Thinking about the Coding Process in Qualitative Data Analysis

Coding is a ubiquitous part of the qualitative research process, but it is often under-considered in research methods training and literature. This article explores a number of questions about the coding process which are often raised by beginning researchers, in the light of the recommendations of methods textbooks and the factors which contribute to an answer to these questions. I argue for a conceptualisation of coding as a decision-making process, in which decisions about aspects of coding such as density, frequency, size of data pieces to be coded, are all made by individual researchers in line with their methodological background, their research design and research questions, and the practicalities of their study. This has implications for the way that coding is carried out by researchers at all stages of their careers, as it requires that coding decisions should be made in the context of an individual study, not once and for all

Exploring gender identity within the context of Asperger's syndrome

Gender identity is an integral part of who we are and can have a huge impact on our functioning, behaviour, and psychological well-being. For years, researchers and theorists have studied the developmental course of gender identity including why, how, and when it is formed, and how it shapes our neurobiology and psychology. The first chapter of this thesis reviews existing literature on the relationships between gender identity and psychological well-being across the course of childhood. The review indicates that psychosocial adjustment and self-worth are highest when children feel secure in their gender identity, yet able to explore gender atypical options. Feelings of gender atypicality or dysphoria are associated with poorer psychological outcomes and vulnerability to mental ill health, particularly depression.The review highlights various methodological limitations within the literature and suggests improvements such as using more socially diverse samples. Chapter two presents an empirical study exploring gender and identity in adult men with Asperger’s Syndrome capturing their perceptions of masculinity, gender-typed behaviours, relationships, and societal influences. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the data suggests that for participants, identifying with male gender provides a platform for fitting in by allowing them to learn from societal stereotypes and rehearse playing ‘male’ roles. Participants displayed ambivalence in their feelings of being drawn to the perceived safety of females but resenting the ‘feminine’ side of themselves. Recommendations are made for psychoeducation for Gender identity is an integral part of who we are and can have a huge impact on our functioning, behaviour, and psychological well-being. For years, researchers and theorists have studied the developmental course of gender identity including why, how, and when it is formed, and how it shapes our neurobiology and psychology. The first chapter of this thesis reviews existing literature on the relationships between gender identity and psychological well-being across the course of childhood. The review indicates that psychosocial adjustment and self-worth are highest when children feel secure in their gender identity, yet able to explore gender atypical options. Feelings of gender atypicality or dysphoria are associated with poorer psychological outcomes and vulnerability to mental ill health, particularly depression.The review highlights various methodological limitations within the literature and suggests improvements such as using more socially diverse samples. Chapter two presents an empirical study exploring gender and identity in adult men with Asperger’s Syndrome capturing their perceptions of masculinity, gender-typed behaviours, relationships, and societal influences. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the data suggests that for participants, identifying with male gender provides a platform for fitting in by allowing them to learn from societal stereotypes and rehearse playing ‘male’ roles. Participants displayed ambivalence in their feelings of being drawn to the perceived safety of females but resenting the ‘feminine’ side of themselves. Recommendations are made for psychoeducation for professionals and parents of children with Asperger’s syndrome around potential gender identity confusion. The third chapter presents a reflective review of the author’s experience of conducting the research. The paper provides a personal insight into issues pertaining to methodological processes, relationships with participants and associated emotions

The Effect of Fast Food Consumption on Development of Mental Disorders

Increasing evidence suggests a relationship between fast food consumption and the progression of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. The study conducted aimed to identify whether or not there is an association between these two factors. An anonymous online survey was administered through Google forms. The survey included basic demographic questions regarding diet and mood. Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to analyze data in SPSS version 25.0. Our results suggest that there is an association between increased consumption of fast food and the prevalence of mental disorders. Practicing healthier eating habits along with limiting fast food consumption may prevent or lower the risks of developing mental health disorders.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2023/1034/thumbnail.jp

Exploring the response to diversity and equality in English prisons

Ye

Aerial Surveys Do Not Reliably Survey Boreal-nesting Shorebirds

Aerial surveys have been used as a method for surveying boreal-nesting shorebirds, which breed in difficult-to-access terrain; however, the fraction of breeding birds observed from the air is unknown. We investigated rates of detection by conducting simultaneous air and ground surveys for shorebirds at three sites in the boreal forest of the Northwest Territories, Canada, in 2007. Helicopter surveys included both pond-based surveys where the helicopter flew around the perimeter of each wetland and transect-based surveys where observers recorded birds seen on line transects. Ground surveys involved intensive observation, territory mapping and nest searching in 5 km2 of plots over a period of 5-6 weeks. Shorebird densities observed from the helicopter were highest near large bodies of water. No shorebirds were observed over closed forest despite breeding densities on ground surveys being highest in closed forest. Detection rates were very low, varied among species and aerial survey types, and were inconsistent over time. Ground-based observations showed that the shorebirds often did not flush in response to the helicopter passing overhead. Owing to poor rates of detection, we conclude that helicopter surveys are not an appropriate method for surveying breeding shorebirds in boreal habitats, but may have some utility for monitoring birds' use of stop-over locations

