Parents’ Experiences during their Infant’s Transition from Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Home: A Qualitative Study

Limited literature exists which examines how parents of infants hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) transition from their infant’s NICU hospital stay to home. This study examines the question, “What are the experiences of parents during their infant’s transition from the NICU to home? Grounded theory methods served as the paradigm to explore twelve NICU parents’ experiences during their infant’s transition. The basic social psychological process identified was “becoming a parent” which was based on the core problem “I’m not a parent.” Analysis of data contributed to a model described by the researchers as the resultant Model of Parental Progression that describes how the parents proceeded through their experiences of their infants’ transitions from the NICU to home

Female administrators perceptions of distance learning

Gender disparity is evident in tenure track and tenured faculty positions at universities. However, distance education may provide more supportive environments for female academicians to grow and develop. The term distance learning is used to encompass any type of instruction delivered off campus. Distance learning has increased dramatically and has gained strategic importance possibly presenting women with a new realm for advancement. Leaders in distance learning must have qualities such as good listening skills, be understanding, engage in collaboration, be cooperative, demonstrate openness, have interpersonal sensitivity and empathy; attributes traditionally associated with females. This qualitative study utilizing a survey design, asked 21 participants, female administrators in distance education: “What are your perceptions of the role of distance learning in education today?” They perceived the role of distance learning in education today to be of utmost import and discussed the needs of learners, the access of distance learning, value of distance learning, federal and state requirements, the future of distance learning, the significant impact on Higher Education and the improvement needed

Creating Personal Metaphors About Doing Qualitative Analysis

This study explored personal metaphors for doing qualitative analysis developed by doctoral student researchers. Data consisted of 51 metaphors to describe students’ experiences as novice qualitative researchers. The metaphors focused on three recurring themes: feeling overwhelmed, dealing with ambiguity, uncertainty, and fear of the unknown, and the need for persistence and perseverance to overcome frustration and obstacles. Findings also indicated that creating personal metaphors enabled novice researchers to: see the big picture and understand the overall process, make an abstract process more concrete, and provide a structure, touchstone, or reminder for future work. Teachers of qualitative research may find that creating personal metaphors is a useful tool for students to construct and reflect on the meaning of their research experiences

Creating Personal Metaphors About Doing Qualitative Analysis

This study explored personal metaphors for doing qualitative analysis developed by doctoral student researchers. Data consisted of 51 metaphors to describe students’ experiences as novice qualitative researchers. The metaphors focused on three recurring themes: feeling overwhelmed, dealing with ambiguity, uncertainty, and fear of the unknown, and the need for persistence and perseverance to overcome frustration and obstacles. Findings also indicated that creating personal metaphors enabled novice researchers to: see the big picture and understand the overall process, make an abstract process more concrete, and provide a structure, touchstone, or reminder for future work. Teachers of qualitative research may find that creating personal metaphors is a useful tool for students to construct and reflect on the meaning of their research experiences