Qualitative Analysis Techniques for the Review of the Literature

In this article, we provide a framework for analyzing and interpreting sources that inform a literature review or, as it is more aptly called, a research synthesis. Specifically, using Leech and Onwuegbuzie’s (2007, 2008) frameworks, we delineate how the following four major source types inform research syntheses: talk, observations, drawings/photographs/videos, and documents. We identify 17 qualitative data analysis techniques that are optimal for analyzing one or more of these source types. Further, we outline the role that the following five qualitative data analysis techniques can play in the research synthesis: constant comparison analysis, domain analysis, taxonomic analysis, componential analysis, and theme analysis. We contend that our framework represents a first step in an attempt to help literature reviewers analyze and interpret literature in an optimally rigorous way

Linking Research Questions to Mixed Methods Data Analysis Procedures 1

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of research questions in mixed methods studies. First, we discuss the ways that the goal of the study, the research objective(s), and the research purpose shape the formation of research questions. Second, we compare and contrast quantitative research questions and qualitative research questions. Third, we describe how to write mixed methods research questions, which we define as questions that embed quantitative and qualitative research questions. Finally, we provide a framework for linking research questions to mixed methods data analysis techniques. A major goal of our framework is to illustrate that the development of research questions and data analysis procedures in mixed method studies should occur logically and sequentially

An Exemplar for Teaching and Learning Qualitative Research

In this article, we outline a course wherein the instructors teach students how to conduct rigorous qualitative research. We discuss the four major distinct, but overlapping, phases of the course: conceptual/theoretical, technical, applied, and emergent scholar. Students write several qualitative reports, called qualitative notebooks, which involve data that they collect (via three different types of interviews), analyze (using nine qualitative analysis techniques via qualitative software), and interpret. Each notebook is edited by the instructors to help them improve the quality of subsequent notebook reports. Finally, we advocate asking students who have previously taken this course to team-teach future courses. We hope that our exemplar for teaching and learning qualitative research will be useful for teachers and students alike

Mathematical Model to Assess Motorcycle Accidents in Tanzania

Motorcycle accident has been one of the paramount road cases in Tanzania. However, when ensuring road safety rules in Tanzania it is important to assess the nature and causes of road accidents in the country. It is also necessary to find out the factors which lead to an obstacle of achieving road safety and regulations. This paper focuses on the assessment of motorcycle accidents in Tanzania and the associated factors such as driving experience, personal status like alcoholic, carelessness, wrong overtaking, speed, mechanical defect and road conditions. The models were formulated by using SPSS software program from the data collected from Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions. By applying multi-linear regression methods, the formulated model solutions were used to analyze the relationship between motorcycle accidents as the dependent variable and other factors such as driving experiences, speed, legal status, personal status, mechanical defects, wrong overtake and rough road, tarmac road as independent variables. Keywords: Multi Linear regression method, Motorcycle accidents, Personal status and   Road condition

Vocationalisation of Higher Education in Ghana: Contextual Concerns and Prospects from Lecturers and Students in Accra Polytechnic

In today’s industrial world, vocational and technical education has emerged as the key to the development of every economy and that various experts and educational stakeholders have highlighted on this claim. In view of this, the main objective of this study was to examine the challenges and prospects in the delivery of vocational/technical education at the higher level in Ghana.  We collected data from both primary and secondary sources using Accra Polytechnic (now Accra Technical University), as a case study.  Using the stratified random sampling technique, 130 respondents comprising 100 students and 30 lecturers were selected for the study. A hybrid of quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed for data gathering purposes.  In addition to descriptive statistics, Freidman test and t-test were used to analyse the data.  The findings revealed that vocational/technical education curriculum keeps changing over the period and has assumed different purposes due to the emergence of complex social, technological, economic, demographic and political developments in Ghana. We recommended that, among others, the whole curriculum must be re-oriented towards providing occupational skills, stakeholders must come with unifying vision of exerting influence, set goals, create new ideas, policies, vision and provide direction to ensure that reforms lead to effective delivery of viable vocational education in Ghana. Keywords: Curricula, Context, Higher Institutions, Lecturers, Students, and Vocational   Education

The Effect of Pre-Servıce Teachers’ Beliefs in Behavior and Instructional Management on Their State of Liking of Children

The aim of this study is to determine the state of pre-service teachers’ liking children and their belief in Behaviour and instructional management (BIM), to examine them in terms of various variables and to find out the effect of their beliefs in BIM on their state of liking child. This study was designed through correlational research model. As a result, pre-service teachers' state of liking of child was high. Their belief in behaviour management was more interactionist than their belief on instructional management and their beliefs in BIM and their states of liking of child differed to some variables. Moreover; their state of liking of child related with their belief in instructional management significantly and their beliefs in BIM together explain 16% of the total variance of their state of liking of children. The beliefs of pre-service teachers’ liking of children and their beliefs in BIM should be perceived as professional attitude and value rather than personal feature

ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE, ENERGY CONSERVATION, AND EMISSION REDUCTION IN THE FINANCIAL PROSPECTIVE

oai:jurnalunj.journal.unj.ac.id:article/650Abstract. This article discusses the effect of environmental disclosure to financial performance (quantitative case study of company listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in the year 2008). Empirical result of this study furthermore is being extended by qualitative research for exploring more deeply about implementation of green gas houses in Indonesia trough energy audit. The quantitative research in this study is based on cross-sectional empirical applied research. Through a purposive judgment sampling technique, 31 companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange which also participated in PROPER (environmental program held by Indonesian Ministry of Environment) were included in this study. The first hypothesis is asserted as there is significant effect between environmental performance and financial performance. The second hypothesis is asserted as there is significant effect between environmental disclosure and financial performance. The method of data analysis is multiple linear regressions. The results for both first and second hypotheses indicated that environmental performance and disclosure were significantly affecting financial performance. Further qualitative study in this article extends empirical result of above study. This study discusses about energy conservation and emission reduction in 16 steel industries and 5 pulp and paper industries. Based on result of audit energy that is converted to economical measurement, this study came up with the conclusion that many industries are still extravagant in consuming energy due to inefficient of old equipment process and lack of energy flow Metter measurement. By showing the comparison results of energy consumption in old and new equipment process that are converted to economical measurement, this study recommends to use new machinery for industrial life cycle to support green gas houses program. Keywords: environmental, energy conversion, emission reduction, financial performanc

Perceptions of Classroom Working Alliance and Student Performance

Positive teacher-student relationship has been established as an important contributor to students' social, behavioral, and academic adjustment. Nevertheless, current research has not employed relationship measures that examine both teachers' and students' perceptions. Furthermore, the measures currently being used lack breadth in the definition of the teacher-student relationship. Using the construct of "working alliance" from counseling psychology, this study investigated teachers' (n=14) and elementary school students' (n=53) perceptions of their working alliance and explored how this construct relates to student performance. Teachers' and students' ratings on subscales of the Classroom Working Alliance Inventory (CWAI) were found to be significantly related to one another. In addition, regression analyses demonstrated that both teachers' and students' ratings of working alliance contributed significantly to ratings on the Student Performance Questionnaire (SPQ).Un rapport positif entre l'enseignant et l'élève s'est avéré être un facteur important qui contribue à l'adaptation sociale, comportementale et académique des élèves. Néanmoins, la recherche actuelle n'a pas employé de mesures des rapports qui examinent à la fois les perceptions des enseignants et celles des élèves. De plus, les mesures actuelles manquent d'envergure quant à leur définition du rapport enseignant-élève. Empruntant de la psychologie thérapeutique la construction de l'alliance de travail, nous avons étudié les perceptions qu'ont les enseignants (n=14) et les élèves de l'élémentaire (n=53) de leur alliance de travail et avons examiné dans quelle mesure cette construction joue un rôle dans le rendement des élèves. Nous avons trouvé une relation significative entre les cotes des enseignants et celles des élèves aux sous-échelles de l'inventaire de l'alliance de travail en salle de classe (Classroom Working Alliance Inventory). De plus, les analyses de régression ont démontré que ces cotes, tant celles des enseignants que celles des élèves, ont contribué de façon significative aux cotes du questionnaire sur le rendement des élèves

Building Up Knowledge through Meta-analysis: A Review and Reinterpretation

In the last two decades, researchers have increasingly conducted meta-analyses in the information systems (IS) field. As such, we need to ensure that researchers conduct such analyses in a sound and accurate way, use appropriate and effective meta-analytic techniques, and produce reliable and valid results. Nevertheless, few papers on conducting a meta-analysis in the IS field exist. In this paper, we review and re-interpret the procedures, issues, and techniques in conducting a meta-analysis in the IS field. By doing so, we make important contributions to helping IS researchers expand their baseline knowledge of meta-analyses and, thus, more effectively design and conduct them in the future

Predictive Effects of District Characteristics on Arkansas Transportation Expense

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the predictive effects of district and community characteristics on transportation expenses of school districts in Arkansas using the Kaldor-Hicks Pareto efficiency theory. The 2004 ruling in Lakeview School District No. 25 v. Mike Huckabee mandated adequate and equitable public school funding standards in Arkansas. As a result, school districts are funded using a foundation model where the prior year’s average daily membership is multiplied by the foundation amount set by the Arkansas General Assembly. Data were collected from state databases and each school district’s website. Of the 235 districts in the state, the 222 districts not receiving isolated transportation funding were analyzed using multiple regression. The results indicated that the district\u27s poverty percentage and square miles significantly predicted the percentage of transportation funded. Average daily membership and percentage of transportation funded significantly predicted the school district’s actual transportation expense. The district’s average daily membership and square miles did not significantly affect the average age of the bus fleet. Average daily membership and square miles of the district did significantly predict beginning bus driver salary. The results indicated that average daily membership was not the only predictor variable influencing transportation expenditures, suggesting that an improved transportation funding model could benefit school districts in Arkansas