Inward, Outward, Onward: Autoethnography of a Dissertation in (Qualitative) Transitional Space

This article presents the connection of a personal dissertation process to the wider world of qualitative research. Using the concept of transitional space as a metaphor, the author chronicles her theoretical transition from critical race theory to poststructural theory to emerging questions about material feminism. This transition is mapped to three major qualitative research moments within the field: modernist, crisis of representation, and the future. Autoethnography and found text are used to present the micro and macro telling of the dissertation process. White racial identity development among Christian teacher educators at a religious university was the original dissertation focus. Ethical dilemmas emerged during the data collection process, presenting the researcher with a theoretical crisis that needed to be addressed

A two-step fusion process for multi-criteria decision applied to natural hazards in mountains

Mountain river torrents and snow avalanches generate human and material damages with dramatic consequences. Knowledge about natural phenomenona is often lacking and expertise is required for decision and risk management purposes using multi-disciplinary quantitative or qualitative approaches. Expertise is considered as a decision process based on imperfect information coming from more or less reliable and conflicting sources. A methodology mixing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria aid-decision method, and information fusion using Belief Function Theory is described. Fuzzy Sets and Possibilities theories allow to transform quantitative and qualitative criteria into a common frame of discernment for decision in Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST ) and Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) contexts. Main issues consist in basic belief assignments elicitation, conflict identification and management, fusion rule choices, results validation but also in specific needs to make a difference between importance and reliability and uncertainty in the fusion process

Qualitative approaches to research using identity process theory

Qualitative research in psychology has had an interesting history over the last couple of decades in terms of its development, standing and popularity (see Howitt, 2010) but its story varies across domains of the discipline and across geographical locations. Social, health and counselling psychology in Europe (particularly in the UK) have been notably open to qualitative work, whereas, with some exceptions, qualitative approaches to psychological research have struggled to make a major impression in North American psychology generally. In places where it has become relatively established, the story of qualitative approaches to psychological research has not been marked by a cumulative upward trajectory of popularity. Even in the UK, for example, where qualitative methods became an increasingly standard presence in psychology degree programs in the 1990s, there may have been a flattening in popularity in recent years associated with a changing research culture and the ascendancy of cognitive neuroscience as a powerful domain within psychology. In the time since its original, most complete presentation within British social psychology (Breakwell, 1986), Identity Process Theory (IPT) has been employed in both quantitative and qualitative research. In this chapter, we examine the contributions that qualitative research located within an IPT framework can make to the understanding of identity and of the theory itself, while also noting some of the challenges associated with using qualitative approaches within IPT research. In parallel with Vivian L. Vignoles in his chapter on quantitative approaches to IPT research in this volume, we want to make it clear that our chapter should not be seen as suggesting that qualitative research methods are inherently superior to quantitative approaches for studying identity from an IPT perspective. Mindful of critical questions that have been raised about the role and value of qualitative research in the social sciences (e.g. Hammersley, 2008), we advocate a pragmatic approach to methodology. The question is always which research approach – singly or in combination with others – is most useful for achieving the aims and answering the research question of any given study and for maximizing the value of the research, however “research value” might be defined. We agree that some research aims are best suited to quantitative approaches, such as testing theoretical predictions, and other research aims are best achieved through qualitative approaches, such as developing rich, contextualized understandings of phenomena

Program Improvement and Practice: In-Service and Pre-Service Student Teaching Reflections

A qualitative study was conducted with graduates (in-service teachers) and pre-service teacher candidates from a traditional elementary education program to explore perceptions of the student teaching process and its impact on teaching philosophy and practices. The program graduates and pre-service teachers described their experience as valuable, but believed their knowledge of pedagogy and classroom management to be deficient. The value of the internship process and implications for program improvement are discussed. Theory without practice is dead, and practice without theory is blind. — Ano

