From the margin to spaces of in-betweenness: Psychosocially locating lesbian and gay educators in Greece amidst rapid changes

The poster explores practices of street‐level wayfinding mediated through the mobile digital map. To study everyday wayfinding, I approached people in the streets of Toronto, New York, Amsterdam and London, and asked for directions, requesting they draw their instructions. In total, I collected 220 drawings and corresponding observational fieldnotes, along with 20 supplemental interviews. Following collection, I used visual grounded theory (Konecki, Revija Za Socilologiju, 2011, 41, 131–160) and situational analysis (Clarke, Situational analysis: Grounded theory after the postmodern turn, 2005) to analyze the data, concentrating on encounters in which informants used a mobile mapping platform. The poster showcases a selection of the visual dataset and presents a theoretical framework for assessing the everyday applications of mobile mapping platforms such as Google Maps in relation to presumptions of reliability, seamlessness, and claims to space.

This chapter engages the common question, ‘How do grounded theory and situational analysis fit into the contemporary research methods scene?’ 1 Reviewing the development of qualitative inquiry since World War II, this chapter first details the modernist phase c1950–1970 including the 1960s constructionist turn. Created in 1967, grounded theory constituted the first “manifesto” in the long qualitative renaissance, posing many challenges to positivist orthodoxies. I next elaborate the era of ‘turns’ in qualitative inquiry c1970–2000, including narrative, postmodern, poststructural, etc., along with feminist, critical and other critiques integral to the interpretive turn. The Handbook of Qualitative Inquiry was another manifesto in the long qualitative renaissance, highlighting the uneven reception of the poststructural/interpretive turn in qualitative inquiry. All these developments led to the tremendous growth of qualitative methods as transdisciplinary, the wide array of approaches practiced today, and their increasing transnationalization. 2

The complex physical, cognitive, and psychological consequences of stroke can disrupt a survivor's sense of pre-stroke normality and identity. This can have a substantial impact on their individual and social lives. Individual reports about life after stroke have improved our understanding of this impact. However, stroke support systems, struggling with increased demands due to a growing stroke population and guideline requirements, require deeper insights based on synthesised narratives into what can enable stroke survivors to rebuild their lives and identities positively to provide person-centred care. A qualitative study using Charmaz's Constructivist Grounded Theory (GT) method. Semi-structured interviews lasting 60-90 min were conducted. These interviews were held at least 12 months post-stroke. Thirty participants were interviewed from across the UK (14 women, 16 men; aged 31-86; 1-25 years post-stroke). Participants reported the disruption stroke could cause to their sense of identity. The concept of liminality, that describes the ambiguous, transformative state between two distinct stages, where an individual or group exists "betwixt and between" stable conditions, explains the challenge to identity post-stroke. Participants reported developing an uncertain sense of identity as they struggled to structure identity in the same way they did before stroke. This is because the participants' characteristics, traits, hobbies, or future life plans, as well as social relationships and roles, were affected by stroke. Subsequently, participants began a process of reconfiguring their identity, an often-long-term process that involved coming to terms with, and integrating, the impact of stroke on their lives. As a result, participants could enter an indefinite period of sustained liminality as they contend with long-term change and continued uncertainty. The concept of liminality, which emerged from individual stroke narratives for the first time, conveyed the adaptive and enduring nature of a stroke survivor's journey. Post-stroke liminality may continue indefinitely, sustained by a survivor's subjective individual and social situation. This new insight justifies the urgent call for long-term rehabilitation and support that is tailored towards the unique nature of a survivor's circumstances. Further work is required to understand how tailored, long-term and person-centred support can encourage survivors to positively reconfigure their identity.

The article aims at discussing the History of Education in Greece as a field of knowledge. It focuses on achievements, shortfalls, and challenges that affected pathways and critical junctures in the historiography of Greek education. Until the mid-1970s, historiography of Greek education had been closely related to positivism and historicism. It provided a reasonably stable body of knowledge, advocating an idea of an educational mechanism operating autonomously from the social system, contradictions, and conflicts of the social groups. From the mid-1970s onwards, when History of Education was gradually consolidated as an academic discipline, it was oriented in the direction of social change, attempting to document historically the critical role of education in this regard. Over the last decade, despite a remarkable progress towards internationalisation of research work, History of Education in Greece seems to be at a critical juncture. It faces challenges in terms of teaching status in university and a renewal of research perspectives.