Playing the system: incentives to "game" and educational ethics in school examination entry policies in England

There has been a period of intense policy change involving GCSE examinations in England, proposed partly in response to schools using tactics to maximise performance against accountability measures. The reforms included a change to linear rather than modular entry, removing partial re-sits, and limiting early and multiple entry to examinations by changing school accountability measures. We present new empirical data from interviews conducted with senior teachers at 15 schools. The focus of these interviews has been in the English and mathematics departments; the first subjects to be examined in the new specifications. The data suggest that teachers acknowledge this practice of ‘gaming’ but only as something ‘other’ schools did. Whilst the reforms have now allowed for the system to be viewed as a more level playing field, teachers still describe a constant tension in the decisions surrounding examination entry. They describe the desire for a balance that is not just between school and student outcomes, but also between different outcomes such as motivation, performance, and engagement. Tensions arise between these outcomes when entry choices are being made

Secondary Shakespeare in the UK: Pedagogies and Practice

In this paper we report data from the first national survey of secondary Shakespeare teaching in the UK, conducted online in 2017-18 with a sample of 211 teachers distributed throughout Wales, England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. In this article, we outline the pedagogical practices which are dominant. Specifically, we examine the group of pedagogies known as 'Active Methods' and consider their popularity in secondary classrooms, and why teachers say they do or do not use them. The most popular activities for teaching Shakespeare plays in the UK across the key stages are: reading with parts around the groups; creating scene summaries; watching a film; and historical context activities

ELMO1 has an essential role in the internalization of Salmonella Typhimurium into enteric macrophages that impacts disease outcome.

Backgrounds and aims4-6 million people die of enteric infections each year. After invading intestinal epithelial cells, enteric bacteria encounter phagocytes. However, little is known about how phagocytes internalize the bacteria to generate host responses. Previously, we have shown that BAI1 (Brain Angiogenesis Inhibitor 1) binds and internalizes Gram-negative bacteria through an ELMO1 (Engulfment and cell Motility protein 1)/Rac1-dependent mechanism. Here we delineate the role of ELMO1 in host inflammatory responses following enteric infection.MethodsELMO1-depleted murine macrophage cell lines, intestinal macrophages and ELMO1 deficient mice (total or myeloid-cell specific) was infected with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The bacterial load, inflammatory cytokines and histopathology was evaluated in the ileum, cecum and spleen. The ELMO1 dependent host cytokines were detected by a cytokine array. ELMO1 mediated Rac1 activity was measured by pulldown assay.ResultsThe cytokine array showed reduced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α and MCP-1, by ELMO1-depleted macrophages. Inhibition of ELMO1 expression in macrophages decreased Rac1 activation (~6 fold) and reduced internalization of Salmonella. ELMO1-dependent internalization was indispensable for TNF-α and MCP-1. Simultaneous inhibition of ELMO1 and Rac function virtually abrogated TNF-α responses to infection. Further, activation of NF-κB, ERK1/2 and p38 MAP kinases were impaired in ELMO1-depleted cells. Strikingly, bacterial internalization by intestinal macrophages was completely dependent on ELMO1. Salmonella infection of ELMO1-deficient mice resulted in a 90% reduction in bacterial burden and attenuated inflammatory responses in the ileum, spleen and cecum.ConclusionThese findings suggest a novel role for ELMO1 in facilitating intracellular bacterial sensing and the induction of inflammatory responses following infection with Salmonella

Activation of c-Met and Upregulation of CD44 Expression are Associated with the Metastatic Phenotype in the Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis Model

Background Liver metastasis is the most common cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer. Despite extensive research into the biology of cancer progression, the molecular mechanisms that drive colorectal cancer metastasis are not well characterized. Methods HT29 LM1, HT29 LM2, HT29 LM3 cell lines were derived from the human colorectal cancer cell line HT29 following multiple rounds of in vivo selection in immunodeficient mice. Results CD44 expression, a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions, and cancer cells adhesion to endothelial cells was increased in all in vivo selected cell lines, with maximum CD44 expression and cancer cells adhesion to endothelial cells in the highly metastatic HT29 LM3 cell line. Activation of c-Met upon hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) stimulation in the in vivo selected cell lines is CD44 independent. In vitro separation of CD44 high and low expression cells from HT29 LM3 cell line with FACS sorting confirmed that c-Met activation is CD44 independent upon hepatocyte growth factor stimulation. Furthermore, in vivo evaluation of CD44 low and high expressing HT29 LM3 cells demonstrated no difference in liver metastasis penetrance. Conclusions Taken together, our findings indicate that the aggressive metastatic phenotype of in vivo selected cell lines is associated with overexpression of CD44 and activation of c-MET. We demonstrate that c-Met activation is CD44 independent upon hepatocyte growth factor stimulation and confirm that CD44 expression in HT29 LM3 cell line is not responsible for the increase in metastatic penetrance in HT29 LM3 cell line