How does “subjective I” influence a qualitative research question, theoretical approach and methodologies?

The “subjective Is” are those values and beliefs that a researcher or a practitioner brings to a research project or practice. The “subjective I” enables the researchers or practitioners to ask three sets of questions (a) “ who am I?”; (b) what factors influenced or informed the beliefs and values; and (c) how these beliefs and values affected my approach to developing a research interest, its research questions, theoretical approach, and methodologies. While these questions may not have an explicit influence on quantitative inquiries, it is the bedrock for a qualitative inquiry. Therefore, it is very important that qualitative researchers should engage in the process of identifying their “Subjective I’s” and reflect on how these could influence their preferred research interest, its research questions, theoretical approach and methodologies. This paper has three sections. First, I provided a description of reflexivity, highlighting its purpose in a qualitative research building on evidence from the literature. Subsequently, I provided the strengths of being reflexive as well as identify the potential limitations of not being reflexive in qualitative inquiry. Second, I identified and described three of my “subjective I” as inspired by Pushkin (1998). Third, I discussed how the identified three “subjective I” would influence some components of a hypothetical research topic including its theoretical approach, the research questions, and methodology approach.Keywords: Reflexivity, Qualitative Injury, Subjective

Using Emphasis-Purposeful Sampling-Phenomenon of Interest–Context (EPPiC) Framework to Reflect on Two Qualitative Research Designs and Questions: A Reflective Process

A satisfactory research question often signifies the beginning point for many researchers. While this can be true for quantitative studies because of pre-defined research questions, qualitative research questions undergo series of revisions through a reflective process. This reflective process provides the framework for the subjectivity associated with qualitative inquiry. The continuous iterative reflective process is an essential component for developing qualitative research questions that correspond with the various qualitative study designs. Although qualitative inquiry is term exclusively subjective, there is a need to use a framework in developing qualitative research questions. The Emphasis- Purposeful sampling- Phenomenon of interest – Context (EPPiC) framework guides qualitative researchers in developing and revising qualitative research questions to suit a specific qualitative approach. This article addresses both the development of a research question using the “EPPiC framework” and demonstrate how to revise the “developed” research question to reflect two qualitative research design. I developed a qualitative research question for Sally Thorne’s Interpretive Description design using the EPPiC Framework and subsequently revised the research question to suit a grounded theory design

Effect of Corporate Governance Structure and Financial Reporting Quality of Quoted Pharmaceutical Companies in Nigeria

The study investigated the Effect of Corporate Governance Structure and Financial reporting quality of quoted Pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria. A total of ten Pharmaceutical companies were used from 2006-2019. Data were extracted from the annual report and accounts of the Pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria. Financial reporting quality was calculated using Dechow and Dicher’s (2002) model. The Housman test of multiple regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses. The result found that Board independence has a positive effect on the financial reporting quality, Board compositions have a positive and significant effect on financial reporting quality, Board meeting has negative association on the financial reporting quality of pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria. The ownership structure also reflects the positive and significant financial reporting quality of the selected companies. The number of times the risk management committee meets yearly as an indicator of corporate governance structure yield a positive influence on the financial reporting quality of selected pharmaceutical companies. The result for a ratio of female members in the board, i.e. gender composition and numerical strength of Audit committee members each, is yielding positive and significant effect on financial reporting quality. The r-squared outcome of 55% implies the ability of the selected pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria. The regression model is also supported by the outcome of Durbin-Watson statistics which is close to 2, indicating the possible absence of autocorrelated in the regression model. It, therefore, recommends that quoted firms should adhere to the guidelines given by CBN and SEC on the code of corporate governance as it affects their financial reporting quality. Regular and spontaneous supervising functions/checks by the different regulating agencies are also recommended

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Public Sector Interventions in Entrepreneurship Development in Nigeria

Entrepreneurship is significant to the production process for economic growth and development. The Nigerian government supports entrepreneurial development by providing business training for entrepreneurs across the country; however, the impact of such programs in current entrepreneurship in Nigeria has not been researched. This study was designed to examine the impact of the training on entrepreneurial outcomes such as profitability, revenue, and access to finance using the social construction framework and the theory of external control of organizations. Based on a quantitative quasi-experimental design involving a posttest comparison group, the impact of government support on randomly selected beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries with the FCT was tested using an independent samples t test and binary logistic regression analysis. The results showed no significant relationship between business training and entrepreneurial outcomes. Additionally, it was not likely that an unemployed beneficiary would start a new business after the training, and trainees had difficulty accessing business loans. The social change implication of this study is that public sector institutions engaged in entrepreneurship development in Nigeria need pragmatic interventions that translate into positive entrepreneurial outcomes. They also need to focus on areas that cater for different categories of entrepreneurs such as age groups, educational level, business experience, and nature of the business to enhance effectiveness. Periodic assessment of the intervention programs is necessary using experimental and quasi-experimental studies. Therefore, this study can contribute to the data that public sector institutions can use to develop better interventions for entrepreneurs

