings from a qualitative content analysis show that the mothers make special efforts to have birthday celebrations as other families do despite their financial constraints. Making the…

Developing Leadership for Life: Outcomes from a Collegiate Student-Alumni Mentoring Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Priest, Kerry L.; Donley, Sarah

2014-01-01

This application brief describes the exploratory assessment of a mentoring program between current students and alumni of a leadership studies minor program. We connect leadership education research and practice in two ways: first, we describe a process of qualitative program evaluation to inform program best practices and improvement. In doing…

An Exploratory Qualitative Inquiry of Key Indicators on IT Disaster Recovery Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Brian

2016-01-01

Disaster recovery planning is a crucial component to maintaining a business's economic stability. However, it is unclear how key performance indicators (KPIs) are perceived in the emergency medical service (EMS) industry during the disaster recover planning process. The problem addressed in this study was to understand KPIs and their components.…

Warrior Spirit: Soul Wound and Coping among American Indians in Law Enforcement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arndt, Leah M. Rouse; Davis, Amileah R.

2011-01-01

This qualitative, exploratory study examined the role vocation played for American Indian non-Tribal law enforcement officers in adaptively coping with historical trauma, or "Soul Wound." Participants' views of career in relationship to its perceived congruence with their Nations' warrior societies and how this vocation may facilitate or constrain…

Students' Reactions to Manual-Based Treatments for Substance Abuse: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simons, Lori; Jacobucci, Raymond; Houston, Hank

2006-01-01

A quasi-experimental research design with quantitative and qualitative methodologies was conducted to explore reactions of 21 students to treatment manuals for substance abuse. Students were randomized to experimental (n = 11) and attention-control (n = 10) groups involving exposure to one of two manual-based therapy interventions. Quantitative…

Religious and Nonreligious Spirituality in Relation to Death Acceptance or Rejection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cicirelli, Victor G.

2011-01-01

Meanings of religious and nonreligious spirituality are explored, with implications for death acceptance, death rejection, and life extension. In the first of two exploratory studies, 16 elders low on intrinsic religiosity were compared with 116 elders high in religiosity; they differed both in qualitative responses and on death attitudes. In the…

Information Literacy in the Workplace: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, John; Irving, Christine

2009-01-01

Although increasingly recognized as a future skills issue, the use of information in the workplace is a little studied area within library and information research. A substantial "pedagogic" literature of learning in the workplace exists, however, and this was critically reviewed to generate a repertoire of issues which could in turn be…

Political Power of New Mexico Public School Superintendents: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romero, Arsenio

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to identify how superintendents use political power, examine the characteristics used by superintendents to function politically, and to define the hidden knowledge of managing politically charged situations. Based on this informative literature and conducted research, I answered the following research questions: 1.…

Educational Experiences of Emancipated Foster Youth: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stunkard, Cynthia Joyce

2013-01-01

The data obtained in this qualitative study focused on the educational experiences of youth formerly in foster care after graduation from high school from the viewpoint of the youth. Data were gathered from interviews from 10 participants. Themes included: (a) How do youth emancipated from foster care perceive their educational experiences? (b)…

Michigan Youth Farm Stand Project: Facets of Participant Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera-Caudill, Jennifer; Brander, Ashley A.

2008-01-01

The purpose of the exploratory study was to understand what youth motivations in the Michigan Youth Farm Stand Project (YFSP) offered by the C.S Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University. The qualitative study included interviews and observations to explore the motivations of youth participants. An opportunity to earn…

13_2_30: Experiences, Perceptions and Expectations of Retail Employment for Generation Y

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broadbridge, Adelina M.; Maxwell, Gillian A.; Ogden, Susan M.

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine Generation Y, potential graduate entrants to UK retailing, in respect of their job experiences, career perceptions and initial employment expectations. Design/methodology/approach: Utilising qualitative research methods, an exploratory study was undertaken with 33 students (all of whom fell into the…

Dietary Identities in Higher Education: Attracting and Accommodating Vegetarian and Vegan Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parks, Rodney L.; Evans, Brett A.

2014-01-01

As adherents of vegetarianism and veganism form a dedicated minority within the United States and constitute comparatively greater proportions of the populations at U.S. colleges and universities, this qualitative study investigates the unique challenges these communities face in higher education. The exploratory study draws upon two sets of…

Employee, Mother, and Partner: An Exploratory Investigation of Working Women with Stay-at-Home Fathers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Marianne G.; Rochlen, Aaron B.; O'Brien, Karen M.

2013-01-01

Married couples consisting of female breadwinners and male primary caretakers are increasing in prevalence and visibility. However, little is known about the experiences of these families, particularly about salient challenges and dynamics related to this work-family arrangement. Through inductive qualitative analysis, the current study…

Understanding the Influence of Model Minority Stereotypes on Asian American Community College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assalone, Amanda E.; Fann, Amy

2017-01-01

Contrary to the model minority myth that portrays Asian Americans as academic all-stars overrepresented in elite 4-year institutions, nearly half of all Asian American college students do, in fact, attend community colleges, and many experience myriad challenges. This exploratory study utilized a qualitative analysis and investigated how model…

Promoting Children's Mental, Emotional and Social Health through Contact with Nature: A Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maller, Cecily Jane

2009-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to determine educators' perceptions about the benefits of contact with nature for children's mental, emotional and social health. Design/methodology/approach: The approach was exploratory using qualitative methods. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with school principals and teachers as well as professionals from the…

Making the Invisible Visible: Personas and Mental Models of Distance Education Library Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Cynthia; Contrino, Jacline

2016-01-01

Gaps between users' and designers' mental models of digital libraries often result in adverse user experiences. This article details an exploratory user research study at a large, predominantly online university serving non-traditional distance education students with the goal of understanding these gaps. Using qualitative data, librarians created…

Peer Bonds in Urban School Communities: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leach, Nicole

2018-01-01

The literature identifies three main types of peer associations: cliques, crowds, and dyadic friendships. When schools create learning communities, an additional type of peer association may emerge that is not based on interactions but instead is based on membership in a shared community. The aim of this study is to qualitatively explore the…

Role of Health Information Technology (HIT) in disability determinations: when medical records become medical evidence.

PubMed

Tulu, Bengisu; Daniels, Susan; Feldman, Sue; Horan, Thomas A

2008-11-06

This exploratory study investigated the impact of incomplete medical evidence on the SSA disability determination process and the role of HIT as a solution. We collected qualitative data from nineteen expert-interviews. Findings indicate that HIT can lead to innovative solutions that can significantly improve the determination process.

Perceptions of Childhood Obesity among Rural Parents, Teachers, and School Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tripp, Paula J.; Choi, Jin Young

2015-01-01

The purposes of this exploratory qualitative research were to describe perceptions related to childhood obesity of rural parents, teachers, and school administrators and to examine how their perceptions shape their choices and behaviors for children's eating and physical exercise. The results showed that the perceptions of childhood obesity in the…

Consumerization of Information Technology: An Exploratory Qualitative Inquiry of Michigan Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skallos, Maryly K.

2014-01-01

With funding cuts, reduced enrollments, and meeting a presidential initiative, Michigan community colleges need to find ways in which they can continue to provide quality education at an affordable price. Consumerization of information technology (IT) has been proposed to meet the technological needs of the community college. There is little…

An Analysis of Haitian Parents' Perceptions of Their Children with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregoire, Josee; Cramer, Elizabeth D.

2015-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study examines the perceptions of ten Haitian parents regarding their child with a disability, the education the child was receiving, their interaction with the school system, and how the disability has affected their relationship with their child and their involvement with the school. Data were obtained from…

Exploration to Identify Professional Dispositions of School Librarians: A Delphi Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Gail; Jones, Jami L.

2010-01-01

This article reports the findings of an exploratory study to identify professional dispositions of school librarians. The authors employed the Delphi method, a qualitative research method that emphasizes expert knowledge and consensus within a particular field. The Delphi panel consisted of members of the editorial boards of nationally recognized…

Factors Influencing the Quality of EHR Performance: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Harry B.

2016-01-01

A significant amount of evidence existed in support of the positive effect on the quality of healthcare that resulted from transitioning to electronic health information systems, equally compelling evidence suggests that the development process for electronic health information systems falls short of achieving its potential. The objective of this…

Professionals' Perspectives on Organizational Factors that Support or Hinder the Successful Implementation of Family-Centered Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Alexandra; Hiebert-Murphy, Diane; Trute, Barry

2010-01-01

This article presents findings from an exploratory, qualitative study whose objective was to identify professionals' perceptions of organizational factors that support or hinder the implementation of family-centered practice (FCP). Two disability services organizations in Manitoba, Canada, were selected as the research sites. In 2002, all staff…

Ubiquitous Yet Unique: Perspectives of People With Disabilities on Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iwasaki, Yoshitaka; Mactavish, Jennifer B.

2005-01-01

This exploratory study was grounded in a qualitative framework and used a focus group method to examine the meanings that individuals with disabilities (e.g., permanent mobility impairments, sensory impairments) attach to their experiences of stress, as well as major sources or causes of stress in these individuals' lives. Overall, the data showed…

An Exploratory Investigation of Study-Abroad Online Information Cues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teng, Shasha; Khong, Kok Wei

2015-01-01

Despite numerous studies on the factors involved in the decision-making process on study abroad, little attention has been paid to the initial stage when students process information. This qualitative study aims to map out the cues involved when Chinese students process study-abroad information from an information-processing perspective. Findings…

Border Pedagogy Cafes: Grassroots Conversations that Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Necochea, Juan; Cline, Zulmara

2008-01-01

This exploratory study uses qualitative methods to analyze the impact of conversations in the Border Pedagogy "Cafes" on more than 500 binational educators from the Tijuana/San Diego area on the U.S.-Mexico border. Four important themes emerged from the analysis that describe the impact of the cafes and offer a strong foundation on which…

Mothering as a Life Course Transition: Do Women Go Straight for Their Children?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michalsen, Venezia

2011-01-01

In this study, qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with 100 formerly incarcerated mothers to explore the relationship between attachment to children and desistance from criminal behavior. Exploratory data analysis revealed that mothers do believe that children play important roles in their desistance, consistent with the tenets of life…

Expertise: Myth or Reality of a Cross-National Definition?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Germain, Marie-Line; Ruiz, Carlos Enrique

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer a comparison of how human expertise is perceived by human resource development (HRD) scholars across several Western European countries and in the USA. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative, exploratory approach using electronic mail was used for this study. In total, 36 leading HRD scholars from…

Breakers, Benders, and Obeyers: Inquiring into Teacher Educators' Mediation of edTPA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratner, Andrew R.; Kolman, Joni S.

2016-01-01

This article reflects a qualitative exploratory inquiry into the lived experiences of faculty members working within a system of urban schools of education as they supported diverse teacher candidates in completing the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) during its first semesters of high-stakes implementation. Drawing upon…

Access and Opportunity for Latina/o Undocumented College Students: Familial and Institutional Support Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez, Patricia A.; Rodriguez, James L.

2011-01-01

This article focused on the educational experiences of Latina/o undocumented college students attending a public Hispanic-Serving Institution. Familial and institutional factors that promote educational opportunities are explored. A total of 15 semi-structured interviews serve as the data source for this exploratory, qualitative study. Interview…

Quantitative and Qualitative Processes of Change during Staff-Coaching Sessions: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Oorsouw, Wietske M. W. J.; Embregts, Petri J. C. M.; Bosman, Anna M. T.

2013-01-01

Staff training is one of the interventions that managers can embed in their organizations to help staff improve their professional competences related to challenging behaviour of clients with intellectual disabilities. Individual coaching adds learning opportunities that are feasible but difficult to achieve in an in-service setting. In the…

Computer Game Design: Opportunities for Successful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Judy; Howells, Cathrin

2008-01-01

Developing children as successful learners is a key aim of "A Curriculum for Excellence" in Scotland. This paper presents qualitative results from an eight week exploratory field study in which a class of ten year olds made their own computer games. The analysis focuses on the development of aspects of successful learning as identified…

Using Web 2.0 to Design Meaningful Language Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feng, Jiuguang; Wang, Wei

2012-01-01

This article reports on an exploratory study that examines how social networks can be used in foreign language teaching and learning. Qualitative data including interviews, online observations, and students' responses to open-ended survey questions was collected. The data suggests that there are both advantages and challenges associated with using…

Adolescent Girls' Perceptions of Physical Activity: A Focus Group Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehead, Sarah; Biddle, Stuart

2008-01-01

Low levels of physical activity among adolescent girls are a cause for concern. Examining girls' physical activity perceptions and motivations through in-depth qualitative research allows for greater understanding of the reasons behind their physical activity-related choices. Forty-seven girls aged 14 to 16 years participated in exploratory focus…

Resident Assistants as Rule Enforcers versus Friends: An Exploratory Study of Role Conflict

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everett, Diane D.; Loftus, Zachary V.

2011-01-01

Using data from both qualitative interviews and quantitative questionnaires from 32 undergraduate resident assistants (RAs) at a private, residential university, this study explored RAs' role conflict derived from their simultaneous positions as rule enforcers and friends, vis-a-vis their residents. Most RAs reported that they were friends with…

Exploring satisfaction among paddlers in two Adirondack canoeing areas

Treesearch

Becky J. Pfaffenbach; Harry C. Zinn; Chad P. Dawson

2003-01-01

An exploratory study examining the relationships between visitor satisfaction, perceived crowding, and expected crowding was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study sample consisted of non-motorized watercraft users in two adjacent popular canoe areas in New York State's Adirondack Forest Preserve: the Saint Regis Canoe Area (SRCA) and...

Motivating High School Latina/o English Learners to Engage in Reading: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Robert Andrew

2016-01-01

This qualitative dominant mixed-methods study explored reading motivation among high school English learners whose first language was Spanish. Latina/o English learners (N = 87) from four southeastern, suburban high schools took part. The study utilized survey data to test for significant differences across demographic sectors and to group…

"Tell Me What to Do" vs. "Guide Me through It": Feedback Experiences of International Doctoral Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ting; Li, Linda Y.

2011-01-01

Despite increasing attention to the challenges of supervising international doctoral students, little research has been conducted to examine supervisory feedback practice with international students and its impact on the thesis writing process. This exploratory qualitative study seeks to fill the gap and contribute to understanding the feedback…

The Rest of the Story: A Qualitative Study of Chinese and Indian Women's Graduate Education Migration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yakaboski, Tamara

2013-01-01

Previous migration discourse views educational migration through narrowly defined push-pull forces, which ignores overseas graduate education as a path for maneuvering through restrictive gendered and cultural experiences. The purpose of this exploratory research is to expand migration research and view women's migration decisions as employing…

Exploring Career Agency during Self-Initiated Repatriation: A Study of Chinese Sea Turtles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guo, Chun; Porschitz, Emily T.; Alves, Jose

2013-01-01

Purpose: Drawing on career and self-initiated expatriation/repatriation literatures, this paper aims to examine the career experiences of Chinese self-initiated repatriates after their return to China. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted an exploratory, qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 20 Chinese individuals who…

What's He Talking about? The Communicative Alignment between a Teacher's Intentions and Students' Understandings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knewstubb, Bernadette; Bond, Carol

2009-01-01

Despite considerable research on teaching and learning in higher education, the relationship between university teachers' and students' understandings of the same teaching-learning events has not been a focus. This exploratory qualitative study used individual interviews to investigate the role of conceptions of teaching, learning and knowledge in…

Secondary School Teachers' Experiences of Teaching Pregnant Learners in Limpopo Province, South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matlala, Sogo F.; Nolte, A. G. W.; Temane, M. A.

2014-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a study on the experiences of secondary school teachers on teaching pregnant learners in Limpopo Province. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten purposively selected secondary school teachers. Data analysis yielded six themes,…

A Picture Is Worth... Capturing Meaning and Facilitating Connections: Using Outdoor Education Students' Photographs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loeffler, T. A.

2004-01-01

The study examined the meaning of outdoor education experiences and the role photography plays in assisting students to make connections from their outdoor experiences to their everyday lives. Specifically, this exploratory qualitative study utilized photo-elicitation interviews to investigate the inner significance of structured university-based…

Computational Algorithmization: Limitations in Problem Solving Skills in Computational Sciences Majors at University of Oriente

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castillo, Antonio S.; Berenguer, Isabel A.; Sánchez, Alexander G.; Álvarez, Tomás R. R.

2017-01-01

This paper analyzes the results of a diagnostic study carried out with second year students of the computational sciences majors at University of Oriente, Cuba, to determine the limitations that they present in computational algorithmization. An exploratory research was developed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The results allowed…

Principals' Views on Teachers' Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nabhani, Mona; Nicolas, Maureen O'Day; Bahous, Rima

2014-01-01

This article is an account of a study that aimed to elicit the perceptions of school principals and middle managers in Lebanon on teachers' professional development (PD) and to promote an understanding of PD that extends beyond workshops. The study was qualitative and exploratory and used online interviewing to collect data. Questions were emailed…

Accounting Community of Practice Pedagogy: A Course Management Invention for Developing Personal Competencies in Accounting Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephenson, Sandria S.

