Whose research is it anyway? Tensions and difficulties in research that tries to include the ‘hard to research’

In this paper I consider some of the tensions and problems that can arise, and that need to be addressed, in attempting to undertake research with hard to reach groups of ‘subjects’. In terms of my research this specifically relates to studies undertaken families that include children on the autism spectrum (including the children on the spectrum themselves) as well as children with multiple disabilities and visual impairment (MDVI). I begin by summarising my work experience and how this has shaped my research interests before moving on to discuss studies I have undertaken with the ‘hard to research’. I outline the research studies and the process of the studies before moving on to look at the issues arising. Finally I identify seven key factors regarding this type of research

An investigation of first grade elementary teacher candidates’ perceptions of their teaching profession competencies: A mixed method study

Although teaching profession has lost its prestige over the years, the recent studies demonstrate that teaching still ranks among the top of most respected of professions. Teacher candidates’ individual characteristics play a crucial role in choosing teachers and designing curriculum for educating teacher candidates. The present study is of vital importance to identify the perceptions of first grade teacher candidates enrolled in Faculty of Education towards teaching profession and whether they have teaching competencies needed or not. In this research, a mixed research, sequential explanatory mixed design was utilized in which both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed together. The quantitative data were collected through using teaching competency scale for teacher candidates and afterwards quantitative data was statistically analyzed. It was thus attempted to draw a general picture of the research problem. According to the results obtained, an in-depth analysis of teacher candidates’ perceptions of teaching competencies was required. Employing quantitative data, purposive sampling was identified and semi-structured interviews were carried out with the participants in the purposive sampling. The unidimensional scale developed by [1] and adapted into Turkish by [2] was employed for data collection in the quantitative stage of the research. When viewing teacher candidates’ perceptions on their teaching competencies, first grade teacher candidates stated that they perceive themselves competent in terms of attitude and values and vocation skills. © 2018 by authors, all rights reserved

Theoretical versus pragmatic design in qualitative research

For many years, discussions of the relative merits of generic and theoretical approaches to qualitative research have divided researchers while overshadowing the need to focus on addressing clinical questions. Drawing on the challenges of designing a study that explored parents’ experiences of living with children with hydrocephalus, the authors of this paper argue that over-adherence to, and deliberations about, the philosophical origins of qualitative methods is undermining the contributions qualitative research could make to evidence-based health care and suggest qualitative methods should stand alone

Pre-service teachers as designers in the context of advertising literacy education

The present study describes how teacher design teams (TDTs) in pre-service education were set up to create in-school programs about advertising. A multiple case-study design was employed to reveal what kinds of input-, process-, and output-related factors facilitate or hinder the collaboration of three voluntarily participating teams of pre-service teachers. By combining pre-TDT questionnaire data with an analysis of audiorecorded team design discussions and reflective data collected after the design process, we found that the participating student teachers (1) were unfamiliar with design assignments at the start of the project, but were all intrinsically motivated to take part; (2) especially express practical concerns when designing learning materials, and (3) argue that TDTs positively contribute to their professional development. As this study revealed both facilitating and hindering factors, recommendations for future organization of and research on TDTs in pre-service education are offered

Social participation of families with children with autism spectrum disorder in a science museum

This article describes a qualitative research study undertaken as a collaboration between museum and occupational therapy (OT) researchers to better understand museum experiences for families with a child or children impacted by autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Inclusion for visitors with ASD is an issue that museums are increasingly considering, and the social dimension of inclusion can be particularly relevant for this audience. The construct of social participation, used in OT, provides a promising avenue for museum professionals to think about inclusion. Social participation situates social and community experiences within the context of peoples’ diverse motivations and the strategies they use to navigate environments. This study took these multiple factors into account when observing families’ museum visits—including analysis of their motivations for visiting, environmental features that influenced their visit, family strategies used before and during the visit, and the families’ definitions of a successful visit. Learning more about these factors that are associated with social participation can inform future efforts to improve museum inclusion for families with children with ASD

Involving children and young adults with complex needs in game design

Involving young people with complex needs in game design can be a challenging research endeavor, particularly when working within a school context. In this paper, we discuss findings from two case studies where we worked with young adults with visual impairment, and young people with mobility disabilities. We focus on ethical challenges that emerged during the research process, and we discuss management strategies to foster the establishment of inclusive and engaging field research into video games for young people with complex needs

EMBODIED EXPERIENCES IN METAPHORS IN BAHASA INDONESIA

Metafora merupakan sistem konsep yang memiliki dua aspek, yaitu: ranah target dan sumber. Ranah sumber yang cenderung menunjukkan kategori konkrit digunakan untuk menjelaskan ranah target yang cenderung abstrak. Tulisan ini dimaksudkan untuk menunjukkan faktor yang memotivasi konsep dalam ranah sumber yang memperjelas konsep ranah target. Data yang berupa ungkapan metaforis diambil dengan menggunakan purposive sampling techniques, dari wacana surat pembaca koran harian berbahasa Indonesia yang dipilih secara acak. Metode referencial, distributional, abductive inferencial, dan reflective introspective digunakan untuk menganalisis data. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa metafora merefleksikan pengalaman yang dirasakan oleh tubuh dan panca indera yang dapat dikelompokkan menjadi pengalaman visual, fisik, indera pengecapan (lidah), dan indera penciuman. Ini mengimplikasikan bahwa bahasa digunakan untuk menunjukkan pengalaman yang terekam dalam manah yang diperoleh dari kehidupan sehari-hari ketika melakukan interaksi dan komunikasi dengan orang lain

In the dark – designing navigation for a haptic theatre experience

We describe the ongoing work of a collaborative theatre project, in which blind and sighted members of an interdisciplinary team are working on the creation of an immersive and accessible theatre experience. The theatre experience is set in pitch dark, and uses audio and haptic ubiquitous technologies to guide both blind and sighted members of the audience. During two sessions which explored the use of enactive navigation in the dark space, participants were able to locate areas of interest within the dark, using enactive explorative navigation, and some participants described this as a ‘dense’ experience

Factors revealed while posing mathematical modelling problems by mathematics student teachers

The purpose of this study is to reveal factors considered by mathematics student teachers while posing modelling problems. The participants were twenty-seven mathematics student teachers and posed their modelling problems within their groups. The data were obtained from the modelling problems posed by the participants, their solutions on these problems and the groups’ reflective diaries regarding their problem posing and solution processes. The data were analyzed by using content analysis and the codes were constructed according to the problems’ contents. The participants' diaries were examined in terms of generated codes and the expressions supporting/relating the codes were determined. While designing the problems, the participants considered the factors such as being interesting, understandable, appropriateness to real life and modelling process, model construction, and usability of different mathematical concepts. Their solutions were generally handled in terms of usage of the mathematical statements, appropriateness to the modelling process and being meaningful for real life. Modelling training should be provided to enable the student teachers to develop modelling problems and their designs should be examined and the feedbacks should be given. © 2018 Eurasian Society of Educational Research. All Rights Reserved