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers and its socio-demographic determinants in Abia State, Southeastern Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: healthcare workers are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection with ease of infection transmissibility to coworkers and patients. Vaccine hesitancy rates of 56% and up to 25% have been reported among healthcare workers in US and China respectively. Vaccination is known as the most effective strategy to combat infectious diseases. Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine plays a major role in combating the pandemic. This study assessed the sociodemographic factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers in Abia State. Methods: a cross-sectional study among 422 healthcare workers was conducted in Abia State with an online-based questionnaire. The questionnaire extracted information on socio-demographics and willingness to take vaccine uptake. Descriptive statistics was used to calculate frequencies and proportions. Bivariate analysis was used to test the association between the socio-demographic factors and the outcome variable (vaccine hesitancy). Logistic regression was conducted to identify the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The level of significance was 5%. Results: mean age of the respondents was 40.6 ± 9.5 years and 67.1% were females. The COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rate was 50.5% (95%CI: 45.6-55.3). Socio-demographic factors included age, marital status, location of practice, profession, and income. Vaccine hesitancy was predicted significantly by younger age, (aOR=9.34, 95%CI:2.01-43.39), marital status (single), (aOR=4.97, 95%CI:1.46-16.97) lower income,(aOR=2.84, 95%CI:1.32-6.08) and profession–doctor (aOR=0.28, 95%CI:0.11-0.70), nurse (aOR=0.31, 95%CI:0.15-0.64) and other allied health professionals (aOR=0.22, 95%CI:0.10-0.44). Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was high among healthcare workers. Significant sociodemographic predictors influence the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. We recommend that the Federal and State Ministries of Health conduct awareness campaigns targeting the younger age group, singles, lower income class, and non-clinical staff

Challenges of International Real Estate Investment in an Emerging Economy: The Nigerian Experience

Many real estate investors are increasingly looking to invest internationally for reasons of portfolio diversification and the search for higher risk adjusted returns than can be achieved in their domestic markets and in doing that, the emerging economies provide them with great opportunities. These opportunities are seldomly out- weighed by numerous challenges. This paper therefore evaluates the challenges of international real estate investment in an emerging economies, especially NigeriaWith the great improvement in the political situation of Nigeria, coupled with the large size of the country and thus economies, which resulted to sustained Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, and performance of other economic indicators, Nigeria is in right direction towards realizing the dream of being one of the major emerging market. These attracted international investors as stated by the foreign direct of investment (FDI) of $723.49 Million in 2015. Despite this strong economic growth and potential opportunities even within the real estate markets, international real estate investors faces such challenges like: property market transparency risk, political risk, structural risk, banking risk, currency risk, ownership structure risk. Keywords: Challenges; International real estate; Investors; Real estate investment; Real estate market; Emerging economie

Mapping Evidence From the Literature About the Experience of Internationally Educated Health Professionals to Canadian Professional Competency Profiles of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Physicians, and Pharmacists.

Abstract Purpose: To review experiences of internationally educated healthcare professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, physicians and pharmacists) in their new country and to map these experiences using a competency framework. Method: Database (Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO ) were systematically searched to include articles published between 2000 and 2017 and described the experiences of internationally educated healthcare professionals (IEHPs) in physiotherapists, occupational therapists, physicians and pharmacist in attaining registration in new country. The data were synthesised using conventional content analysis. Emerging themes were mapped across a competency framework based on the profiles of the selected professions. Result: Thirteen articles were included; most were conducted in Canada and among internationally educated medical doctors. Themes were mapped to all the roles in the professional competency profiles except the Health Advocate role. Communicator role was the most frequently discussed; internationally educated healthcare professionals often needed to improve in culture-specific communication including verbal and non-verbal cues during assessment, documentation and treatment of clients. A pictorial representation was created for describing internationally educated healthcare professionals’ deficiencies in roles/ competencies for professional practice. In this representation, cultural-language and confidence deficits contribute to the deficiencies seen in roles and competencies among internationally educated healthcare professionals in their new country. Conclusion: Internationally educated healthcare professionals’ ability to fulfill the explicit roles in the competency profiles may depend largely on having good cultural-language competence as well as confidence. Exposing the internationally educated healthcare professionals to local practice is one of the strategies for cultural-language and confidence enhancement, consistent with findings reported in the nursing profession