2017-01-01

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory qualitative study using the implementation of Wenger's [(1998). "Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity." Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press; Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. "Organization," 7(2), 225-246] Theory of…

Validation of a Tool to Assess and Track Undergraduate Attitudes toward Those Living in Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blair, Kevin D.; Brown, Marlo; Schoepflin, Todd; Taylor, David B.

2014-01-01

Purpose: This article describes the development and validation of the Undergraduate Perceptions of Poverty Tracking Survey (UPPTS). Method: Data were collected from 301 undergraduates at a small university in the Northeast and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis augmented by random qualitative validation. Results: The resulting survey…

The Impact of White Teachers on the Academic Achievement of Black Students: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Bruce; Lewis, Chance W.; Douglas, Adrian; Scott, Malcolm Earl; Garrison-Wade, Dorothy

2008-01-01

In today's school systems, students of color, particularly in urban settings, represent the majority student populations (Lewis, Hancock, James, & Larke, in press). Interestingly, the educators--teachers and administrators--that comprise these settings are predominately White, and, in turn, the students of color commonly face pressures that…

Principals' Sensemaking of Coaching for Ambitious Reading Instruction in a High-Stakes Accountability Policy Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsummura, Lindsay Clare; Wang, Elaine

2014-01-01

In the present exploratory qualitative study we examine the contextual factors that influenced the implementation of a multi-year comprehensive literacy-coaching program (Content-Focused Coaching, CFC). We argue that principals' sensemaking of the dialogic instructional strategies promoted by the program in light of high-stakes accountability…

Exploring Adolescent-Parent Interaction Strategies for Accessing Alcohol at Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dresler, Emma; Whitehead, Dean; Weaver, Kelly

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which youth have ready access to alcohol and the extent to which immediate family influence affects consumption. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative descriptive exploratory study undertook semi-structured peer-group interviews with 20 participants from four New Zealand high…

An Alternative Theoretical Model: Examining Psychosocial Identity Development of International Students in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Eunyoung

2012-01-01

Despite the plethora of college student identity development research, very little attention has been paid to the identity formation of international students. Rather than adopting existing identity theories in college student development, this exploratory qualitative study proposes a new psychosocial identity development model for international…

Young Adult Couples Transitioning to Work: The Intersection of Career and Relationship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Domene, Jose F.; Nee, Jessica J.; Cavanaugh, Ashley K.; McLelland, Serita; Stewart, Becky; Stephenson, Michelle; Kauffman, Bradley; Tse, Christopher K.; Young, Richard A.

2012-01-01

Contextual action theory was used to frame an exploratory qualitative study of young adult couples' experiences of transitioning from post-secondary education into the labor force, addressing the specific research question ''What kinds of projects for future work and life together do young adult couples jointly construct and pursue as they…

An Exploratory Study of Best Lean Sustainability Practices in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Comm, Clare L.; Mathaisel, Dennis F. X.

2005-01-01

Purpose: Because of the ever-expanding commercialization and marketing of higher education, a need now exists to apply the concepts of business process improvement to colleges and universities. Aims to explore this issue. Design/methodology/approach: An open-ended qualitative questionnaire was developed, administered to 18 public and private…

Teacher, Parent and Student Perceptions of the Motives of Cyberbullies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Compton, Louise; Campbell, Marilyn A.; Mergler, Amanda

2014-01-01

Understanding the motivation of students who cyberbully is important for both prevention and intervention efforts for this insidious form of bullying. This qualitative exploratory study used focus groups to examine the views of teachers, parents and students as to the motivation of students who cyberbully and who bully in other traditional forms.…

Securing Location Services Infrastructures: Practical Criteria for Application Developers and Solutions Architects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karamanian, Andre

2013-01-01

This qualitative, exploratory, normative study examined the security and privacy of location based services in mobile applications. This study explored risk, and controls to implement privacy and security. This study was addressed using components of the FIPS Risk Management Framework. This study found that risk to location information was…

Barriers to Implementing Evidence-Based Intrapartum Care: A Descriptive Exploratory Qualitative Study.

PubMed

Iravani, Mina; Janghorbani, Mohsen; Zarean, Ellahe; Bahrami, Masod

2016-02-01

Evidence based practice is an effective strategy to improve the quality of obstetric care. Identification of barriers to adaptation of evidence-based intrapartum care is necessary and crucial to deliver high quality care to parturient women. The current study aimed to explore barriers to adaptation of evidence-based intrapartum care from the perspective of clinical groups that provide obstetric care in Iran. This descriptive exploratory qualitative research was conducted from 2013 to 2014 in fourteen state medical training centers in Iran. Participants were selected from midwives, specialists, and residents of obstetrics and gynecology, with a purposive sample and snowball method. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed according to conventional content analysis. Data analysis identified twenty subcategories and four main categories. Main categories included barriers were related to laboring women, persons providing care, the organization environment and health system. The adoption of evidence based intrapartum care is a complex process. In this regard, identifying potential barriers is the first step to determine and apply effective strategies to encourage the compliance evidence based obstetric care and improves maternity care quality.

Through seniors' eyes: an exploratory qualitative study to identify environmental barriers to and facilitators of walking.

PubMed

Lockett, Donna; Willis, Alette; Edwards, Nancy

2005-09-01

This qualitative exploratory study examined environmental factors influencing the walking choices of elderly people using the photovoice approach. A total of 13 seniors in Ottawa, Canada, took photographs of barriers to and facilitators of walking in their neighbourhoods. These photos were displayed during 3 focus-group sessions and served as touchstones for discussion. A total of 22 seniors, including 8 of the 13 photographers, participated in the focus-group sessions. The findings show that environmental hazards related to traffic and falls risks can be significant barriers to walking for seniors, and that connectivity can truly exist for the elderly only if convenience, hazard-free routes are available. They also indicate that simple amenities such as benches and washrooms might facilitate walking for seniors. A neighbourhood that is activity-friendly for seniors will also be a good place for everyone else to live, work, and play. The use of photovoice as a method was well received by the participants and provided rich information that may not have been captured through other means.

Factors associated with sustainability of 2 quality improvement programs after achieving early implementation success. A qualitative case study.

PubMed

Ament, Stephanie M C; Gillissen, Freek; Moser, Albine; Maessen, José M C; Dirksen, Carmen D; von Meyenfeldt, Maarten F; van der Weijden, Trudy

2017-12-01

Sustainability of innovations is a relatively new concept in health care research and has become an issue of growing interest. The current study explored factors related to the sustainability of 2 multidisciplinary hospital-based programs 3 to 6 years after achieving early implementation success. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted into 2 implementation cases, an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program for colorectal surgery and a short-stay program for breast cancer surgery. Semistructured interviews were held with key persons involved in the care process in 14 hospitals from both cases minimally 3 years after the implementation, between March 2012 and May 2013. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to direct the development of the interview guide, during data collection and during analysis. A directed content analysis was performed. A total of 21 interviews with 26 individuals were held, 18 regarding the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery case and 8 regarding the short-stay program case. Respondents mentioned the following factors associated with sustainability of the programs: modification and adaptability of the program, cost-effectiveness, institutionalization into existing systems, short communication lines within the multidisciplinary team, an innovative culture, benefits for patients, cosmopolitanism, the existence of external policies and incentives, trust and belief in the program, and spread of the program to other settings. Two factors are not covered by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, ie, modification of the program over the years and spread of the program to other contexts. The factors associated with sustainability put forward in both cases were largely the same. Leadership and the implementation project were not mentioned as having influenced the long-term sustainability of the benefits achieved. Sustainability of the innovations is influenced by determinants stemming from all ecological levels of the health care system and demands continuous effort in the postimplementation phase. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Polish Teachers' Conceptions of and Approaches to the Teaching of Linear Equations to Grade Six Students: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marschall, Gosia; Andrews, Paul

2015-01-01

In this article we present an exploratory case study of six Polish teachers' perspectives on the teaching of linear equations to grade six students. Data, which derived from semi-structured interviews, were analysed against an extant framework and yielded a number of commonly held beliefs about what teachers aimed to achieve and how they would…

Realist explanatory theory building method for social epidemiology: a protocol for a mixed method multilevel study of neighbourhood context and postnatal depression.

PubMed

Eastwood, John G; Jalaludin, Bin B; Kemp, Lynn A

2014-01-01

A recent criticism of social epidemiological studies, and multi-level studies in particular has been a paucity of theory. We will present here the protocol for a study that aims to build a theory of the social epidemiology of maternal depression. We use a critical realist approach which is trans-disciplinary, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative traditions, and that assumes both ontological and hierarchical stratification of reality. We describe a critical realist Explanatory Theory Building Method comprising of an: 1) emergent phase, 2) construction phase, and 3) confirmatory phase. A concurrent triangulated mixed method multilevel cross-sectional study design is described. The Emergent Phase uses: interviews, focus groups, exploratory data analysis, exploratory factor analysis, regression, and multilevel Bayesian spatial data analysis to detect and describe phenomena. Abductive and retroductive reasoning will be applied to: categorical principal component analysis, exploratory factor analysis, regression, coding of concepts and categories, constant comparative analysis, drawing of conceptual networks, and situational analysis to generate theoretical concepts. The Theory Construction Phase will include: 1) defining stratified levels; 2) analytic resolution; 3) abductive reasoning; 4) comparative analysis (triangulation); 5) retroduction; 6) postulate and proposition development; 7) comparison and assessment of theories; and 8) conceptual frameworks and model development. The strength of the critical realist methodology described is the extent to which this paradigm is able to support the epistemological, ontological, axiological, methodological and rhetorical positions of both quantitative and qualitative research in the field of social epidemiology. The extensive multilevel Bayesian studies, intensive qualitative studies, latent variable theory, abductive triangulation, and Inference to Best Explanation provide a strong foundation for Theory Construction. The study will contribute to defining the role that realism and mixed methods can play in explaining the social determinants and developmental origins of health and disease.

Developing and implementing a service charter for an integrated regional stroke service: an exploratory case study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Based on practices in commercial organizations and public services, healthcare organizations are using service charters to inform patients about the quality of service they can expect and to increase patient-centeredness. In the Netherlands, an integrated regional stroke service involving five organizations has developed and implemented a single service charter. The purpose of this study is to determine the organizational enablers for the effective development and implementation of this service charter. Methods We have conducted an exploratory qualitative study using Grounded Theory to determine the organizational enablers of charter development and implementation. Individual semi-structured interviews were held with all members of the steering committee and the taskforce responsible for the service charter. In these twelve interviews, participants were retrospectively asked for their opinions of the enablers. Interview transcripts have been analysed using Glaser’s approach of substantive coding consisting of open and selective coding in order to develop a framework of these enablers. A tabula rasa approach was used without any preconceived frameworks used in the coding process. Results We have determined seven categories of enablers formed of a total of 27 properties. The categories address a broad spectrum of enablers dealing with the basic foundations for cooperation, the way to manage the project’s organization and the way to implement the service charter. In addition to the enablers within each individual organization, enablers that reflect the whole chain seem to be important for the effective development and implementation of this service charter. Strategic alignment of goals within the chain, trust between organizations, willingness to cooperate and the extent of process integration are all important properties. Conclusions This first exploratory study into the enablers of the effective development and implementation was based on a single case study in the Netherlands. This is the only integrated care chain using a single service charter that we could find. Nevertheless, the results of our explorative study provide an initial framework for the development and implementation of service charters in integrated care settings. This research contributes to the literature on service charters, on patient-centeredness in integrated care and on the implementation of innovations. PMID:24678839

Antibiotics for coughing in general practice: a qualitative decision analysis.

PubMed

Coenen, S; Van Royen, P; Vermeire, E; Hermann, I; Denekens, J

2000-10-01

In family practice, medical decisions are prompted most often by complaints about coughing. There is no single yardstick for the differential diagnosis of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). In 80% of cases, the excessive use of antibiotics in the treatment of RTIs is caused by the prescription behaviour of GPs. Our aim was to explicate GPs' diagnostic (and therapeutic) decisions regarding adult patients who consult them with complaints about coughing, and to investigate what determines decision making. Exploratory, descriptive focus groups were held with GPs. Hypotheses were generated on the basis of 'qualitative content analysis'. Results. Twenty-four GPs participated in four semi-structured group discussions. In order to differentiate RTIs from other possible diagnoses, less likely diagnoses were not ruled out explicitly. In the case of suspected RTI, there was a low degree of certainty in the differentiation between RTIs (e.g. between bronchitis and pneumonia). Clinical signs and symptoms, which determine the probability of disease, often left GPs with reasonable diagnostic doubt. In the end, the decision whether or not to prescribe antibiotics was taken. GPs' prescription behaviour was also determined by doctor- and patient-related factors (e.g. having missed pneumonia once, patient expectations). The 'chagrin factor' explains why these factors lead to a shift in the action threshold, in favour of antibiotics. This inductive research method enabled the generation of meaningful hypotheses regarding the complex decision processes pursued by GPs. The authors are developing an educational intervention that builds on these findings, focusing on the prescribing decision.

Exploratory of society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cederman, L.-E.; Conte, R.; Helbing, D.; Nowak, A.; Schweitzer, F.; Vespignani, A.

2012-11-01

A huge flow of quantitative social, demographic and behavioral data is becoming available that traces the activities and interactions of individuals, social patterns, transportation infrastructures and travel fluxes. This has caused, together with innovative computational techniques and methods for modeling social actions in hybrid (natural and artificial) societies, a qualitative change in the ways we model socio-technical systems. For the first time, society can be studied in a comprehensive fashion that addresses social and behavioral complexity. In other words we are in the position to envision the development of large data and computational cyber infrastructure defining an exploratory of society that provides quantitative anticipatory, explanatory and scenario analysis capabilities ranging from emerging infectious disease to conflict and crime surges. The goal of the exploratory of society is to provide the basic infrastructure embedding the framework of tools and knowledge needed for the design of forecast/anticipatory/crisis management approaches to socio technical systems, supporting future decision making procedures by accelerating the scientific cycle that goes from data generation to predictions.

Correctional services and prison chaplaincy in Australia: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Carey, Lindsay B; Del Medico, Laura

2014-12-01

This paper summarizes an exploratory study undertaken to consider the work of Australian chaplaincy personnel ministering to prisoners within correctional facilities. This qualitative research was not concerned with specific correctional institutions per se, but predominantly about the perspectives of chaplains concerning their professional contribution and issues they experienced while trying to provide pastoral care to prisoners. Data from a single-focus group indicated that prison chaplains were striving to fulfill religious and spiritual duties according to national and international standards for the treatment of prisoners. Given various frustrations identified by participants, that either impeded or thwarted their professional role as chaplains, a number of improvements were subsequently identified in order to develop the efficiency and effectiveness of chaplaincy and thus maximize the benefits of pastoral care to prisoners. Implications of this exploratory study relate not only to prison chaplaincy but also to ecclesiastical organizations, correctional facilities, governments and the need of support for further research to be conducted.

Design Considerations of Help Options in Computer-Based L2 Listening Materials Informed by Participatory Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cárdenas-Claros, Mónica Stella

2015-01-01

This paper reports on the findings of two qualitative exploratory studies that sought to investigate design features of help options in computer-based L2 listening materials. Informed by principles of participatory design, language learners, software designers, language teachers, and a computer programmer worked collaboratively in a series of…

Towards the Characterization of Academic Language in Upper Elementary Science Classrooms. CSE Report 621

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Alison, L.; Butler, Frances A.; LaFramenta, Charmien; Ong, Christine

2004-01-01

This report details an exploratory study that employs qualitative methods to characterize the academic language used by teachers and students in 4th and 5th grade mainstream science classrooms. Teacher oral language, and to some degree student talk, was observed during content instruction. This type of data allows for a broad descriptive…

Technology, Identity, and Community: The Role of Electronic Teaching Portfolios in Becoming a Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trent, John; Shroff, Ronnie H.

2013-01-01

This article reports on an exploratory qualitative investigation of an initiative to use an electronic teaching portfolio at a teacher education institution in Hong Kong. Using in-depth interviews, this initiative is examined from the perspective of preservice teachers themselves. Interviews sought to gain an understanding of how the construction…

Acquisition of a Touching Style in Dentistry: An Exploratory Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schifter, Catherine C.; Bogert, Meredith; Boston, Daniel

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of dental students, faculty, and graduate students on the development of a sense of touch in dental practice. Eight focus groups were held: four were comprised of third-year dental students (n=22), two of advanced, general dentistry postgraduate students (n=11), and two of dental faculty (n=8). Each…

Contextual Approach to the Development of an Indonesian Syntax Textbook in Higher Education in Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wahyuni, Tutik; Suwandi, Sarwiji; Slamet, St. Y.; Andayani

2018-01-01

The objective of this present research is to develop an Indonesian Syntax textbook. At the exploratory stage, a descriptive-qualitative approach was adopted. The data were collected using a documentary study, observations, and questionnaires and analyzed through a contextual model. The model was experimentally tested. At this stage, some main…

Couple Reports of the Perceived Influences of a College Human Sexuality Course: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henry, Dayna S.

