Motivations and Implications of Secondary Jobs Among University Faculty: A Qualitative Study

Historically, research indicated that educators were financially motivated to hold multiple jobs (Bell & Roach, 1990). However, recent research indicates that both older and more educated workers in all fields had increasingly nonpecuniary motivations. In fact, 68% of those with a doctoral degree and 46.9% of those 55 or more years old were not primarily motivated by money (Hipple, 2010). Those interested in secondary education have long wondered about the motivations and subsequent consequences of university faculty maintaining secondary positions (moonlighting). We hoped to understand the motivations and implications of this sometimes controversial practice. For this present qualitative study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 full-time, tenure track professors from multiple departments of a private Mid-western university. Each professor interviewed stated that they held a paid, second position that was not affiliated with their university position. Using open coding of the transcripted interviews, four themes emerged: (1) In terms of monetary incentive, most faculty appreciated the added income but stated that the additional money was not their primary motivation. (2) Interestingly, however, the majority stated that the added income probably strongly motivates others to maintain second jobs. (3) Professors believed their second job had a positive impact on their teaching and their department. (4) Personal enjoyment strongly influenced these professors’ decisions to maintain the second job. These four themes reveal some perceived benefits of the practice of professors holding second jobs

A Qualitative Study of Pastors\u27 Kids at Cedarville University: A Pilot Study

Children of pastors (PK’s) are commonly stereotyped in one of two different ways: either they are seen as the model child, or as the prodigal (Barna Group, 2013). The model child is perceived as sheltered and naïve, with expectations placed on them to follow in their parents’ footsteps of faith and practice. The rebel is perhaps the more common stereotype, where children of pastors are seen as having negative feelings toward their father’s position, and wanting to make their own mark on the world and find their own faith journey. The purpose of this study was to determine if either of these stereotypes, or other unifying factors, were present and continuing into their college years. We interviewed 15 college students at a Midwestern Christian university, whose fathers were pastors of medium sized churches (200 to 500 members). While each student interviewed commented on expectations from society in general, their personal experiences varied between the two stereotypical extremes. Apart from the acknowledgement of the stereotypes themselves, we found no major themes common to a majority of the students. This leads us to believe that the widely-held stereotypes about pastor’s kids are not accurate or complete. It appears that these students are very much like their non-PK peers, varying to the same degree in their faith and life journeys, family dynamics, and social interactions

Reverse Freshman Fifteen: A Qualitative Study

The decision to make lifestyle changes as related to health cannot be easily summarized as it involves multiple areas of an individual\u27s life. To examine some of these issues 15 college women who had intentionally experienced significant weight loss during their college years were questioned using a semi-structured interview technique. The interviews contained questions concerning how factors such as identity, motivation, habits, availability of resources, and priorities affected their conscious choice to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Transcriptions were coded and analyzed to determine commonalities in factors related to these lifestyle changes. Three common themes emerged which included having an active lifestyle in high school, more availability of resources in college, and an understanding of their family’s overall health. Most participants ranked their overall health as important to them, but it was not always rated a top priority

The Perspective of College Seniors in ROTC on Becoming a Commissioned Officer

While there is growing research into Military and Mental health issues, the focus of such research has primarily been restricted to those populations who are retired from Military or who step-down from Active Duty. Following a case study with Reservists, we became aware that mental health issues in the Military Population may potentially stem from concepts involved the initial training phases. With the hypothesis that ROTC Cadets are among the youngest persons engaging in Military training, we approached ROTC Air Force and ROTC Army Cadets who were Seniors by credit at Cedarville University. The Cadets were asked to participate in a face-to-face interview with a researcher, to share their experiences of ROTC and their perspectives on what life as a Commissioned Officer would be like. Participation in the interviews was voluntary, but the Air Force Commander and Army Commander had informed their Cadets that this study had been approved by them and participation was encouraged. Participants included both male and female Cadets from a broad range of academic majors. The interviews were analyzed and six themes emerged:- (a) Being associated with high caliber professionals (b) Balancing military persona with non-military persona (c) Skills and strategies for success in life (d) Personal values (e) Awareness of challenges (f) Impact of training on persona. Overall, the Cadets expressed excitement at the prospect of becoming Commissioned Officers, and pride in being among those who serve their country

Perspectives on Adoption from Christian Adoptive Parents: A Qualitative Study

Although adoption has long been studied, the rising current evangelical trend of adopting has brought about a new series of questions, mostly pertaining to, “What is it like to be a Christian adoptive parent?” The research goals were to understand how faith motivates one’s decision to adopt and the assimilation of the adopted child into the family, to examine the parallels between theological adoption and human experience adoption, and to see if parents have a qualitatively different kind of bonding or affection for their biological and adoptive children. This qualitative research study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with practicing Christians who have both biological and adopted children. Several major themes emerged from these qualitative interviews, some of which pertain to: the theological or spiritual reasons for adoption, a more concrete understand of theological constructs, the importance of names, and “adoption legacy.