Organizational Politics and Employees’ Performance in Private Sector Investment: A Comparative Study of Zenith Bank Plc and Alcon Plc. Nigeria

Objective of research focus to investigate the impact of organizational politics on employees’ performance in the private sectors. Qualitative study was chosen using Zenith Bank Plc and Alcon Plc, Nigeria. The choice of methodology reflects explorative purpose of this research. The data were mainly primary, collected during face-to-face interviews with managers and subordinates of the two firms. Study adopts data categorization approach for the analysis of empirical findings to see the connection between theory and practice. Research found that bad political behavior affects negatively employees’ performance and lowers organizational productivity; while good political behavior affects positively employees’ performance and increases organizational productivity. Reflecting on the problems identified in this study, the authors recommend that every political maneuvering should be managed within reasonable bounds. Again, the authors hereby recommends seven approaches as follows; screen out exceedingly any political individuals during recruitment exercise; create an open-book management system to keep track of  employee’s behavior; periodic financial and accounting statements for all employees should not be politicized; establish formal conflict resolution and grievance processes; openly identify and reward staff who get real results without political games; disciplinary committee should be set up and defaulters should be apprehended to serve as a deterrent for others to follow; organization should adopt sensitive analysis approach to track and monitor any strange behavior of workers in the work environment. Reflecting on the outcome of this research, firstly, one of the problems encountered in carrying out this research was due to difficulty getting enough people to answer interview questions due to tight schedules of the participant; this has implications on the sample size and is considered as one of the study limitations. Based on this, the author recommends future researchers to consider large sample size when replicating study or use alternative research methodology to see if the same result will be replicated. Key terms: Influence, Private sector, Organizational politics, Performance, Political behavior

The Experience and Perception of Physiotherapists in Nigeria re: Fall Prevention in Recurrent-Faller Older Adults

Background: Effective fall prevention practices are essential for reducing falls among older adults. Rehabilitation professionals like physiotherapists are essential members of the fall prevention team, yet little is known about the experiences of physiotherapists practicing fall prevention in developing nations. Objective: To explore the experiences of physiotherapists in Nigeria who practice fall prevention among older adults. Method: We adopted a phenomenological approach to the traditional qualitative design in this study. We purposefully selected and conducted face-to-face interview with twelve physiotherapists who have treated at least one older adult who reported falling two or three times within last six months. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes emerged from our participants: characteristics of recurrent fallers, fall prevention practices, hindrances to fall prevention, and strategies to promote fall prevention practices. In practice, understanding the characteristics (risk factors) of older adults with a history of recurrent falls is important for effective fall prevention practices among physiotherapists. Among other characteristics, our participants believed that older adults who have patronized “traditional bone setters/healer” are at the higher risk of having multiple falls. Conclusion: This study adds to the sparse amount of literature concerning the experience of physiotherapist in fall prevention practices in the developing world. More importantly, the findings of this study will strengthen or stimulate discussion around development of fall prevention strategies specific to the developing world context

Childbirth Practices in the Akpabuyo Rural Health and Demographic Surveillance System

Maternal and neonatal mortality remain high in Nigeria. The State and Federal governments have adopted several strategies to prevent maternal and infant deaths such as the Cross River State Free Health Services to pregnant women and infants, and the National Midwives’ Service Scheme. This study assessed pregnancy and childbirth practices of Nigerian women in rural communities located in Akpabuyo in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Women who were pregnant or had recently given birth in a population of 5,668 people under surveillance in some rural communities of Akpabuyo were interviewed to obtain information on pregnancy and childbirth practices. Validated semi-structured questionnaires were administered by well-trained field workers. Completed questionnaires were entered into electronic data forms in OpenHDS software and exported to STATA for analysis. Results showed that, 39.5% of women reported that they had sought prenatal care from a traditional birth attendant (TBA). 84.6% of all births occurred outside the formal health system with the majority attended by TBAs. Only 15.4% of births occurred in hospitals or health centres. The implements used to cut the umbilical cord were knives (46.2%), new razor blades, old razor blades, sharp stone and scissors. The materials used for treating the umbilical cord were mostly methylated spirit (63.1%); other treatment materials were“western medicine”, “black powder” and others including herbs and earth. The study concluded that, childbirth practices that pose significant risk to maternal and newborn health remain common in these rural communities. Majority of births were attended by TBAs despite free delivery services available at the formal health facilities. TBAs should be assisted to enhance their role in health care delivery. Effort should be made to increase public awareness and interest in facility-based services. Keywords: Maternal health, neonatal infection, longitudinal data, pregnancy