2013-01-01

Research on the effects of college sexuality education has been largely quantitative in nature and has focused on changes in individual attitudes, behaviours and knowledge. This study sought to explore, qualitatively, the influences of enrolment in a human sexuality course on relationships. Eight couples from an undergraduate human sexuality…

Novice, Urban, High School, Special Education Teachers' Reports Regarding Initiating Instructional Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maule, Jay

2017-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory research study was to investigate novice, urban, high school, special education teachers' reports of how they initiate instructional change in an inclusive environment and the instructional change situations they feel ill-equipped to address. This qualitative study was designed to fill a gap in the literature by…

Digital Storytelling in ESL Instruction: Identity Negotiation through a Pedagogy of Multiliteracies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vinogradova, Polina

2011-01-01

This qualitative descriptive exploratory study investigated how a pedagogy of multiliteracies can be introduced to the ESL curriculum using digital stories and explored the ways ESL learners negotiate their identities through the multimodality of this narrative genre. The study was based on the premise that in language education it is crucial to…

Adolescents' Precocious and Developmentally Appropriate Contributions to Their Families' Well-Being and Resilience in Five Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ungar, Michael; Theron, Linda; Didkowsky, Nora

2011-01-01

An exploratory qualitative study of 16 disadvantaged youth in 5 countries suggests that making both precocious and developmentally appropriate contributions to their families' well-being is advantageous to adolescents coping with chronic adversity. All youth were known to be doing well (as identified by community advisors) and showed patterns of…

Negotiating Learning and Teaching in a Music Technology Lab: Curricular, Pedagogical, and Ecological Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruthmann, Stephen Alexander

2006-01-01

This study investigated the lived experiences of a group of students and their teacher as they negotiated learning and teaching during a sixth-grade exploratory music technology course taught in a music technology lab. Taking a qualitative and naturalistic approach, I sought to understand the challenges, issues, and successes experienced by the…

Chinese Adolescents' Attitudes toward Sexual Relationships and Premarital Sex: Implications for Promoting Sexual Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Yu-Ting; Hayter, Mark; Lin, Mei-Ling

2014-01-01

This study was designed to explore Taiwanese school students' attitudes toward sexual relationships and premarital sex. This was an exploratory descriptive, qualitative study. Focus groups (N = 8) were conducted with 47 adolescents from three high schools in Taiwan. Transcripts were transcribed and thematically analyzed using Atlas V 5.0.…

Barriers to Implementation of Workplace Wellness Programs in Career Fire Service Organizations: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, Jillian

2017-01-01

Firefighter wellness has become a concern across the country, in large part because a combination of poor fitness levels, excess weight, and a high-intensity work environment contributes to chronic illness as well as line-of-duty deaths. Workplace wellness programs are effective in career fire service organizations, but nationwide implementation…

An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Ethical Beliefs among Early Childhood Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

French-Lee, Stacey; Dooley, Caitlin McMunn

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to learn how early childhood educators make ethical decisions. The study also explores how these educators might learn to base their ethical decisions on a professionally accepted ethical code through a participatory professional development process. The professional code of ethics used in this study is the National…

A Bridging Approach to Boost Doctoral Enrollment in a HBCU: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birore, Charles M. S.; Wu, Liyun

2017-01-01

A declining enrollment in doctoral social work programs not only affects the sustainability of the programs, but also impacts the knowledge-based economy in the long run. The shortage of doctoral-prepared faculty, interwoven with the current national shortage of social workers, will limit effective service delivery, and generation of knowledge…

Death Education and Attitudes of Counselors-in-Training toward Death: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrawood, Laura K.; Doughty, Elizabeth A.; Wilde, Brandon

2011-01-01

This study reviewed how attitudes of counselors-in-training toward death develop after completing a course on death education. Participants included 11 graduate counseling students enrolled in a 2-credit-hour course addressing death and dying, and grief and loss. Qualitative results from a content analysis of free-response narratives suggest the…

Using Fun in the Statistics Classroom: An Exploratory Study of College Instructors' Hesitations and Motivations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesser, Lawrence M.; Wall, Amitra A.; Carver, Robert H.; Pearl, Dennis K.; Martin, Nadia; Kuiper, Shonda; Posner, Michael A.; Erickson, Patricia; Liao, Shu-Min; Albert, Jim; Weber, John J., III

2013-01-01

This study examines statistics instructors' use of fun as well as their motivations, hesitations, and awareness of resources. In 2011, a survey was administered to attendees at a national statistics education conference, and follow-up qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 of those ("N" = 249) surveyed to provide further…

Exploring the Intellectual, Social and Organizational Capitals at LA's Best. CSE Technical Report 714

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Denise; Miyoshi, Judy; La Torre, Deborah; Marshall, Anne; Perez, Patricia; Peterson, Cynthia

2007-01-01

This exploratory study sets out to investigate how LA's BEST, a non-profit after school organization providing services for at-risk students, leverages the organizational, social, and intellectual capitals to enhance student engagement. Six LA's BEST sites were selected to participate in this qualitative study. A grounded theory approach was…

Preliminary Study on the Role of Social Presence in Blended Learning Environment in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jusoff, Kamaruzaman; Khodabandelou, Rouhollah

2009-01-01

This paper contributes to the growing body of knowledge which identifies benefits for Blended Learning in the understanding of social processes role. It reports on an exploratory study into the role of social presence in blended learning environment. Employing a qualitative methodology, the study sought to understand social presence of learners in…

Limited Intervention at Sub Concept of Fractions in the Object Conversion into Fractions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurniawan, Henry; Nusantara, Toto; Subanji; Susiswo; Setiawan, Iwan; Sutawidjaja, Akbar; As'ari, Abdur Rahman; Muksar, Makbul

2016-01-01

This research is an exploratory study with a qualitative approach, which is based on interviews with a task-based the purpose of this study is to describe the understanding of elementary school students in interpreting sub concept fractions in changing of the object is given to fractions with limit intervention. While intervention on problems…

An Exploratory Study of Nonparticipation by Older Adults in Organized Educational Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pevoto, Allan E.

A qualitative study of adults aged 65-74 investigated why few of them participated in organized educational activities. Interviews were conducted with 33 individuals at seven senior citizen centers in or near Houston, Texas. They included eight Caucasian females, six Black females, nine Hispanic females, one Oriental female, five Hispanic males,…

Perspectives of Teachers and Parents of Chinese American Students with Disabilities about Their Home-School Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Szu-Yin

2014-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study aimed to examine the perspectives of teachers and parents of Chinese American students with disabilities regarding home-school communication in the special education field. The author recruited 2 parents and 2 teachers for this study. Different sources of data including observations, interviews, documentations,…

An Exploratory Comparison of Traditional Classroom Instruction and Anchored Instruction with Secondary School Students: Turkish Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elcin, Melih; Sezer, Baris

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of anchored instruction on the students in secondary school math studies classrooms. This study adopted a quasi-experimental design. This research involved both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the effects of anchored instruction on students' academical achievement,…

Vocational Teaching-Learning through the Eyes of Undergraduate Vocational Students in Malta: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Said, Alison

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of the teaching qualities of effective lecturers that vocational students desire, students assessment preferences and preferred learning environments. This study gives a voice to higher vocational students as it is important for vocational educators to learn what attracts students to…

Learning from Rising Sixth Grade Readers: How Nooks Shaped Students' Reading Behaviors during a Summer Independent Reading Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Chrystine Cooper

2016-01-01

Researchers have documented a "summer reading setback" where an achievement gap between proficient and struggling readers expands during the summer. This research focuses on 20 rising sixth graders who participated in a summer independent reading initiative using Nook digital readers. Using a qualitative exploratory design and content…

Women Superintendents Who Leave: Stress and Health Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Kerry K.; Shakeshaft, Charol

2015-01-01

Previous research on stress in the workplace has demonstrated that it can have not only a current, but lasting effect on a worker's health. The superintendency is a stressful job due to all of the competing demands of running a school system, no matter the size. This exploratory study reexamined qualitative interview transcripts from Robinson's…

Made in America? Assumptions about Service Learning Pedagogy as Transnational: A Comparison between Ireland and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iverson, Susan V.; Espenschied-Reilly, Amanda

2010-01-01

Using exploratory, qualitative interviews, the authors studied conceptions of academic service-learning in the United States and the Republic of Ireland in order to elucidate the ways in which culture and social context shaped practitioners' perceptions and practices regarding service-learning pedagogy. Participants articulated a shared…

Visions of Vision: An Exploratory Study of the Role College and University Presidents Play in Developing Institutional Vision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWade, Jessica C.

2014-01-01

This qualitative research explores how college and university presidents engage in the process of developing formal institutional vision. The inquiry identifies roles presidents play in vision development, which is often undertaken as part of strategic-planning initiatives. Two constructs of leadership and institutional vision are used to examine…

A Full-Time Dilemma: Examining the Experiences of Part-Time Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimmel, Krista M.; Fairchild, Jennifer L.

2017-01-01

Part-time faculty now account for more than half of all faculty in American colleges and universities. Existing scholarship primarily has focused on the teaching effectiveness of part-time faculty. In this exploratory study, the authors employ a qualitative approach to examine the perspectives of part-time faculty members at a public, regional…

Brief Classroom Training Sessions for Workplace Readiness: Are They Effective?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palesy, Debra

2017-01-01

Classroom training sessions for new home care workers (HCWs) are often brief and ad hoc, varying in format and content. Yet the application of this training may be central to worker and client safety. A qualitative approach was adopted for this inquiry, comprising two separate but related practical studies. In the first, exploratory study,…

The Implications of Sex Tourism on Men's Social, Psychological, and Physical Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bender, Kimberly; Furman, Rich

2004-01-01

This article explores sex tourism and possible concerns for the male sex tourist through a content analysis of sex tourism web sites. This qualitative, exploratory study describes the manner in which sex tour web sites attract and maintain male customers. Findings related to mens psychosocial health are placed within an international context.…

"It's that Knowing that You Are Not Alone": The Role of Spirituality in Adolescent Resilience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raftopoulos, Mary; Bates, Glen

2011-01-01

This study was an exploratory qualitative investigation into the role of spirituality in adolescent resilience. Using grounded theory techniques, data were gathered from one-on-one in-depth interviews with 15 adolescents about the role of spirituality in their lives. The focal areas examined were: adolescents' understanding of spirituality and…

Framing Prospective Elementary Teachers' Conceptions of Dissolving as a Ladder of Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subramaniam, Karthigeyan; Esprivalo Harrell, Pamela

2013-01-01

The paper details an exploratory qualitative study that investigated 61 prospective teachers' conceptual understanding of dissolving salt and sugar in water respectively. The study was set within a 15-week elementary science methods course that included a 5E learning cycle lesson on dissolving, the instructional context. Oversby's…

Learning to Become a Machine Operator: The Dialogical Relationship between Context, Self, and Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brockman, Julie L.; Dirkx, John M.

2006-01-01

As work organizations restructure to remain competitive, problem solving is being pushed down to frontline workers, and emphasis is increasingly placed on workplace learning. In this exploratory, qualitative study, we focus on workers' experiences of problems within the context of their work and how these contexts foster their learning and…

Student-Athlete Perceptions of a Summer Pre-Enrollment Experience at an NCAA Division I-AAA Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalgety, Michael Franklin

2012-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to examine student-athlete perceptions of the role of summer pre-enrollment in their adjustment and transition to college. The study focused on student-athletes who received athletically-related financial aid at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-AAA institution. The…

User and System-Based Quality Criteria for Evaluating Information Resources and Services Available from Federal Websites: Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyman, Steven K.; And Others

This exploratory study establishes analytical tools (based on both technical criteria and user feedback) by which federal Web site administrators may assess the quality of their websites. The study combined qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques to achieve the following objectives: (1) identify and define key issues regarding…

Undergraduate Arab International Students' Adjustment to U.S. Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu Rabia, Hazza M.

2017-01-01

The adjustment process and issues of 16 Arab international students enrolled at two universities in the Northeast of the United States were examined through this qualitative, exploratory study. The participants were from Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and United Arab Emirates and had been in the US for 2 to 5 years. In-depth…

Social Representations of Cybersecurity by University Students and Implications for Instructional Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawlowski, Suzanne D.; Jung, Yoonhyuk

2015-01-01

Cybersecurity has become an essential topic in introductory information systems (IS) core courses. As an aid to course design, the exploratory research in this paper uses a social representations lens to elucidate the perceptions of cybersecurity and cybersecurity threats held by students. Analysis of qualitative survey data from 152 students at a…

AB 540: Tuition Waiver Policy in California: How Student Services Professionals Influence College Access for Undocumented Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Lynn J.

2018-01-01

This was an exploratory qualitative study utilizing tenets of phenomenology to examine the lived experiences of front-line student services professionals in Admissions and Financial Aid and their dilemmas in interpreting and implementing California Assembly Bill 540 (2001) in their interactions with undocumented students. Front-line student…

An Exploratory Study of a Story Problem Assessment: Understanding Children's Number Sense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shumway, Jessica F.; Westenskow, Arla; Moyer-Packenham, Patricia S.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe students' use of number sense as they solved story problem tasks. Three 8- and 9-year-old students participated in clinical interviews. Through a process of holistic and qualitative coding, researchers used the number sense view as a theoretical framework for exploring how students' number…

Strategies for Supporting Orphans and Vulnerable Children: An Exploratory Study of an Exemplary Model of Care in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mears, Melynda; Singletary, Jon; Rogers, Rob

2011-01-01

This qualitative study explored the extent to which programs in a religiously affiliated agency in Kenya incorporate 12 internationally sanctioned strategies for supporting orphans and vulnerable children in Sub-Saharan Africa (Olson, Knight, & Foster, 2006). The results indicated that all 12 strategies were being employed, though to varying…

When Care Trumps Justice: The Operationalization of Black Feminist Caring in Educational Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bass, Lisa

2012-01-01

In this study, I discuss the benefits of Black feminist caring (BFC) in educational leadership. I suggest that the ethic of care in educational leadership is a manifestation of strength when serving disadvantaged student populations. This article is based on a qualitative, exploratory, multicase study that examines the ethic of care in the…

75 FR 1770 - An Approach to Using Toxicogenomic Data in U.S. EPA Human Health Risk Assessments: A Dibutyl...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-13

... qualitative aspects of the risk assessment because of the type of genomic data available for DBP. It is... Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD). Toxicogenomics is the application of... exploratory methods for analyzing genomic data for application to risk assessment and some preliminary results...

Sense of place: Mount Desert Island residents and Acadia National Park

Treesearch

Nicole L. Ballinger; Robert E. Manning

1998-01-01

The framework of sense of place, developed by humanistic geographers, has been employed by researchers in their efforts to explain the range of attachments, values, and meanings assigned to natural areas. This study used an exploratory approach to address the range of values and meanings assigned by local residents to places in Acadia National Park. Qualitative...