BENTUK KOMODIFIKASI TUBUH PEREMPUAN DI KOVER MAJALAH PLAYBOY

The problem concerned in this study is about exploring the form, process and meaning of comodification of women body in the Playboy magazine cover, taken among Denpasar society. The analysis is based on the theory of post modern aesthetic theory, comodification theory and post feminism theory. Research methodology is qualitative, location in Denpasar, the informan are the reader of Playboy, photographer, journalist, intellectuals , scholar and cultural observer, which are taken purposively. The problem formulated in this study were : (a) what are the firm of commodification of women body in the Playboy magazine cover; (b) what are the procceser of commodification of women body in the Playboy magazine cover; (c) what meaning are conveyed in the commodification of women body in the Playboy magazine; (d) There were three processes in the commodification of women’s body in the Playboy magazine cover. They were production process, distribution process, and consumtion proces

Recombination limited energy relaxation in a BCS superconductor

We study quasiparticle energy relaxation at sub-kelvin temperatures by injecting hot electrons into an aluminium island and measuring the energy flux from electrons into phonons both in the superconducting and in the normal state. The data show strong reduction of the flux at low temperatures in the superconducting state, in qualitative agreement with the presented quasiclassical theory for clean superconductors. Quantitatively, the energy flux exceeds that from the theory both in the superconducting and in the normal state, possibly suggesting an enhanced or additional relaxation process

Examining emerging ICT's adoption in SMEs from a dynamic process approach

Purpose – This paper aims to advance information and communication technologies (ICT) adoption research and practice by examining and understanding the emerging ICT adoption in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from a dynamic process perspective using actor-network theory (ANT). Design/methodology/approach – This study employs a qualitative approach to investigate how services SMEs are constantly engaging in ICT adoption for improving business performance. Two rounds of interviews were conducted with 26 interviewees. Data collected from the unstructured and semi-structured interviews were analysed to understand the dynamic adoption process, actors involved and their interactions. Findings – The findings reveal the recursive and dynamic nature of the emerging ICT adoption process and the constant interactions and negotiations of various actors. Underpinned by the key concepts of ANTand validated by the empirical data, a framework is developed to depict the stages of dynamic process of emerging ICT adoption, the actors involved and the associated key activities. Research limitations/implications – Qualitative research is interpretive in nature and the size of the sample used is limited. These limitations require caution for the generalization of the findings. The framework can be further validated across a wider population using mixed methods combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. Practical implications – Emerging ICT adoption has moved from a simple adopters’ participation process to involving various actors that constantly interact and influence the process. SMEs manager can be influenced by and influence the technology advancement. As a result, SMEs need constantly interact with various human and non-human actors to keep up with the new ICT development and benefit from the emerging opportunities. Originality/value – The research focuses on the emerging ICT adoption in SMEs from the dynamic process perspective using ANT. It advances ICT adoption research and practice by developing a framework to depict the dynamic and interactive nature of ICT adoption process, and the actors involved and their interactions in the adoption process. Keywords Adoption, Technology adoption, Actor-network theory, Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Paper type Research pape

Assessing Online Collaborative Discourse

This qualitative study using transcript analysis was undertaken to clarify the value of Harasim’s Online Collaborative Learning Theory as a way to assess the collaborative process within nursing education. The theory incorporated three phases: (1) idea generating; (2) idea organizing; and (3) intellectual convergence. The transcripts of asynchronous discussions from a two-week module about disaster nursing using a virtual community were analyzed and formed the data for this study. This study supports the use of Online Collaborative Learning Theory as a framework for assessing online collaborative discourse. Individual or group outcomes were required for the students to move through all three phases of the theory. The phases of the Online Collaborative Learning Theory could be used to evaluate the student’s ability to collaborate. It is recommended that group process skills, which have more to do with interpersonal skills, be evaluated separately from collaborative learning, which has more to do with cognitive skills. Both are required for practicing nurses. When evaluated separately, the student learning needs are more clearly delineated