The Experiences of Being a Full-Time Firefighter: A Qualitative Study

Firefighters are exposed to stress both physically and psychologically on a nearly daily basis, which can have a profound effect on their physical and emotional well-being. In the present qualitative study we explore the effects of being a full time firefighter on both personal and professional aspects of life. Full time firefighters from departments around the southwest Ohio region are being interviewed using a semi-structured format. Those interviews are recorded and transcribed for the purpose of analysis, as we look for common themes among these professionals. Our questions specifically focus on the experiences a firefighter has had while being on call, expectations and motivations when first beginning their career, stressors and coping within the job itself, and how their career choice has affected their familial relationships, health habits, hobbies, and personality. Emerging themes include issues regarding sleep, risk-taking behaviors and habits, and the motivation of helping others

Personal Frustrations of a Full-Time Firefighting Career

In this phenomenological qualitative study, we explored the professional and personal frustrations of being a full-time male firefighter. Themes emerged through analyzing the transcripts of the 26 semi-structured interviews that we conducted. Questions specifically focused on the stress and experiences encountered while on the job and the potential effects that their job has on their personal life, including hobbies, health, and personality. Themes included perceived verbal and physical abuse by the community of the fire service and its services, firefighters’ increased awareness of the environment and how this affects their daily life and the negative/positive implications of the media portrayal of firefighters. We relate the findings of the present study to research on other service-providing professions. Implications of the study include increased awareness and respect for the struggles firefighters endure

Phone Home: Parent-Child Support in College Students\u27 Social Interaction

In this qualitative research study we explored college students’ understanding and appreciation of parental support in social interaction. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 college students who were found to have a close relationship with their parents from a previous study (relative to their peers). The first theme indicated that the majority of these students, who already have close relationships with their parents, benefitted from verbal communication, including phone call and texting with their parents. Texting enables the students and parents to remain in constant contact with each other throughout the day. Parents are able to encourage their children, and let them know they are being thought of and prayed for. They are also able to send reminders about important events, responsibilities, and daily encouragement. Phone calls are another form of communication that was reported. These calls enabled parents to hear about their child’s life, specific stressful events, and personal conflicts in a more detailed way than texting. The second theme revealed that Participants also were grateful for their parents’ availability, giving them a sense of support and security. The students commented that they feel loved and important as a result of being a high priority for their parents. The parents’ consistent communication with their child also served as a morale and self-esteem boost. The last theme represented how students use their parents as a source of relief. When students are on the phone with their parents, the student will often fill in the details and emotions about a conflict and the parent can then provide a safe place for the student to process their thoughts

March 1971 Full Issue

In the present qualitative study, researchers focused on the similarities among college-aged military kids due to similar upbringings and shared experiences. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews in which participants were asked to draw conclusions between past experiences and present attitudes. Researchers found major themes during the interviews and the themes of military pride, respect, and acculturation are the focus of the current presentation

Naming Names: The Impact of Supreme Court Opinion Attribution on Citizen Assessment of Policy Outcomes

The manner in which political institutions convey their policy outcomes can have important implications for how the public views institutions\u27 policy decisions. This paper explores whether the way in which the U.S. Supreme Court communicates its policy decrees affects how favorably members of the public assess its decisions. Specifically, we investigate whether attributing a decision to the nation\u27s High Court or to an individual justice influences the public\u27s agreement with the Court\u27s rulings. Using an experimental design, we find that when a Supreme Court outcome is ascribed to the institution as a whole, rather than to a particular justice, people are more apt to agree with the policy decision. We also find that identifying the gender of the opinion author affects public agreement under certain conditions. Our findings have important implications for how public support for institutional policymaking operates, as well as the dynamics of how the Supreme Court manages to accumulate and maintain public goodwill