Students' Perspectives on Term-Time Employment: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robotham, David

2013-01-01

The number of full-time students engaging in part-time employment during their studies at university continues to rise, both in the UK and in other countries. The majority of previous studies in this area have adopted a quantitative research design, using a survey. Findings from such studies have tended to focus on demonstrating what students are…

Homeschooling Parent/Teachers' Perceptions on Educating Struggling High School Students and their College Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCullough, Brenda Tracy

2013-01-01

A general problem is that testing a homeschooled child for learning disabilities (LD) is not required in the state of Texas and therefore dependent on the homeschooling parent's recognition and desire to test. A qualitative exploratory method was used to determine the perceptions of parent/teachers on their struggling high school students'…

How Do the Faculty Members Go for Trolls? A View from an Emerging Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuzu Demir, Elif Bugra; Mercimek, Baris; Dulkadir Yaman, Nihal; Odabasi, H. Ferhan

2017-01-01

This paper focuses on the findings of an exploratory, qualitative phenomenological study and investigates opinions and evaluations of faculty members about trolls encountered in social media and mass medium. The research was carried out in Anadolu University in Turkey. A total of 18 faculty members from 9 faculties in 12 different departments…

What EFL Student Teachers Think about Their Professional Preparation: Evaluation of an English Language Teacher Education Programme in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez Agudo, Juan de Dios

2017-01-01

Given the importance of programme evaluation in the EFL teacher education, this research paper of exploratory-interpretive nature mainly focuses on both strengths and weaknesses identified through the analysis and/or critical evaluation of an EFL teacher education programme carried out in Spain. Both quantitative and qualitative research…

An Exploratory Study of the Professional Beliefs and Practice Choices of Novice Occupational Therapy Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amini, Deborah Ann

2010-01-01

The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to explore how novice occupational therapy assistants begin to understand their profession, form practice beliefs, and subsequently select and initiate certain treatment methods and approaches with clients. The primary source of data for this study was obtained via semi-structured…

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Student Outcomes in Vietnam: Graduate Student Insights from a Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ly, Chau Thi Minh; Vickers, Margaret H.; Fernandez, Santha

2015-01-01

Purpose: Exploratory insights into the graduate student experiences of offshore MBA programmes in Vietnam are presented. Students are considered key stakeholders in the higher education (HE) debate, and their views were sought in light of recent shifts in HE worldwide, associated business education changes, nagging questions around the quality of…

How Do Trained Raters Take Context Factors into Account When Assessing GP Trainee Communication Performance? An Exploratory, Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Essers, Geurt; Dielissen, Patrick; van Weel, Chris; van der Vleuten, Cees; van Dulmen, Sandra; Kramer, Anneke

2015-01-01

Communication assessment in real-life consultations is a complex task. Generic assessment instruments help but may also have disadvantages. The generic nature of the skills being assessed does not provide indications for context-specific behaviour required in practice situations; context influences are mostly taken into account implicitly. Our…

Linking the Nature of Secondary School Students Who Are Highly Artistic with Curriculum Needs and Instructional Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Visconti, Victoria

2012-01-01

This exploratory qualitative investigation examined the nature of 7 secondary school students who are highly artistic to link visual arts programs that best accommodate their learning needs. Instrumentation for data collection included 1 questionnaire, 3 in-depth semistructured one-on-one interviews, artwork documents, observations, and field…

The Impact of Socio-Economic Status on Parental Involvement in Turkish Primary Schools: Perspective of Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellibas, Mehmet Sukru; Gumus, Sedat

2013-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study investigates the effects of socio-economic status on parental involvement in public primary schools in Turkey. The study aims to examine how teachers in these schools present the scope of current parental involvement, to what factors teachers ascribe the barriers to parental involvement, and whether teachers'…

Insights into Chronic Functional Movement Disorders: The Value of Qualitative Psychiatric Interviews.

PubMed

Epstein, Steven A; Maurer, Carine W; LaFaver, Kathrin; Ameli, Rezvan; Sinclair, Stephen; Hallett, Mark

Patients with functional movement disorders (FMDs) are commonly seen by neurologists and psychosomatic medicine psychiatrists. Research literature provides scant information about the subjective experiences of individuals with this often chronic problem. To enhance our understanding of psychologic aspects of FMDs by conducting qualitative interviews of research subjects. In total, 36 patients with FMDs were recruited from the Human Motor Control clinic at the National Institutes of Health. Each subject participated in a qualitative psychiatric interview and a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview. Of our 36 subjects, 28 had current or lifetime psychiatric disorders in addition to conversion disorder and 22 had current disorders. Qualitative interviews provided rich information on patients' understanding of their illnesses and impaired cognitive processing of emotions. Our study supports the addition of open-ended qualitative interviews to delineate emotional dynamics and conceptual frameworks among such patients. Exploratory interviews generate enhanced understanding of such complex patients, above and beyond that gained by assessing DSM diagnostic comorbidities. Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. All rights reserved.

Community-based shared values as a 'Heart-ware' driver for integrated watershed management: Japan-Malaysia policy learning perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamad, Zeeda Fatimah; Nasaruddin, Affan; Abd Kadir, Siti Norasiah; Musa, Mohd Noor; Ong, Benjamin; Sakai, Nobumitsu

2015-11-01

This paper explores the case for using ;community-based shared values; as a potential driver for the ;Heartware; aspects of governance in Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) - from a Japan-Malaysia policy learning perspective. This policy approach was originally inspired by the Japanese experience, and the paper investigates whether a similar strategy can be adapted in the Malaysian context-based on a qualitative exploratory case study of a local downstream watershed community. The community-based shared values are categorized into six functional values that can be placed on a watershed: industry, ecosystem, lifestyle, landscape, water resource and spirituality. The study confirmed the availability of a range of community-based shared values in each category that are promising to drive the heartware for integrated watershed management in the local Malaysian context. However, most of these shared values are either declining in its appreciation or nostalgic in nature. The paper ends with findings on key differences and similarities between the Malaysian and Japanese contexts, and concludes with lessons for international transfer of IWM heartware policy strategies between the two countries.

Accuracy of nursing diagnoses for identifying domestic violence against children.

PubMed

Apostólico, Maíra Rosa; Egry, Emiko Yoshikawa; Fornari, Lucimara Fabiana; Gessner, Rafaela

2017-01-01

Objective Identify nursing diagnoses involving a hypothetical situation of domestic violence against a child and the respective degrees of accuracy. Method An exploratory, evaluative, case study was conducted using a quantitative and qualitative approach, with data collected using an online instrument from 26 nurses working in the Municipal Health Network, between June and August 2010, in Curitiba, and also during the first half of 2014 in São Paulo. Both of these cities are in Brazil. Nursing diagnoses and interventions from the International Classification of Nursing Practices in Collective Health were provided, and accuracy was verified using the Nursing Diagnosis Accuracy Scale. Results Thirty-nine nursing diagnoses were identified, 27 of which were common to both cities. Of these, 15 were scored at the null level of accuracy, 11 at high accuracy and 1 at medium accuracy. Conclusion The difficulty the nurses had in defining diagnoses may be associated with the fact that nursing care generally focuses on clinical problems, and signs expressing situations of domestic violence against children go unnoticed. The results demonstrated the difficulty of participants in selecting the appropriate nursing diagnosis for the case in question.

Emerging role of traditional birth attendants in mountainous terrain: a qualitative exploratory study from Chitral District, Pakistan.

PubMed

Shaikh, Babar Tasneem; Khan, Sharifullah; Maab, Ayesha; Amjad, Sohail

2014-11-26

This research endeavours to identify the role of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in supporting the maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) care, partnership mechanism with a formal health system and also explored livelihood options for TBAs in the health system of Pakistan. The study was conducted in district Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, covering the areas where the Chitral Child Survival programme was implemented. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted, comprising seven key informant interviews with health managers, and four focus group discussions with community midwives (CMWs), TBAs, members of Community Based Saving Groups (CBSGs) and members of village health committees (VHCs). The study identified that in the new scenario, after the introduction of CMWs in the health system, TBAs still have a pivotal role in health promotion activities such as breastfeeding promotion and vaccination. TBAs can assist CMWs in normal deliveries, and refer high-risk cases to the formal health system. Generally, TBAs are positive about CMWs' introduction and welcome this addition. Yet their livelihood has suffered after CMWs' deployment. Monetary incentives to them in recognition of referrals to CMWs could be one solution. The VHC is an active forum for strengthening co-ordination between the two service providers and to ensure an alternate and permanent livelihood support system for the TBAs. TBAs have assured their continued support in provision of continuum of care for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under the age of 5 years. The district health authorities must figure out ways to foster a healthy interface vis-à-vis roles and responsibilities of TBAs and CMWs. In time it would be worthwhile to do further research to look into the CMWs' integration in the system, as well as TBAs' continued role for provision of MNCH care. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Family caregiver burden in mental illnesses: The case of affective disorders and schizophrenia - a qualitative exploratory study.

PubMed

von Kardorff, Ernst; Soltaninejad, Ali; Kamali, Mohammad; Eslami Shahrbabaki, Mahin

2016-01-01

Caregivers of people with mental illnesses often experience a wide range of burdens. Although many studies have confirmed burdens among family caregivers of mentally ill relatives in general, specific knowledge regarding the concrete everyday hassle and existential sorrows from the caregiverś subjective reasoning perspective is lacking. Furthermore, there is little evidence on the possible different effects of affective disorders and schizophrenia on the quality of burden; this is also true with regard to the role of cultural traditions and lay beliefs. The aim of this study was to explore the specific burdens experienced by caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders. A qualitative study was conducted by semi-structured interviews with 45 caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders. Data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. Eleven encumbering themes resulted from the interviews including incertitude, unawareness, emotional burden, stigma and blame, financial burden, physical burden, restriction in routine, disruption in routine, dissatisfaction with family, relatives, and acquaintances, troubles with patients' adherence to medication, and problems with health services and governmental support. Caring for a person with mental illness affects caregivers emotionally, financially, physically, and it elicits some restrictions in their routine (daily hassles). Finally, it causes conflicts in family relationships. Despite some differences regarding perceived burden among caregivers of schizophrenia and affective disorders, a common pattern of burden could be identified. Thus, authorities should provide adequate financial, educational, and psychosocial supports for caregivers of mental illnesses.

Systematic review of prognosis and return to play after sport concussion: results of the International Collaboration on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Prognosis.

PubMed

Cancelliere, Carol; Hincapié, Cesar A; Keightley, Michelle; Godbolt, Alison K; Côté, Pierre; Kristman, Vicki L; Stålnacke, Britt-Marie; Carroll, Linda J; Hung, Ryan; Borg, Jörgen; Nygren-de Boussard, Catharina; Coronado, Victor G; Donovan, James; Cassidy, J David

2014-03-01

To synthesize the best available evidence on prognosis after sport concussion. MEDLINE and other databases were searched (2001-2012) with terms including "craniocerebral trauma" and "sports." Reference lists of eligible articles were also searched. Randomized controlled trials and cohort and case-control studies were selected according to predefined criteria. Studies had to have a minimum of 30 concussion cases. Eligible studies were critically appraised using a modification of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) criteria. Two reviewers independently reviewed and extracted data from accepted studies into evidence tables. Evidence was synthesized qualitatively according to modified SIGN criteria, and studies were categorized as exploratory or confirmatory based on the strength of their design and evidence. After 77,914 records were screened, 52 articles were eligible for this review, and 24 articles (representing 19 studies) with a low risk of bias were accepted. Our findings are based on exploratory studies of predominantly male football players at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Most athletes recover within days to a few weeks, and American and Australian professional football players return to play quickly after mild traumatic brain injury. Delayed recovery appears more likely in high school athletes, in those with a history of previous concussion, and in those with a higher number and duration of postconcussion symptoms. The evidence concerning sports concussion course and prognosis is very preliminary, and there is no evidence on the effect of return-to-play guidelines on prognosis. Our findings have implications for further research. Well-designed, confirmatory studies are urgently needed to understand the consequences of sport concussion, including recurrent concussion, across different athletic populations and sports. Copyright © 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploratory factor analysis of signalment and conformational measurements in Thoroughbred horses with and without recurrent laryngeal neuropathy.

PubMed

McGivney, C L; Gough, K F; McGivney, B A; Farries, G; Hill, E W; Katz, L M

2018-06-23

Conflicting results have been reported for risk factors for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) based on resting endoscopic evaluation and comparison of single conformation traits, with many traits correlated to one another. To simplify identification of signalment and conformation traits (i.e. variables) associated with RLN cases and controls diagnosed with exercising overground endoscopy (OGE) using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Prospective cohort. Pearson's rank correlation was used to establish significance and association between variables collected from n = 188 Thoroughbreds from one stable by observers blinded to OGE results. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on 9 variables for cases and controls; common elements between variables developed a factor, with variables grouped into 3 factors for cases and controls, respectively. Correlation (loading) between each variable and factor was calculated to rank relationships between variables and cases/controls, with factors retrospectively named based on their underlying correlations with variables. Numerous inter-correlations were present between variables. Most strongly correlated in cases were wither height with body weight (r = 0.70) and ventral neck length (r = 0.68) and in controls body weight with rostral neck circumference (r = 0.58). Wither height (r = 0.61) significantly loaded the top-ranked factor for cases ('height RLN '), explaining 25% of conformational variance. Ventral neck length (r = 0.69) and age (r = 0.57) significantly loaded the second-ranked factor for cases ('neck length RLN '), explaining 16% of conformational variance. Rostral neck circumference (r = 0.86) and body weight (r = 0.6) significantly loaded the top-ranked factor for controls ('body size CON '), explaining 19% of the variance. Wither height (r = 0.84) significantly loaded the second-ranked factor for controls ('height CON '), explaining 13% of the variance. Horses had not reached skeletal maturity. Exploratory factor analysis allowed weightings to be determined for each variable. Wither height was the predominant conformational feature associated with RLN. Exploratory factor analysis confirms aggregated conformational differences exist between RLN cases and controls, suitable for future evaluations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Integrating qualitative research into evidence based practice.

PubMed

Greenhalgh, Trisha

2002-09-01

This article attempts to provide an overview of qualitative tools and methods using mainly examples from diabetes research. The other articles in this issue of the Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America have demonstrated the enormous contribution made in the past 15 years or so by rigorous quantitative studies of prevalence, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy to clinical decision-making in endocrinology. In the early 21st century, the state of qualitative research into such topics as the illness experience of diabetes; the barriers to effective self care and positive health choices; the design of complex educational interventions; the design of appropriate, acceptable and responsive health services; and the decision-making behavior of health professionals, is such that there remain many more questions than answers. But qualitative research is increasingly recognized as an important, legitimate and expanding dimension of evidence-based health care (18;19). It is highly likely that the major landmark studies in diabetes care over the next decade will build on an exploratory qualitative study or incorporate an explanatory or evaluative dimension based on qualitative methods.

An exploratory study examining the influence of translation on the validity and reliability of qualitative data in nursing research.

PubMed

Twinn, S

1997-08-01

Although the complexity of undertaking qualitative research with non-English speaking informants has become increasingly recognized, few empirical studies exist which explore the influence of translation on the findings of the study. The aim of this exploratory study was therefore to examine the influence of translation on the reliability and validity of the findings of a qualitative research study. In-depth interviews were undertaken in Cantonese with a convenience sample of six women to explore their perceptions of factors influencing their uptake of Pap smears. Data analysis involved three stages. The first stage involved the translation and transcription of all the interviews into English independently by two translators as well as transcription into Chinese by a third researcher. The second stage involved content analysis of the three data sets to develop categories and themes and the third stage involved a comparison of the categories and themes generated from the Chinese and English data sets. Despite no significant differences in the major categories generated from the Chinese and English data, some minor differences were identified in the themes generated from the data. More significantly the results of the study demonstrated some important issues to consider when using translation in qualitative research, in particular the complexity of managing data when no equivalent word exists in the target language and the influence of the grammatical style on the analysis. In addition the findings raise questions about the significance of the conceptual framework of the research design and sampling to the validity of the study. The importance of using only one translator to maximize the reliability of the study was also demonstrated. In addition the author suggests the findings demonstrate particular problems in using translation in phenomenological research designs.

Teaching learning methods of an entrepreneurship curriculum.

PubMed

Esmi, Keramat; Marzoughi, Rahmatallah; Torkzadeh, Jafar

2015-10-01

One of the most significant elements of entrepreneurship curriculum design is teaching-learning methods, which plays a key role in studies and researches related to such a curriculum. It is the teaching method, and systematic, organized and logical ways of providing lessons that should be consistent with entrepreneurship goals and contents, and should also be developed according to the learners' needs. Therefore, the current study aimed to introduce appropriate, modern, and effective methods of teaching entrepreneurship and their validation. This is a mixed method research of a sequential exploratory kind conducted through two stages: a) developing teaching methods of entrepreneurship curriculum, and b) validating developed framework. Data were collected through "triangulation" (study of documents, investigating theoretical basics and the literature, and semi-structured interviews with key experts). Since the literature on this topic is very rich, and views of the key experts are vast, directed and summative content analysis was used. In the second stage, qualitative credibility of research findings was obtained using qualitative validation criteria (credibility, confirmability, and transferability), and applying various techniques. Moreover, in order to make sure that the qualitative part is reliable, reliability test was used. Moreover, quantitative validation of the developed framework was conducted utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods and Cronbach's alpha. The data were gathered through distributing a three-aspect questionnaire (direct presentation teaching methods, interactive, and practical-operational aspects) with 29 items among 90 curriculum scholars. Target population was selected by means of purposive sampling and representative sample. Results obtained from exploratory factor analysis showed that a three factor structure is an appropriate method for describing elements of teaching-learning methods of entrepreneurship curriculum. Moreover, the value for Kaiser Meyer Olkin measure of sampling adequacy equaled 0.72 and the value for Bartlett's test of variances homogeneity was significant at the 0.0001 level. Except for internship element, the rest had a factor load of higher than 0.3. Also, the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed the model appropriateness, and the criteria for qualitative accreditation were acceptable. Developed model can help instructors in selecting an appropriate method of entrepreneurship teaching, and it can also make sure that the teaching is on the right path. Moreover, the model is comprehensive and includes all the effective teaching methods in entrepreneurship education. It is also based on qualities, conditions, and requirements of Higher Education Institutions in Iranian cultural environment.

Challenges in covering health disparities in local news media: an exploratory analysis assessing views of journalists.

PubMed

Wallington, Sherrie Flynt; Blake, Kelly D; Taylor-Clark, Kalahn; Viswanath, K

2010-10-01

News coverage of health topics influences knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors at the individual level, and agendas and actions at the institutional and policy levels. Because disparities in health often are the result of social inequalities that require community-level or policy-level solutions, news stories employing a health disparities news frame may contribute to agenda-setting among opinion leaders and policymakers and lead to policy efforts aimed at reducing health disparities. This study objective was to conduct an exploratory analysis to qualitatively describe barriers that health journalists face when covering health disparities in local media. Between June and October 2007, 18 journalists from television, print, and radio in Boston, Lawrence, and Worcester, Massachusetts, were recruited using a purposive sampling technique. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone, and the crystallization/immersion method was used to conduct a qualitative analysis of interview transcripts. Our results revealed that journalists said that they consider several angles when developing health stories, including public impact and personal behavior change. Challenges to employing a health disparities frame included inability to translate how research findings may impact different socioeconomic groups, and difficulty understanding how findings may translate across racial/ethnic groups. Several journalists reported that disparities-focused stories are "less palatable" for some audiences. This exploratory study offers insights into the challenges that local news media face in using health disparities news frames in their routine coverage of health news. Public health practitioners may use these findings to inform communication efforts with local media in order to advance the public dialogue about health disparities.

Use of a mobile device in mental health rehabilitation: A clinical and comprehensive analysis of 11 cases.

PubMed

Briand, Catherine; Sablier, Juliette; Therrien, Julie-Anne; Charbonneau, Karine; Pelletier, Jean-François; Weiss-Lambrou, Rhoda

2018-07-01

This study aimed to test the feasibility of using a mobile device (Apple technology: iPodTouch®, iPhone® or iPad®) among people with severe mental illness (SMI) in a rehabilitation and recovery process and to document the parameters to be taken into account and the issues involved in implementing this technology in living environments and mental health care settings. A qualitative multiple case study design and multiple data sources were used to understand each case in depth. A clinical and comprehensive analysis of 11 cases was conducted with exploratory and descriptive aims (and the beginnings of explanation building). The multiple-case analysis brought out four typical profiles to illustrate the extent of integration of a personal digital assistant (PDA) as a tool to support mental health rehabilitation and recovery. Each profile highlights four categories of variables identified as determining factors in this process: (1) state of health and related difficulties (cognitive or functional); (2) relationship between comfort level with technology, motivation and personal effort deployed; (3) relationship between support required and support received; and (4) the living environment and follow-up context. This study allowed us to consider the contexts and conditions to be put in place for the successful integration of mobile technology in a mental health rehabilitation and recovery process.

Learning from the Failures of Others: The Effects of Post-Exit Knowledge Spillovers on Recipient Firms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of post-exit knowledge diffusion created by departed firms on recipient firms. Design/methodology/approach: This is an inductive and exploratory study which tries to understand questions of how and why. The research used a qualitative interview methodology and data analysis using within…

University Students' Views on the Education and Teaching of Civilization History: Bayburt University Education Faculty Sample

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elban, Mehmet

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the teaching and educational activities in the civilization history lesson. The model of the research is the exploratory sequential design from mixed research patterns. The appropriate sampling method was used in the research. The qualitative data of the research were collected from 26 students through a…

Evaluating a Model of School-Based Health and Social Services: An Interdisciplinary Community-University Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bronstein, Laura R.; Anderson, Elizabeth; Terwilliger, Susan H.; Sager, Kristen

2012-01-01

The purpose of this article is to share results of an exploratory qualitative research study designed to shed light on experiences of an interdisciplinary group of elementary school staff and graduate students in a school-based services project. A researcher conducted 20 interviews with staff and graduate students who represented the fields of…

Experiences of SKYPE Communication in Education and Research--Data Collection Concerning Young Children with Long-Term Illness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svensson, Agneta Simeonsdotter; Samuelsson, Ingrid Pramling; Hellström, Anna-Lena; Nolbris, Margaretha Jenholt

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide knowledge about communication using SKYPE with young children with chronic illness; advantages and barriers are investigated related to education and data issues collection. A qualitative exploratory research method was applied to interviews and notes via SKYPE between children and their web teachers. The…

An Exploratory Study of the Perspectives of K-12 Latina School Administrators in One California Region

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Helen

2017-01-01

This dissertation utilized a qualitative research design to explore the perceptions of Latina K-12 educational leaders in a southern geographic region within California. Current trends among K-12 public schools in California reflect a disproportionate ratio of Latino(a) students to Latino(a) school administrators. This disparity creates a need for…

Epistemic Beliefs of Middle and High School Students in a Problem-Based, Scientific Inquiry Unit: An Exploratory, Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gu, Jiangyue

2016-01-01

Epistemic beliefs are individuals' beliefs about the nature of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed, and how knowledge can be justified. This study employed a mixed-methods approach to examine: (a) middle and high school students' self-reported epistemic beliefs (quantitative) and epistemic beliefs revealed from practice (qualitative) during a…

Women in Computer Sciences in Romania: Success and Sacrifice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Kelly; Dragne, Cornelia; Lucas, Angelina J.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this article is to more fully understand the professional lives of women academics in computer sciences in six Romanian universities. The work is exploratory and relies on a qualitative framework to more fully understand what it means to be a woman academic in high-tech disciplines in a second world economy. We conducted in-depth,…

Communicative Imagery: A Qualitative Investigation of the Effectiveness of a Behavior Change Strategy on the Chronically Mentally Ill.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lippard, Paula V.

An exploratory study investigated the success of a small group behavior change program in eliminating self-defeating behavior (SDB) in outpatients with chronic mental illness. Four of the six subjects were outpatients at the local mental health center but were currently not exhibiting psychotic behavior. The remaining two subjects were student…

Learning Curve: How College Graduates Solve Information Problems Once They Join the Workplace. Project Information Literacy Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Head, Allison J.

2012-01-01

Qualitative findings about the information-seeking behavior of today's college graduates as they transition from the campus to the workplace. Included are findings from interviews with 23 US employers and focus groups with 33 recent graduates from four US colleges and universities, conducted as an exploratory study for Project Information…

Conflict, Postconflict, and the Functions of the University: Lessons from Colombia and Other Armed Conflicts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pacheco, Ivan Francisco

2013-01-01

"Education and conflict" has emerged as a new field of study during the last two decades. However, higher education is still relatively absent from this debate as most of the research has focused on primary and non-formal education. This dissertation is an exploratory qualitative study on the potential role of higher education in…

Third-Culture Students: An Exploratory Study of Transition in the First Year of College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weigel, Dorothy S.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of third-culture students who repatriated to the United States for their first year of college. In the context of this research, third-culture students are American children who lived overseas as a result of their parents' professions for two or more years immediately prior to…

Code-Switching: L1-Coded Mediation in a Kindergarten Foreign Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Zheng

2012-01-01

This paper is based on a qualitative inquiry that investigated the role of teachers' mediation in three different modes of coding in a kindergarten foreign language classroom in China (i.e. L2-coded intralinguistic mediation, L1-coded cross-lingual mediation, and L2-and-L1-mixed mediation). Through an exploratory examination of the varying effects…

Organizational Change and How It Affects Healthcare Employees: A Study on Employee Resistance to Change in Electronic Medical Record Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adeyemi, Oluwakemi A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of the exploratory qualitative study was to explore the strategies for reducing employee resistance to Electronic Medical Record (EMR) technology changes in a healthcare organization during implementation. The study focused on EPIC as the EMR application. Ten healthcare participants who had experienced a change to EMR were selected in…

The Camping Experience Among Families Who Have a Child With a Disability

Treesearch

Laura McLachlin

1992-01-01

The purposes of this study were to investigate how families who have a child with Down's syndrome spend their vacations and to explore families perceived barriers to family vacations. Interviews were conducted with families who had at least three children, one of whom had Down's syndrome. Using qualitative methods, data were collected in an exploratory study...

From Victim to Taking Control: Support Group for Bullied Schoolchildren

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kvarme, Lisbeth Gravdal; Aabø, Liv Sandnes; Saeteren, Berit

2016-01-01

School bullying is a serious problem affecting the victims in their daily lives at school. The aim of this study was to investigate whether support groups were able to help the victims of bullying to overcome their victim status and to explore what it means to be a member of a support group. An exploratory qualitative design, with individual and…

Stability and Change in Sustainability of Daily Routines and Social Networks in Families of Children with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilder, Jenny; Granlund, Mats

2015-01-01

Background: Children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) demand intense family accommodations from birth and onwards. This study used an exploratory and qualitative study design to investigate stability and change in sustainability of daily routines and social networks of Swedish families of children with PIMD. Materials…

Perceptions of Psychological Contract Violations in School Districts that Serve Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lilly, Julianna D.; Reed, Dianne

2004-01-01

This study examined issues of psychological contract violation between parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and school districts that serve them. As such, the sampling strategy was to focus on parents who were dissatisfied with the educational services their child was receiving from the school district so that the parents' "lived…

An Exploratory Examination of Families Engaged in a Children's Adventure Running Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isnor, Heather; Dawson, Kimberley A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the experiences of families who participated in an adventure running program (ARP) in Canada. Adventure running is a unique sport that combines navigation and running in a forested setting. Six parents (four males, two females) and five children (two females, three males) were interviewed.…

Mixed Method Approaches in Open-Ended, Qualitative, Exploratory Research Involving People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Comparative Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ottmann, Goetz; Crosbie, Jenny

2013-01-01

People with intellectual disabilities and their families are increasingly being asked to provide input into the services they receive. Under the aegis of the United Nation Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, support plans crucially depend on a participant's articulation of his or her preferences and life goals. Yet, research…

Holding On and Letting Go: The Perspectives of Pre-Seniors and Seniors on Driving Self-Regulation in Later Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudman, Deborah Laliberte; Friedland, Judith; Chipman, Mary; Sciortino, Paola

2006-01-01

Although decisions related to driving are vital to well-being in later life, little is known about how aging drivers who do not experience a medical condition that requires driving cessation regulate their driving. This exploratory, qualitative study used focus groups with 79 such community-dwelling individuals to examine driving self-regulation…

Wildland fire and organic discourse: Negotiating place and leisure identity in a changing wildland urban inteface

Treesearch

Joseph G. Champ; Daniel R. Williams; Katie Knotek

2009-01-01

A lack of research on the conceptual intersection of leisure, place and wildland fire and its role in identity prompted this exploratory study. The purpose of this research was to gather evidence regarding how people negotiate identities under the threat of wildland fire. Qualitative interviews with 16 homeowners and recreationists who value leisure activities in...

"Love Him and Everything Else Will Fall into Place": An Analysis of Narratives of African-American Fathers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannon, Michael Damon

2013-01-01

This exploratory qualitative dissertation analyzed the narratives of six African-American fathers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Contributors were identified via snowball sampling and data were collected using in-depth interviewing and analyzed using analysis of narratives. Findings are presented via individual case…

Flipping between Languages? An Exploratory Analysis of the Usage by Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner Tertiary Students of a Bilingual Probability Applet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesser, Lawrence M.; Wagler, Amy E.; Salazar, Berenice

2016-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are a rapidly growing part of the student population in many countries. Studies on resources for language learners--especially Spanish-speaking ELLs--have focused on areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics, but not introductory probability and statistics. Semi-structured qualitative interviews investigated…

An Exploratory Study of the Factors That Influence Enrolling in Alternative Educational Options: Adult Perceptions and Implications for Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kocsis-McNerney, Violet

2013-01-01

This research obtained information using focus groups as qualitative method to determine the factors that influenced alternative education decisions. The purpose of this study was to help bridge theory, research, and educational practices and examine policy reform efforts. Through the lenses of returning adult education students, this research…

The Joy of Social Work Administration: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Human Service Administrators' Positive Perceptions of Their Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Larry D.; Hoefer, Richard A.

2016-01-01

Positive organizational psychology suggests that researchers should focus on the rewarding elements of work life, yet those in the fields of social work and nonprofit administration have not conducted research in line with this admonition. Indeed, the current focus on administrative challenges and problems may be part of the reason there is…

(Dis) Union at 150: Collective Memories of Secession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reich, Gabriel A.; Buffington, Melanie; Muth, William R.

2015-01-01

This article reports on the results of an exploratory qualitative study of the collective memories of Secession held by a diverse group of university students (n = 54) at a large southern research institution. Participants completed a survey that asked them to produce a narrative of Secession as well as to rank a selection of heroes and provide an…

Organizational Security Threats Related to Portable Data Storage Devices: Qualitative Exploratory Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Paul K.

2017-01-01

There has been a significant growth of portable devices capable of storing both personal data as well as sensitive organizational data. This growth of these portable devices has led to an increased threat of cyber-criminal activity. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of security threats to the data assets of organizations…

Academic Rigor and Economic Value: GED[R] and High School Students' Perceptions and Misperceptions of the GED[R] vs. the High School Diploma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horne, Lela M.; Rachal, John R.; Shelley, Kyna

2012-01-01

A mixed methods framework utilized quantitative and qualitative data to determine whether statistically significant differences existed between high school and GED[R] student perceptions of credential value. An exploratory factor analysis (n=326) extracted four factors and then a MANOVA procedure was performed with a stratified quota sample…

Women's Voices on Recovery: A Multi-Method Study of the Complexity of Recovery from Child Sexual Abuse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banyard, Victoria L.; Williams, Linda M.

2007-01-01

Objective: The current study was exploratory and used multiple methods to examine patterns of stability and change in resilient functioning across 7 years of early adulthood. Second, qualitative data were used to examine in greater detail survivors' own narratives about correlates of healing. Method: This study was longitudinal and used both…

Perceptions of music therapy for older people among healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Khan, Waqas Ullah; Mohamad Onn Yap, Irin Arina; O'Neill, Desmond; Moss, Hilary

2016-03-01

To investigate the perceptions of healthcare providers on music therapy and their recommendations on wider adoption in a hospital setting. A qualitative exploratory study employing short semistructured interviews using a thematic analysis method of data analysis. A qualitative exploratory study, employing short semistructured interviews was conducted in March 2015 in an urban teaching hospital to explore healthcare providers' attitudes towards and recommendations on music therapy. Convenience sampling was used for recruitment of hospital staff from a multidisciplinary geriatric unit. Only staff who had exposure, awareness, or participated in the hospital music therapy programme were asked to partake in an in-depth qualitative interview. Themes emerging reflected a belief among hospital staff that music therapy was of benefit to patients and staff; perceptions of how a hospital music therapy programme should be implemented and a desire for expansion of the music therapy programme throughout the hospital setting. Music therapy is of great importance to patients and healthcare professionals, and thus more attention is warranted to better integrate and advance this programme. This study is important because although numerous studies have examined music therapy from a patient health perspective, no report has analysed the perceptions of healthcare providers on this intervention and their recommendations on further development of music therapy services. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Barriers to Implementing Evidence-Based Intrapartum Care: A Descriptive Exploratory Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Iravani, Mina; Janghorbani, Mohsen; Zarean, Ellahe; Bahrami, Masod

2016-01-01

Background: Evidence based practice is an effective strategy to improve the quality of obstetric care. Identification of barriers to adaptation of evidence-based intrapartum care is necessary and crucial to deliver high quality care to parturient women. Objectives: The current study aimed to explore barriers to adaptation of evidence-based intrapartum care from the perspective of clinical groups that provide obstetric care in Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive exploratory qualitative research was conducted from 2013 to 2014 in fourteen state medical training centers in Iran. Participants were selected from midwives, specialists, and residents of obstetrics and gynecology, with a purposive sample and snowball method. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed according to conventional content analysis. Results: Data analysis identified twenty subcategories and four main categories. Main categories included barriers were related to laboring women, persons providing care, the organization environment and health system. Conclusions: The adoption of evidence based intrapartum care is a complex process. In this regard, identifying potential barriers is the first step to determine and apply effective strategies to encourage the compliance evidence based obstetric care and improves maternity care quality. PMID:27175303

How leadership attributes influence employee loyalty in the aerospace industry: An exploratory qualitative inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, Marriel

The influence leaders have on employee loyalty in the aerospace industry was examined through exploratory, qualitative inquiry. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted to ascertain the influence of six leadership attributes on loyalty. These specific leadership attributes were addressed based on key themes from the scholarly leadership research and included communication, trust, accountability, understanding, compassion, and recognition. Data were analyzed to identify common themes and patterns among the 21 study participants. Based on the study findings, the majority of participants expressed that they want leaders to communicate--and to do so often and concisely. Participants also voiced that communication was a central component in resolving many of the problems associated with loyalty, such as clarity of direction or sense of inclusion in the organization. The central themes derived from the research include the following: (a) employee loyalty no longer exists when organizational leadership fails to challenge or empower employees or create an opportunity for growth, (b) effective leaders inspire employees by sharing the vision of an organization and including employees in the decision-making process, and (c) organizational culture, values, and effective leadership play an integral role in employee loyalty and long-term commitment to the organization.

Postural control and head stability during natural gaze behaviour in 6- to 12-year-old children.

PubMed

Schärli, A M; van de Langenberg, R; Murer, K; Müller, R M

2013-06-01

We investigated how the influence of natural exploratory gaze behaviour on postural control develops from childhood into adulthood. In a cross-sectional design, we compared four age groups: 6-, 9-, 12-year-olds and young adults. Two experimental trials were performed: quiet stance with a fixed gaze (fixed) and quiet stance with natural exploratory gaze behaviour (exploratory). The latter was elicited by having participants watch an animated short film on a large screen in front of them. 3D head rotations in space and centre of pressure (COP) excursions on the ground plane were measured. Across conditions, both head rotation and COP displacement decreased with increasing age. Head movement was greater in the exploratory condition in all age groups. In all children-but not in adults-COP displacement was markedly greater in the exploratory condition. Bivariate correlations across groups showed highly significant positive correlations between COP displacement in ML direction and head rotation in yaw, roll, and pitch in both conditions. The regularity of COP displacements did not show a clear developmental trend, which indicates that COP dynamics were qualitatively similar across age groups. Together, the results suggest that the contribution of head movement to eye-head saccades decreases with age and that head instability-in part resulting from such gaze-related head movements-is an important limiting factor in children's postural control. The lack of head stabilisation might particularly affect children in everyday activities in which both postural control and visual exploration are required.

A qualitative study of incarcerated mothers' perceptions of the impact of separation on their children.

PubMed

Gilham, Jerry Jo M

2012-01-01

Many incarcerated women are mothers, and their children exhibit various responses to the separation that incarceration commands. This exploratory qualitative study examines incarcerated women's perceptions of the consequences of their illegal activity, confinement, and separation from their children on their offspring. The results indicate that although mothers are concerned about their children, they are typically unable to recognize the negative consequences of their actions on their children and their relationship with their children until beginning intensive treatment. Effective treatment must focus on the woman's personal issues along with their parenting abilities and skills to repair these relationships and promote healthy family functioning.

Exploring Stakeholder Definitions within the Aerospace Industry: A Qualitative Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hebert, Jonathan R.

A best practice in the discipline of project management is to identify all key project stakeholders prior to the execution of a project. When stakeholders are properly identified, they can be consulted to provide expert advice on project activities so that the project manager can ensure the project stays within the budget and schedule constraints. The problem addressed by this study is that managers fail to properly identify key project stakeholders when using stakeholder theory because there are multiple conflicting definitions for the term stakeholder. Poor stakeholder identification has been linked to multiple negative project outcomes such as budget and schedules overruns, and this problem is heightened in certain industries such as aerospace. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore project managers' and project stakeholders' perceptions of how they define and use the term stakeholder within the aerospace industry. This qualitative exploratory single-case study had two embedded units of analysis: project managers and project stakeholders. Six aerospace project managers and five aerospace project stakeholders were purposively selected for this study. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with both project managers and project stakeholders. All data were analyzed using Yin's (2011) five-phased cycle approach for qualitative research. The results indicated that the aerospace project managers and project stakeholder define the term stakeholder as "those who do the work of a company." The participants build upon this well-known concept by adding that, "a company should list specific job titles" that correspond to their company specific-stakeholder definition. Results also indicated that the definition of the term stakeholder is used when management is assigning human resources to a project to mitigate or control project risk. Results showed that project managers tended to include the customer in their stakeholder definitions while project stakeholders included a wider range of stakeholders from young employees to union workers. Practical application recommendations, based on the study's findings, include that companies start to develop company-specific definitions of the term stakeholder. Recommendations for future research should focus on exploring how CEOs, executive members, new hires, and hourly workers define and use the term stakeholder in the aerospace industry.

Exploratory Analysis in Learning Analytics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, David; de Freitas, Sara

2016-01-01

This article summarizes the methods, observations, challenges and implications for exploratory analysis drawn from two learning analytics research projects. The cases include an analysis of a games-based virtual performance assessment and an analysis of data from 52,000 students over a 5-year period at a large Australian university. The complex…

An Exploratory Comparative Case Study of Employee Engagement in Christian Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Jessica R.

2016-01-01

Numerous studies have identified a positive correlation between employee engagement and overall organizational performance. However, research on employee engagement specifically within higher education is limited, and even less attention has been focused on engagement within the context of Christian higher education. An exploratory comparative…

Critical incidents and assistance-seeking behaviors of White mental health practitioners: A transtheoretical framework for understanding multicultural counseling competency.

PubMed

Delsignore, Ann Marie; Petrova, Elena; Harper, Amney; Stowe, Angela M; Mu'min, Ameena S; Middleton, Renée A

2010-07-01

An exploratory qualitative analysis of the critical incidents and assistance-seeking behaviors of White mental health psychologists and professional counselors was performed in an effort to examine a theoretical supposition presented within a Person(al)-as-Profession(al) transtheoretical framework (P-A-P). A concurrent nested strategy was used in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously (Creswell, 2003). In this nested strategy, qualitative data was embedded in a predominant (quantitative) method of analysis from an earlier study (see Middleton et al., 2005). Critical incidents categorized as informal (i.e., personal) experiences were cited more often than those characterized as formal (i.e., professional) experiences as influencing the professional perspectives of White mental health practitioners regarding multicultural diversity. Implications for the counseling and psychology professions are discussed.

Alternative and traditional assessments: Their comparative impact on students' attitudes and science learning outcomes. An exploratory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Century, Daisy Nelson

This probing study focused on alternative and traditional assessments, their comparative impacts on students' attitudes and science learning outcomes. Four basic questions were asked: What type of science learning stemming from the instruction can best be assessed by the use of traditional paper-and pencil test? What type of science learning stemming from the instruction can best be assessed by the use of alternative assessment? What are the differences in the types of learning outcomes that can be assessed by the use of paper-pencil test and alternative assessment test? Is there a difference in students' attitude towards learning science when assessment of outcomes is by alternative assessment means compared to traditional means compared to traditional means? A mixed methodology involving quantitative and qualitative techniques was utilized. However, the study was essentially a case study. Quantitative data analysis included content achievement and attitude results, to which non-parametric statistics were applied. Analysis of qualitative data was done as a case study utilizing pre-set protocols resulting in a narrative summary style of report. These outcomes were combined in order to produce conclusions. This study revealed that the traditional method yielded more concrete cognitive content learning than did the alternative assessment. The alternative assessment yielded more psychomotor, cooperative learning and critical thinking skills. In both the alternative and the traditional methods the student's attitudes toward science were positive. There was no significant differences favoring either group. The quantitative findings of no statistically significant differences suggest that at a minimum there is no loss in the use of alternative assessment methods, in this instance, performance testing. Adding the results from the qualitative analysis to this suggests (1) that class groups were more satisfied when alternative methods were employed, and (2) that the two assessment methodologies are complementary to each other, and thus should probably be used together to produce maximum benefit.

Recovery-oriented care in a secure mental health setting: "striving for a good life".

PubMed

McKenna, Brian; Furness, Trentham; Dhital, Deepa; Park, Malcolm; Connally, Fiona

2014-01-01

Recovery-oriented care acknowledges the unique journey of the consumer to regain control of his or her life in order to live a good life. Recovery has become a dominant policy-directed model of mental health service delivery. Even services that have traditionally been institutional and custodial have been challenged to embrace a recovery-oriented model. The aim of this qualitative study was to provide a description of service delivery in a secure in-patient mental health service, which has developed a self-professed recovery-oriented model of service delivery. An in-depth case study of the secure in-patient service using an exploratory research design was undertaken to meet the aim of this study. Qualitative data was gathered from interviews with consumers and staff (n = 15) and a focus group with carers (n = 5). Data were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Ethical approval for the study was obtained. The stakeholders readily described the secure service within recovery domains. They described a common vision; ways to promote hope and autonomy; examples of collaborative partnership which enhanced the goal of community integration; a focus on strength-based, holistic care; and the management of risk by taking calculated risks. Discrepancies in the perceptions of stakeholders were determined. This case study research provides a demonstrable example of recovery-in-action in one secure mental health service in Australia. It is intended to assist mental health services and clinicians seeking guidance in developing strategies for building and maintaining partnerships with consumers and carers in order for secure services to become truly recovery-oriented.

Attitudes Expressed in Online Comments about Environmental Factors in the Tourism Sector: An Exploratory Study.

PubMed

Saura, Jose Ramon; Palos-Sanchez, Pedro; Rios Martin, Miguel Angel

2018-03-19

The object of this exploratory study is to identify the positive, neutral and negative environment factors that affect users who visit Spanish hotels in order to help the hotel managers decide how to improve the quality of the services provided. To carry out the research a Sentiment Analysis was initially performed, grouping the sample of tweets ( n = 14459) according to the feelings shown and then a textual analysis was used to identify the key environment factors in these feelings using the qualitative analysis software Nvivo (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia). The results of the exploratory study present the key environment factors that affect the users experience when visiting hotels in Spain, such as actions that support local traditions and products, the maintenance of rural areas respecting the local environment and nature, or respecting air quality in the areas where hotels have facilities and offer services. The conclusions of the research can help hotels improve their services and the impact on the environment, as well as improving the visitors experience based on the positive, neutral and negative environment factors which the visitors themselves identified.

Attitudes Expressed in Online Comments about Environmental Factors in the Tourism Sector: An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

The object of this exploratory study is to identify the positive, neutral and negative environment factors that affect users who visit Spanish hotels in order to help the hotel managers decide how to improve the quality of the services provided. To carry out the research a Sentiment Analysis was initially performed, grouping the sample of tweets (n = 14459) according to the feelings shown and then a textual analysis was used to identify the key environment factors in these feelings using the qualitative analysis software Nvivo (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia). The results of the exploratory study present the key environment factors that affect the users experience when visiting hotels in Spain, such as actions that support local traditions and products, the maintenance of rural areas respecting the local environment and nature, or respecting air quality in the areas where hotels have facilities and offer services. The conclusions of the research can help hotels improve their services and the impact on the environment, as well as improving the visitors experience based on the positive, neutral and negative environment factors which the visitors themselves identified. PMID:29562724

Gifted Education in the Commonwealth of Virginia: A Qualitative Exploratory Study of How Gifted Education Coordinators Make Sense of and Implement Gifted Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beckerdite, Kimberly B.

2017-01-01

This study examined both the influence of leadership and policy development on gifted education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and how leaders of gifted education programs make sense of gifted education policy to promote effective change. Considerations of local politics, funding, networking, and input from stakeholders shaped the sensemaking…

"I Would Want to Give My Child, Like, Everything in the World": How Issues of Motherhood Influence Women Who Have Abortions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Rachel K.; Frohwirth, Lori F.; Moore, Ann M.

2008-01-01

The majority of U.S. women who have abortions (61%) have children. This exploratory study analyzes qualitative information from 38 women obtaining abortions to examine how issues of motherhood influenced their decisions to terminate their pregnancies. Women in the sample had abortions because of the material responsibilities of motherhood, such as…

"At Risk of Harm"? An Exploratory Survey of School Counsellors in the UK, Their Perceptions of Confidentiality, Information Sharing and Risk Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Peter; Palmer, Joanne

2012-01-01

The primary objective of this study was to explore perceptions of UK school counsellors of confidentiality and information sharing in therapeutic work with children and young people, using qualitative methods. The research design employed a two-stage process, using questionnaires and follow-up interviews, with a small, non-random sample of school…

Four Paths to Spirit at Work: Journeys of Personal Meaning, Fulfillment, Well-Being, and Transcendence through Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinjerski, Val; Skrypnek, Berna J.

2008-01-01

Spirit at work involves profound feelings of well-being, a belief that one's work makes a contribution, a sense of connection to others and common purpose, an awareness of a connection to something larger than self, and a sense of perfection and transcendence. This exploratory qualitative study revealed 4 paths leading to spirit at work: the…

An Exploratory Study of the Influence of the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) Program on African American Young Men in Southeastern North Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Michele A.; Eliot, Jessica; Tart, Michael

2013-01-01

This is a qualitative study of how the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program influenced 9 African American young men in southeastern North Carolina. To understand the impact of the program, a cross-section of current and past AVID participants were interviewed. The African American male students were asked about their attitudes…

Non-timber forest products marketing systems and market players in southwest Virginia: crafts, medicinal and herbal, and specialty wood products

Treesearch

S.M. Greene; A.L. Hammett; S. Kant

2000-01-01

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are important in rural southwest Virginia as a source of household income. Marketing system of crafts, medicinal and herbal, and specialty wood products are studied using exploratory and qualitative research methods. Fifty market players at various levels in marketing chains are interviewed to get the information on elements of...

Introducing the Use of a Semi-Structured Video Diary Room to Investigate Students' Learning Experiences during an Outdoor Adventure Education Groupwork Skills Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooley, Sam J.; Holland, Mark J.; Cumming, Jennifer; Novakovic, Emily G.; Burns, Victoria E.

2014-01-01

Outdoor adventure education courses are used in higher education to develop transferable skills such as groupwork and problem-solving skills. There is a need for exploratory investigation into students' perceptions of this experience. This study aimed to develop an innovative qualitative data collection method, and to use it to explore…

What's Happening in "Their Space"? Exploring the Borders of Formal and Informal Learning with Undergraduate Students of Education in the Age of Mobile Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Jane; Jones, Mark

2015-01-01

The changing nature of teaching and learning in an age of accessible technologies provides challenges and opportunities for the design of learning events. Working with a sample of undergraduate students of education in one UK higher education institution we use an exploratory, qualitative approach to investigate students' spontaneous uses of their…

Cycling and Health: An Exploratory Study of Views about Cycling in an Area of North Liverpool, UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavill, Nick; Watkins, Francine

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore views about cycling among members of identified community groups living near the Loop Line, a cycling and walking path in a deprived part of North Liverpool, UK. Design/methodology/approach: Following a literature review, qualitative focus group research was conducted among six groups of children,…

Exploring the Effect of Mentoring in the Degree Attainment and Career Paths of First Generation Mexican American Women Employed in Senior Administrative Leadership Roles at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medrano, Vivian A.

2017-01-01

Purpose: This qualitative, phenomenological study explored the effect of mentoring in the degree attainment and career paths of first generation Mexican American women who are employed in senior administrative leadership roles at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs). Methodology: This exploratory study employed a phenomenological research…

Exploring Bilingual Teachers' Beliefs about Academic Language Development in Mathematics Teaching: Implications for Bilingual Teachers' Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canales-Vela, Viola

2017-01-01

The achievement of mathematics within Hispanic youth is of great concern across the nation. In order to improve student achievement in mathematics, the nature of a mathematics teacher's complex belief system must be understood (McGee & Wang, 2014). The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to investigate the K-5 bilingual teachers'…

Museums and Twitter: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of How Museums Use Twitter for Audience Development and Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osterman, Mark; Thirunarayanan, M.; Ferris, Elizabeth C.; Pabon, Lizette C.; Paul, Natalie; Berger, Rhonda

2012-01-01

Museums are competing with a vast variety of Internet-based information delivery sites to keep the public interested in their institutions. To keep pace Museums are increasingly turning to the use of Web 2.0 tools to draw in the public and maintain a standing as cultural and educational leaders. Several museums have started using Twitter. This…

Exploratory Mixed-Method Study of End-User Computing within an Information Technology Infrastructure Library U.S. Army Service Delivery Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manzano, Sancho J., Jr.

2012-01-01

Empirical studies have been conducted on what is known as end-user computing from as early as the 1980s to present-day IT employees. There have been many studies on using quantitative instruments by Cotterman and Kumar (1989) and Rockart and Flannery (1983). Qualitative studies on end-user computing classifications have been conducted by…

Exploratory Analysis of the Comprehensive Application of the Islamic Concept of Zuhd in the Contemporary World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olohunfunmi, Ismail Abdul Fatai

2015-01-01

The main aim of the present study is to present a clear frame work of how to practically apply the concept "Zuhd" to individual Muslim life. It is an empirical research on the Islamic concept of "Zuhd." The method that is employed in the study is qualitative approach, whereby interviews were staged, recorded and transcribed.…

Voices of the Forgotten Half: The Role of Social Class in the School-to-Work Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blustein, David L.; Chaves, Anna P.; Diemer, Matthew A.; Gallagher, Laura A.; Marshall, Kevin G.; Sirin, Selcuk; Bhati, Kuldhir S.

2002-01-01

This study examines the impact of social class on the school-to-work (STW) transitions of young adults in working-class occupations. Using an exploratory, qualitative research methodology, interviews were conducted with 10 men and 10 women to examine the role of social class in the STW transition. All participants were working in low-skilled jobs…

"The Alcohol Just Pissed Me Off": Views About How Alcohol and Marijuana Influence Adolescent Dating Violence Perpetration, Results of a Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothman, Emily Faith; Linden, Judith A.; Baughman, Allyson L.; Kaczmarsky, Courtney; Thompson, Malindi

2016-01-01

This exploratory study was designed to examine the beliefs of youth users of alcohol and marijuana about the connections between their substance use and dating violence perpetration. Eighteen youth (ages 14-20 years old), who were primarily of Black or Hispanic race/ethnicity, participated in in-depth interviews about times when they had…

An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care

PubMed Central

Finucane, Andy; Mercer, Stewart W

2006-01-01

Background Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an 8-week course developed for patients with relapsing depression that integrates mindfulness meditation practices and cognitive theory. Previous studies have demonstrated that non-depressed participants with a history of relapsing depression are protected from relapse by participating in the course. This exploratory study examined the acceptability and effectiveness of MBCT for patients in primary care with active symptoms of depression and anxiety Methods 13 patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety were recruited to take part in the study. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted three months after completing the MBCT programme. A framework approach was used to analyse the data. Beck depression inventories (BDI-II) and Beck anxiety inventories (BAI) provided quantitative data and were administered before and three months after the intervention. Results The qualitative data indicated that mindfulness training was both acceptable and beneficial to the majority of patients. For many of the participants, being in a group was an important normalising and validating experience. However most of the group believed the course was too short and thought that some form of follow up was essential. More than half the patients continued to apply mindfulness techniques three months after the course had ended. A minority of patients continued to experience significant levels of psychological distress, particularly anxiety. Statistically significant reductions in mean depression and anxiety scores were observed; the mean pre-course depression score was 35.7 and post-course score was 17.8 (p = 0.001). A similar reduction was noted for anxiety with a mean pre-course anxiety score of 32.0 and mean post course score of 20.5 (p = 0.039). Overall 8/11 (72%) patients showed improvements in BDI and 7/11 (63%) patients showed improvements in BAI. In general the results of the qualitative analysis agreed well with the quantitative changes in depression and anxiety reported. Conclusion The results of this exploratory mixed methods study suggest that mindfulness based cognitive therapy may have a role to play in treating active depression and anxiety in primary care. PMID:16603060

Evolutionary tree design: An exploratory study of the influence of linear versus branching format on visitors' interpretation and understanding across age groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacDonald, Teresa Elise

This exploratory study sought to investigate the influence of tree graphic design---specifically linear versus branching depictions of taxa---on visitors in three different age groups (aged 11-13, 14-18, adults) interpretation and understanding using a multiple-case study strategy. The findings from this research indicate that linear and branched depictions elicit qualitatively different narratives and explanations about the relationships between the taxa in all age groups. Branched tree graphics support scientifically appropriate explanations of evolutionary relationships, i.e. that taxa are related via shared or common ancestry; while linear representations reinforce intuitive interpretations of ancestor-descendant or anagenic relationships. Furthermore, differences in the language used for linear and branched trees suggests that there is a spectrum within an analogy of developmental change that is thought to serve as a transitional concept between intuitive and scientific understanding--with 'evolved from' for branched depictions of taxa representing a shift towards an interpretation of shared ancestry rather than an individual transformation from one thing into another. In addition, branched graphics appear to support the correct reading and interpretation of shared or common ancestry in tree diagrams. Mixed reasoning was common and overall reasoning patterns were broadly similar among participants in all age groups, however, older youth (aged 14 to 18) and adults often provided more detail in their explanations and sometimes included references to evolutionary ideas such as variation, inheritance and selection.

Stages and transitions in the development of tooth brushing skills in children of Mexican immigrant families: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Benadof, Dafna; Polk, Deborah; Documet, Patricia

2015-01-01

Compared with white children, the oral health of Latino children in the United States is much worse. One factor contributing to oral health is tooth brushing. Few studies have addressed the formation of the tooth brushing habit in children, and only one of them studied a Latino population. The purpose of this study is to explore the development of the tooth brushing habit in children of Mexican immigrant families and develop hypothesis based on its results. This is an exploratory qualitative study, with a case study design based on 20 in-depth interviews. Participants were Mexican immigrant mothers living in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA. Participants had at least one child six-years-old or younger. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative analysis procedures. Four stages were identified in the tooth brushing learning process: initiation and entirely dependent tooth brushing, assisted tooth brushing, road to tooth brushing independence, and independent tooth brushing. Two factors influenced parents' teaching approaches: parents' perceptions of their child's achievement of physical, cognitive, and motor developmental milestones and parents' knowledge about oral hygiene. We identified four distinct stages and found evidence to hypothesize that transitions from one stage to the next are triggered not by the age of the child but by parents' knowledge about oral hygiene and their perceptions of their child's achievement of physical, cognitive, and motor developmental milestones. Future quantitative research studies should be conducted to test this hypothesis in larger groups of Latinos as well as other ethnic groups. © 2015 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

Exploratory Bi-Factor Analysis: The Oblique Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jennrich, Robert I.; Bentler, Peter M.

2012-01-01

Bi-factor analysis is a form of confirmatory factor analysis originally introduced by Holzinger and Swineford ("Psychometrika" 47:41-54, 1937). The bi-factor model has a general factor, a number of group factors, and an explicit bi-factor structure. Jennrich and Bentler ("Psychometrika" 76:537-549, 2011) introduced an exploratory form of bi-factor…

An Exploratory Study of the Implementation of Computer Technology in an American Islamic Private School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saleem, Mohammed M.

2009-01-01

This exploratory study of the implementation of computer technology in an American Islamic private school leveraged the case study methodology and ethnographic methods informed by symbolic interactionism and the framework of the Muslim Diaspora. The study focused on describing the implementation of computer technology and identifying the…

Making the Case for Exploratory World Language Instruction in Catholic Elementary Schools through University Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Brigid M.; Howard, Eric D.

2017-01-01

As a result of a university partnership, elementary students at two midwest Catholic elementary schools have been provided with exploratory world language instruction (FLEX) from pre-service teachers. To investigate students' attitudes and learning of Spanish, researchers interviewed second and fourth graders. The students' parents and pre-service…

A qualitative, exploratory study of predominantly female parental perceptions of consumer health technology use by their overweight and/or obese female adolescent participating in a fee-based 4-week weight-management intervention.

PubMed

Knoblock-Hahn, Amy L; LeRouge, Cynthia M

2014-04-01

Consumer health technologies (CHTs) are a growing part of the continuum of care for self-management of overweight and obesity. Parents positively or negatively influence adolescent weight-management efforts and are especially important throughout continuum of care settings. User-centered design (UCD) applications have been developed to assist primary users, such as adolescents, with their weight management, but less is known about the influence of parents as secondary users across many socio-ecological environments. The purpose of this study was to use the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to inform the design of a UCD application in a qualitative study that sought to determine parental views on how technology can support previously learned behaviors that require ongoing management and support beyond formal lifestyle interventions. Parents of overweight and obese adolescents (n=14) were interviewed about perceived usefulness and planned user-intent of CHT that was designed for adolescents. UTAUT provided theoretical parental constructs (intention, performance and effort expectancy, and social influence) interactions within several socio-ecological contexts, including the home food environment and restaurant dining experiences. Although generalizations of this qualitative study are limited by a small sample size with predominantly mothers (n=13) of overweight and obese daughters (n=12), the exploratory inquiry using a parent as a secondary consumer user can complement the adoption of applications designed by adolescents. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development and evaluation of culturally sensitive psychosocial interventions for under-served people in primary care.

PubMed

Lovell, Karina; Lamb, Jonathan; Gask, Linda; Bower, Pete; Waheed, Waquas; Chew-Graham, Carolyn; Lamb, Jon; Aseem, Saadia; Beatty, Susan; Burroughs, Heather; Clarke, Pam; Dowrick, Anna; Edwards, Suzanne; Gabbay, Mark; Lloyd-Williams, Mari; Dowrick, Chris

2014-08-01

Psychological therapy is effective for symptoms of mental distress, but many groups with high levels of mental distress face significant barriers in terms of access to care, as current interventions may not be sensitive to their needs or their understanding of mental health. There is a need to develop forms of psychological therapy that are acceptable to these groups, feasible to deliver in routine settings, and clinically and cost effective. We developed a culturally sensitive wellbeing intervention with individual, group and sign-posting elements, and tested its feasibility and acceptability for patients from ethnic minorities and older people in an exploratory randomised trial. We recruited 57 patients (57% of our target) from 4 disadvantaged localities in the NW of England. The results of the exploratory trial suggest that the group receiving the wellbeing interventions improved compared to the group receiving usual care. For elders, the largest effects were on CORE-OM and PHQ-9. For ethnic minority patients, the largest effect was on PHQ-9. Qualitative data suggested that patients found the intervention acceptable, both in terms of content and delivery. This exploratory trial provides some evidence of the efficacy and acceptability of a wellbeing intervention for older and ethnic minority groups experiencing anxiety and depression, although challenges in recruitment and engagement remain. Evidence from our exploratory study of wellbeing interventions should inform new substantive trial designs. Current controlled trials ISRCTN68572159.

School Gardens: Cultivating Food Security in Nova Scotia Public Schools?

PubMed

Carlsson, Liesel; Williams, Patricia L; Hayes-Conroy, Jessica S; Lordly, Daphne; Callaghan, Edith

2016-09-01

A small but growing body of peer-reviewed research suggests that school gardens can play a role in building community food security (CFS); however, to date little research exploring the role of school gardens in supporting CFS is available. This paper begins to address this gap in the literature. A qualitative, exploratory, single-case study design was used. The focus of this case study was the school food garden at an elementary school in the River Valley, Nova Scotia, school community. Results provide useful information about potential CFS effects of school gardens in addition to the environmental effects on school gardens important to their effectiveness as CFS tools. Findings suggest children gained food-related knowledge, skills, and values that support long-term CFS. A local social and political landscape at the community, provincial, and school board level were key to strengthening this garden's contributions to CFS. We support Dietitians of Canada's nomination of school gardens as an indicator of CFS with theoretical and practical evidence, underscore the importance of a supportive environment, and need for further research in this area. Health professionals and community organizations provide critical support, helping to weave gardens into a greater movement towards building CFS.

[Giving bad news in medicine: an exploratory study].

PubMed

Bascuñán, M L; Roizblatt, A; Roizblatt, D

2007-01-01

Giving bad news is inherent to the practice of medicine. Development of guidelines for this task has great value, although the orientations are only general and should be adapted to each case, allowing for the cultural idiosyncrasy of the people involved. the present study aims to explore common practices of giving bad news in different hospital services in Santiago-Chile. a qualitative methodology was applied through three focus groups with a sample of 33 physicians from two hospitals in Santiago-Chile. giving bad news is a frequent practice for which no training is given. It generates preoccupation and interest among professionals. There is no agreed procedure to communicate bad news. Each professional has had to develop his/her own way from his/her experience and observing others. Informing the patient is seen as an ethical duty, but in many cases it is not easy because of family pressure. Comments are made on different types of bad news, strategies for this communicational process and facilitators and barriers for it. Doctors' own professional past experience is a central factor in the way bad news is given, and so self-development mechanisms constitute an important challenge.

Teaching learning methods of an entrepreneurship curriculum

PubMed Central

ESMI, KERAMAT; MARZOUGHI, RAHMATALLAH; TORKZADEH, JAFAR

2015-01-01

Introduction One of the most significant elements of entrepreneurship curriculum design is teaching-learning methods, which plays a key role in studies and researches related to such a curriculum. It is the teaching method, and systematic, organized and logical ways of providing lessons that should be consistent with entrepreneurship goals and contents, and should also be developed according to the learners’ needs. Therefore, the current study aimed to introduce appropriate, modern, and effective methods of teaching entrepreneurship and their validation Methods This is a mixed method research of a sequential exploratory kind conducted through two stages: a) developing teaching methods of entrepreneurship curriculum, and b) validating developed framework. Data were collected through “triangulation” (study of documents, investigating theoretical basics and the literature, and semi-structured interviews with key experts). Since the literature on this topic is very rich, and views of the key experts are vast, directed and summative content analysis was used. In the second stage, qualitative credibility of research findings was obtained using qualitative validation criteria (credibility, confirmability, and transferability), and applying various techniques. Moreover, in order to make sure that the qualitative part is reliable, reliability test was used. Moreover, quantitative validation of the developed framework was conducted utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods and Cronbach’s alpha. The data were gathered through distributing a three-aspect questionnaire (direct presentation teaching methods, interactive, and practical-operational aspects) with 29 items among 90 curriculum scholars. Target population was selected by means of purposive sampling and representative sample. Results Results obtained from exploratory factor analysis showed that a three factor structure is an appropriate method for describing elements of teaching-learning methods of entrepreneurship curriculum. Moreover, the value for Kaiser Meyer Olkin measure of sampling adequacy equaled 0.72 and the value for Bartlett’s test of variances homogeneity was significant at the 0.0001 level. Except for internship element, the rest had a factor load of higher than 0.3. Also, the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed the model appropriateness, and the criteria for qualitative accreditation were acceptable. Conclusion Developed model can help instructors in selecting an appropriate method of entrepreneurship teaching, and it can also make sure that the teaching is on the right path. Moreover, the model is comprehensive and includes all the effective teaching methods in entrepreneurship education. It is also based on qualities, conditions, and requirements of Higher Education Institutions in Iranian cultural environment. PMID:26457314

What kind of computation is intelligence. A framework for integrating different kinds of expertise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandrasekaran, B.

1989-01-01

The view that the deliberative aspect of intelligent behavior is a distinct type of algorithm; in particular, a goal-seeking exploratory process using qualitative representations of knowledge and inference is elaborated. There are other kinds of algorithms that also embody expertise in domains. The different types of expertise and how they can and should be integrated to give full account of expert behavior are discussed.

Career Aspirations versus Career Actualizations of African American Executive Level Administrators in Higher Education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in a State in the Southeast: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McManus, Kristen LeToria

2013-01-01

Despite affirmative action, gender inequities persist at institutions of higher learning in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the perceptions of African American women serving in executive-level leadership positions at historically black colleges and universities in a state the Southeast. Participants…

Understanding Public Perceptions of TED Talks: Influence and Impact of a Multi-Platform, Multi-Venue Non-Profit Organization as a Communicative Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Tarsha

2017-01-01

TED Talks has become a worldwide phenomenon attended by many at its conferences, TEDx community-based events, TED.com, and YouTube videos. Previous studies have delved into TED Talks' impact in the educational sector, as it has been used by many educators and students alike in the classroom. Utilizing a qualitative exploratory approach, this study…

Factors affecting acquisition of psychomotor clinical skills by student nurses and midwives in CHAM Nursing Colleges in Malawi: A qualitative exploratory study.

PubMed

Mwale, Omero Gonekani; Kalawa, Roselyn

2016-01-01

Acquisition of psychomotor clinical skills has been shown to improve the quality of care provided to patients when care providers are competent. The aim of this study was to explore students, nurses and tutors experience on factors affecting acquisition of psychomotor clinical skills. The study employed an exploratory qualitative research design. The population was students, clinical nurses and tutors from a nursing College and mission hospital in the southern region of Malawi. In depth interviews using a semi structured guide was used to collect data. Thematic analysis method was employed to analyze the collected data. Ethical principles of respect of human dignity, beneficence and justice were observed. The findings have shown that acquisition of psychomotor skills is affected by: student motivation, lack of resources, learning environment, knowledge gap between the qualified nurses and tutors, and role modeling. In principle when student nurses have acquired necessary skills the quality of care provided to patients improve. Basing on the findings of this study it is recommended that Student should be well prepared before clinical placement Nurses and tutors should also update their knowledge and clinical teaching skills for them to adequately guide students. The clinical arena should have adequate resources.

Development and psychometric evaluation of a women shift workers' reproductive health questionnaire: study protocol for a sequential exploratory mixed-method study.

PubMed

Nikpour, Maryam; Tirgar, Aram; Ebadi, Abbas; Ghaffari, Fatemeh; Firouzbakht, Mojgan; Hajiahmadi, Mahmod

2018-02-06

Although shift works is a certain treat for female reproductive health, but currently, there is no standardized instrument for measuring reproductive health among female shift workers. This study aims to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a Women Shift Workers' Reproductive Health Questionnaire (WSW-RHQ). This is a sequential exploratory mixed-method study with a qualitative and a quantitative phase. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews will be held with female shift workers who live in Mazandaran Province, Iran, additionally, the literature review will be performed by searching electronic databases. Sampling will be done in different workplaces and with maximum variation respecting female shift workers' age and job and educational and different economic situation. Interview data will be analyzed using conventional content analysis and then, the primary item pool for the questionnaire will be developed. In the quantitative phase, we will evaluate the psychometric properties of the questionnaire, i.e. its face, content, construct as well as reliability via the internal consistency, stability. Finally, a scoring system will be developed for the questionnaire. The development of WSW-RHQ will facilitate the promotion and implementation of reproductive health interventions and assessment of their effectiveness. Other scholars can cross-culturally adapt and use the questionnaire according to their immediate contexts.

The use of emotional intelligence capabilities in clinical reasoning and decision-making: A qualitative, exploratory study.

PubMed

Hutchinson, Marie; Hurley, John; Kozlowski, Desirée; Whitehair, Leeann

2018-02-01

To explore clinical nurses' experiences of using emotional intelligence capabilities during clinical reasoning and decision-making. There has been little research exploring whether, or how, nurses employ emotional intelligence (EI) in clinical reasoning and decision-making. Qualitative phase of a larger mixed-methods study. Semistructured qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of registered nurses (n = 12) following EI training and coaching. Constructivist thematic analysis was employed to analyse the narrative transcripts. Three themes emerged: the sensibility to engage EI capabilities in clinical contexts, motivation to actively engage with emotions in clinical decision-making and incorporating emotional and technical perspectives in decision-making. Continuing to separate cognition and emotion in research, theorising and scholarship on clinical reasoning is counterproductive. Understanding more about nurses' use of EI has the potential to improve the calibre of decisions, and the safety and quality of care delivered. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Changing Teachers' Practices through Exploratory Talk in Mathematics: A Discursive Pedagogical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Carol

2015-01-01

This paper presents data collected as part of an intervention research project to develop exploratory talk and collaborative group work with six and seven year-old students in mathematics. A discursive approach was used to analyse and interpret variations in the way that three case-study teachers, involved in the project, managed the group work…

Awareness of Number In Children With Severe And Profound Learning Difficulties: Three Exploratory Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Jill

2005-01-01

This paper reports on exploratory work investigating how children with severe and profound learning difficulties register an awareness of small quantities and how they might use this information to inform their understanding. It draws on studies of typically developing children and investigates their application to pupils whose response to…

Graphical and Numerical Descriptive Analysis: Exploratory Tools Applied to Vietnamese Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haughton, Dominique; Phong, Nguyen

2004-01-01

This case study covers several exploratory data analysis ideas, the histogram and boxplot, kernel density estimates, the recently introduced bagplot--a two-dimensional extension of the boxplot--as well as the violin plot, which combines a boxplot with a density shape plot. We apply these ideas and demonstrate how to interpret the output from these…

Selective Attention in Web Forms: An Exploratory Case Study with Older People

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sayago, Sergio; Guijarro, Jose-Maria; Blat, Josep

2012-01-01

This article reports on an exploratory study aimed to identify which ways of marking required and optional fields help older people fill in web forms correctly. Drawing on a pilot study and selective attention research in ageing, modified versions of widely used forms were created, in which standard asterisks were replaced with one of three…

An Exploratory Case Study of Hospitality Students' Perceptions of Experiential Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Askren, Joe

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore how students described the curriculum in the Introduction to Food Production class and how they perceived the curriculum prepared them for their future in the hospitality industry. The exploratory questions that guided the study were how do students describe the experiential learning curriculum in the…

Achieving Integration in Mixed Methods Designs—Principles and Practices

PubMed Central

Fetters, Michael D; Curry, Leslie A; Creswell, John W

2013-01-01

Mixed methods research offers powerful tools for investigating complex processes and systems in health and health care. This article describes integration principles and practices at three levels in mixed methods research and provides illustrative examples. Integration at the study design level occurs through three basic mixed method designs—exploratory sequential, explanatory sequential, and convergent—and through four advanced frameworks—multistage, intervention, case study, and participatory. Integration at the methods level occurs through four approaches. In connecting, one database links to the other through sampling. With building, one database informs the data collection approach of the other. When merging, the two databases are brought together for analysis. With embedding, data collection and analysis link at multiple points. Integration at the interpretation and reporting level occurs through narrative, data transformation, and joint display. The fit of integration describes the extent the qualitative and quantitative findings cohere. Understanding these principles and practices of integration can help health services researchers leverage the strengths of mixed methods. PMID:24279835

An exploratory study investigating perceptions, opinions and experiences of safeguarding education in pre-registration children's nursing curricula.

PubMed

Littler, Nadine

2018-06-21

To explore perceptions, opinions and experiences of safeguarding education within pre-registration children's nursing curricula. Using a qualitative research method, an online questionnaire was developed and disseminated to pre-registration children's nursing students to complete via a weblink added to their programme's virtual learning environment. This study highlighted the need to integrate other pedagogies in safeguarding education. These include implementing more practical-based workshops such as completing safeguarding referrals to social care and undertaking case vignettes from a multiprofessional perspective. The recommendations from this study for future safeguarding education in pre-registration children's nursing curricula include incorporating a hybrid experiential learning approach, through problem-solving and simulation-based learning, to bridge the theory-to-practice divide and ensure practitioners are fit for practice. © 2018 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

The construction of learning objects on communicable diseases for community health agents.

PubMed

Pacheco, Kátia Cilene Ferreira; Azambuja, Marcelo Schenk de; Bonamigo, Andrea Wander

2018-06-07

To describe the creation of a learning object about communicable diseases and their identification, monitoring, and prevention for community health agents. The qualitative, exploratory, case study conducted in the North District Management Zone - Baltazar of the Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, from October to January 2015 2016. The study had 58 participants and consisted of the stages field research, Bardin's content analysis, and design of the learning object. The profile of the professionals working in the location was established. These agents identified the most commonly found diseases and stressed their needs in relation to a technological resource. The identified needs were considered to define the content and structure the learning object. The learning object is an alternative method for sharing knowledge on communicable diseases. The tool allows the combination of technology with teaching, which makes the learning process and the work of the community health agents more rewarding and productive.

From Awareness to Action: The Community of Sarnia Mobilizes to Protect its Workers from Occupational Disease.

PubMed

Kramer, Desre; McMillan, Keith; Gross, Emily; Kone Pefoyo, Anna J; Bradley, Mike; Holness, Dorothy Linn

2015-11-01

An exploratory qualitative case study investigated how different sectors of a highly industrialized community mobilized in the 1990s to help workers exposed to asbestos. For this study, thirty key informants including representatives from industry, workers, the community, and local politicians participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The analysis was framed by a "Dimensions of Community Change" model. The informants highlighted the importance of raising awareness, and the need for leadership, social and organizational networks, acquiring skills and resources, individual and community power, holding shared values and beliefs, and perseverance. We found that improvements in occupational health and safety came from persistently communicating a clearly defined issue ("asbestos exposure causes cancer") and having an engaged community that collaborated with union leadership. Notable successes included stronger occupational health services, a support group for workers and widows, the fast-tracking of compensation for workers exposed to asbestos, and a reduction in hazardous emissions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Implementing International Health Regulation (2005) in the Brazilian legal-administrative system.

PubMed

Lima, Yara Oyram Ramos; Costa, Ediná Alves

2015-06-01

The scope of this study was to analyze how the International Sanitary Regulation (ISR 2005)has been incorporated into the Brazilian legal-administrative system, in relation to sanitary control measures involving freight, means of transportation and travelers and possible alterations to health surveillance activities, competencies and procedures. This case study has been undertaken using a qualitative approach, of a descriptive and exploratory nature, using institutional data sources and interviews with key-informants involved in implementing ISR (2005). Alterations to the Brazilian legal-administrative system resulting from ISR (2005) were identified, in relation to standards, special competencies and procedures relating to sanitary controls for freight, modes of transportation and travelers. In its present form, the International Sanitary Regulation is an instrument that, in addition to introducing new international and national sanitary control concepts and elements, also helps to clarify questions that are helpful on a national level, relating to the specific competencies and procedures which will, to a certain extent, put pressure on administrative structures in the areas of sanitary control and surveillance.

Achieving integration in mixed methods designs-principles and practices.

PubMed

Fetters, Michael D; Curry, Leslie A; Creswell, John W

2013-12-01

Mixed methods research offers powerful tools for investigating complex processes and systems in health and health care. This article describes integration principles and practices at three levels in mixed methods research and provides illustrative examples. Integration at the study design level occurs through three basic mixed method designs-exploratory sequential, explanatory sequential, and convergent-and through four advanced frameworks-multistage, intervention, case study, and participatory. Integration at the methods level occurs through four approaches. In connecting, one database links to the other through sampling. With building, one database informs the data collection approach of the other. When merging, the two databases are brought together for analysis. With embedding, data collection and analysis link at multiple points. Integration at the interpretation and reporting level occurs through narrative, data transformation, and joint display. The fit of integration describes the extent the qualitative and quantitative findings cohere. Understanding these principles and practices of integration can help health services researchers leverage the strengths of mixed methods. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Efficacy of insurance for organisational disaster recovery: case study of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.

PubMed

Brown, Charlotte; Seville, Erica; Vargo, John

2017-04-01

Insurance is widely acknowledged to be an important component of an organisation's disaster preparedness and resilience. Yet, little analysis exists of how well current commercial insurance policies and practices support organisational recovery in the wake of a major disaster. This exploratory qualitative research, supported by some quantitative survey data, evaluated the efficacy of commercial insurance following the sequence of earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2010 and 2011. The study found that, generally, the commercial insurance sector performed adequately, given the complexity of the events. However, there are a number of ways in which insurers could improve their operations to increase the efficacy of commercial insurance cover and to assist organisational recovery following a disaster. The most notable of these are: (i) better wording of policies; (ii) the availability of sector-specific policies; (iii) the enhancement of claims assessment systems; and (iv) risk-based policy pricing to incentivise risk reduction measures. © 2017 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2017.

Cultural challenges to implementation of formative assessment in Saudi Arabia: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Al-Wassia, Rolina; Hamed, Omayma; Al-Wassia, Heidi; Alafari, Reem; Jamjoom, Reda

2015-04-01

This study investigates challenges that students and faculty face to implement assessment for learning; and the activities, capabilities, enablers, and indicators which could impact performance. The study is a mixed methods research, cross-sectional, exploratory study. The study was organized through two phases of data collection and analysis (QUAL → quan). Based on qualitative focus group discussions (FGD), we first gathered data through field notes. Later, we engaged in analysis using techniques drawn from qualitative data including categorization, theme identification, and connection to existing literature. Based on this analysis, we developed a questionnaire that could provide quantitative measures based on the qualitative FGD. We then administered the questionnaire, and the quantitative data were analyzed to quantitatively test the qualitative findings. Twenty-four faculty and 142 students from the 4th and 5th clinical years participated voluntarily. Their perception of FA and the cultural challenges that hinder its adoption were evaluated through a FGD and a questionnaire. The mean score of understanding FA concept was equal in faculty and students (p = 0.08). The general challenge that scored highest was the need to balance work and academic load in faculty and the need to balance study load and training and mental anxiety in students. There was no difference between faculty and students in perceiving "learning is teacher-centered" (p = 0.481); and "past learning and assessment experience" (p = 0.322). There was a significant difference between them regarding interaction with opposite gender (p <0.001). Students showed higher value as regards the "gap between learning theories and assessment practice", "grade as a priority", and "discrimination by same faculty gender". The authors suggested a "Framework of Innovation in Endorsing Assessment for Learning". It emphasizes a holisitic approach through all levels of the System: Government, Accreditation Bodies, Policy makers; Institution, and Classroom levels.

Developing an instrument to measure effective factors on Clinical Learning.

PubMed

Dadgaran, Ideh; Shirazi, Mandana; Mohammadi, Aeen; Ravari, Ali

2016-07-01

Although nursing students spend a large part of their learning period in the clinical environment, clinical learning has not been perceived by its nature yet. To develop an instrument to measure effective factors on clinical learning in nursing students. This is a mixed methods study performed in 2 steps. First, the researchers defined "clinical learning" in nursing students through qualitative content analysis and designed items of the questionnaire based on semi-structured individual interviews with nursing students. Then, as the second step, psychometric properties of the questionnaire were evaluated using the face validity, content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency evaluated on 227 students from fourth or higher semesters. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed, and then, they were analyzed using Max Qualitative Data Analysis and all of qualitative data were analyzed using SPSS 14. To do the study, we constructed the preliminary questionnaire containing 102 expressions. After determination of face and content validities by qualitative and quantitative approaches, the expressions of the questionnaire were reduced to 45. To determine the construct validity, exploratory factor analysis was applied. The results indicated that the maximum variance percentage (40.55%) was defined by the first 3 factors while the rest of the total variance percentage (59.45%) was determined by the other 42 factors. Results of exploratory factor analysis of this questionnaire indicated the presence of 3 instructor-staff, students, and educational related factors. Finally, 41 expressions were kept in 3 factor groups. The α-Cronbach coefficient (0.93) confirmed the high internal consistency of the questionnaire. Results indicated that the prepared questionnaire was an efficient instrument in the study of the effective factors on clinical learning as viewed by nursing students since it involves 41 expressions and properties such as instrument design based on perception and experiences of the nursing students about effective factors on clinical learning, definition of facilitator and preventive factors of the clinical learning, simple scoring, suitable validity and reliability, and applicability in different occasions.

A structured review of reasons for ecstasy use and related behaviours: pointers for future research

PubMed Central

Peters, Gjalt-Jorn Ygram; Kok, Gerjo

2009-01-01

Background While the health risks of using ecstasy warrant intervention development, a recent meta-analysis of determinants of ecstasy use identified a number of lacunae in the literature. Specifically, no studies were included that address behaviours other than 'using ecstasy' (e.g. 'trying out ecstasy' or 'ceasing ecstasy use'). However, because meta-analyses aim to integrate study results quantitatively, the resulting rigid exclusion criteria cause many studies to be discarded on the basis of their qualitative methodology. Such qualitative studies may nonetheless provide valuable insights to guide future research. To provide an overview of these insights regarding ecstasy use, the current study summarizes and combines what is known from qualitative and exploratory quantitative literature on ecstasy use. Methods The databases PsycINFO and MedLine were searched for publications reporting reasons for ecstasy use and related behaviour, and the results were structured and discussed per behaviour and compared over behaviours. Results Two main categories of reasons were found. The first category comprised reasons to start using ecstasy, use ecstasy, use ecstasy more often, and refrain from ceasing ecstasy use. The second category comprised reasons to refrain from starting to use ecstasy, use less ecstasy, and cease using ecstasy. Reasons for related behaviours within each of these two categories appear to differ, but not as substantially as between the two categories. A large number of reasons that were not yet explored in quantitative research emerged. Conclusion The current summary and combination of exploratory studies yields useful lists of reasons for each behaviour. Before these lists can inform interventions, however, they beg quantitative verification. Also, similarity of determinant configurations of different behaviours can be assessed by addressing determinants of several behaviours in one study. Another important finding is that meta-analytical integration of the literature may overlook important findings and implications. Thus, qualitative reviews remain useful instruments in setting the research agenda. PMID:19594926

A qualitative study of medical students in a rural track: views on eventual rural practice.

PubMed

Roseamelia, Carrie; Greenwald, James L; Bush, Tiffany; Pratte, Morgan; Wilcox, Jessica; Morley, Christopher P

2014-04-01

Rural tracks (RTs) exist within medical schools across the United States. These programs often target those students from rural areas and those with primary care career interests, given that these factors are robust predictors of eventual rural practice. However, only 26% to 64% of graduates from RTs enter eventual rural practice. We conducted a qualitative, exploratory study of medical students enrolled in one school's RT, examining their interests in rural training, specialization, and eventual rural practice, via open coding of transcripts from focus groups and in-depth individual interviews, leading to identification of emerging themes. A total of 16 out of 54 eligible first- and second-year preclinical medical students participated in focus group sessions, and a total of seven out of 17 eligible third- and fourth-year medical students participated in individual interviews. Analyses revealed the recognition of a "Rural Identity," typical characteristics, and the importance of "Program Fit" and "Intentions for Practice" that trended toward family medicine specialization and rural practice. However, nuances within the comments reveal incomplete commitment to rural practice. In many cases, student preference for rural practice was driven largely by a disinterest in urban practice. Students with rural and primary care practice interests are often not perfectly committed to rural practice. However, RTs may provide a haven for such students within medical school.

Living Accommodation for Young People. Report of An Exploratory Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Phyllis G.; Miller, A.

The Building Research Station has embarked on a series of case-studies on the provision of living accommodations for single young people in the 15 to 24 age group in England who live away from home because of education, training or employment. An exploratory review of the existing literature on the subject was made. Discussed are some of the…

Technical Objects between Categorisation and Learning: An Exploratory Case Study in French Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Impedovo, M. A.; Andreucci, C.; Delserieys-Pedregosa, A.; Coiffard, C.; Ginestié, J.

2015-01-01

In this article we present exploratory research carried out in order to understand how students (from 12 to 14 years old) relate to technical objects. It uses technical objects that are part of everyday life and mediated reality. A questionnaire was administered to 57 students in French classes. The questionnaire was composed of three parts: 1)…

How Principals Learn to Lead: The Comparative Influence of On-the-Job Experiences, Administrator Credential Programs, and the ISLLC Standards in the Development of Leadership Expertise among Urban Public School Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Stephen H.; Leon, Ronald J.; Fultz, Miriam

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the comparative influence of college administrator credential programs, on-the-job experiences, and the ISLLC Standards in the development of leadership expertise among urban public school principals. An exploratory, ex-post-facto research design used both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A survey…