Visual Data in Grounded Theory and Situational Analysis: Constructing HIV Prevention Discourses Through Analysis of Visual Imagery in HIV Prevention Materials

ABSTRACTResearch demonstrates counselor educators often lack skills and knowledge to train counselors to become lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other sexualities and gender identities (LGBTQ+) competent. This study explores the process of educators integrating LGBTQ+ competencies into their professional work. Using grounded theory and situational analysis methodologies, in-depth interviews with seven LGBTQ+ competent counselor educators were conducted and analyzed. Findings suggest educators infuse personal passion for LGBTQ+ topics into their professional work, experienced discrimination and resistance across multiple domains, infuse advocacy into their work, and have a similar definition of LGBTQ+ competent counseling. Various techniques are presented to help educators infuse LGBTQ+ competency in the classroom.

For decades qualitative researchers have used grounded theory methodologies in their investigations. Although the grounded theory literature is extensive, less well documented are qualitative studies which incorporate complementary grounded theory approaches into their designs; or studies that validate the use of grounded theory strategies for applied research projects. This paper seeks to add to both margins of the grounded theory literature. First, it provides a detailed methodological account of how constructivist grounded theory and grounded theory situational analysis were used in a Ph.D. study exploring how ecologically concerned networks understand community resilience and respond to current and anticipated challenges of the Anthropocene, the idea that humans are now the primary influencers of global environmental changes. This account is based on a constructivist grounded theory analysis of nine interviews with Europeans active in the Transition Network at the community or regional level; and a grounded theory situational analysis of the network’s written discourse based on twenty-two English-language texts produced by prominent Transitioners, such as founders, headquarters staff, or national hub teams. Furthermore, while the wider Ph.D. study focused on theory building, analysis activities yielded practical insights into addressing real world problems, such as creating and sustaining collective action at the local level. Hence, the paper also discusses a framework that neighborhoods, towns, or other types of communities could adapt for their own collective purposes.

This paper explores elaborations of Grounded Theory in relation to Arenas/Social Worlds Theory. The notions of arenas and social worlds were present in early applications of Grounded Theory but have not been as much used or recognised as the general Grounded Theory approach, particularly in the information studies field. The studies discussed here are therefore very unusual in information research. The empirical contexts of these studies are those of (1) the role of discourse in the organisational adaptation in information systems, (2) discourses on Organizational Interoperability in eGovernment and (3) situational analysis and discourses on coping with long term illness. Despite having a common focus on discourse and combining Grounded Theory with the Arenas/Social Worlds Theory, these three studies represent different elaborations of Grounded Theory. The structure of the analytical processes adopted range from a looser application of the constant comparative method to a much more structured analytical approach informed by Situational Analysis. The theoretical implications of the studies are explored. It is concluded that the Arenas/Social Worlds theoretical approach and the use of discourse and situational analysis are particularly appropriate for library and information research and provide a flexible and adaptable research approach for explaining and mapping complex and dynamic domains.

The scholarly fascination with border cities often proliferates with geopolitical events that transform the security and economic and social landscapes of the state’s border areas. The early scholarly interest in border cities arose in the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century when new infrastructure initiatives and industrialization policies, the Maquiladora Program in particular, boosted industrial development and activities in northern Mexican border cities and across the US-Mexico border. The US-Mexico border cities have served as paradigmatic examples of how international economic agreements transform border cities and towns. The turn toward open borders and the new international trade agreements in the late 1980s and the 1990s boosted the growth and significance of border cities and towns. Since the turn of the millennium, the study of border cities has become increasingly diverse both geographically and thematically. Research on the regional economic development of Asian and African border cities and towns has mushroomed, reflecting their central position in regional trade systems as well as the rapid growth of border settlements. Another key area of research is the European integration process and the ways in which cross-border governance and collaboration transform European border towns, cities, and metropolises. In this area of interest, the problematic issues around border cities are often approached by combining governance, planning, and innovation studies with border studies. Some new research directions have been more popular in specific geopolitical contexts, but many questions regarding border cities are persistent and worldwide. Similarly, there is a persistent fascination with the imaginaries and myths of border cities, including recent attention to the development of cross-border brands as well as their possible mismatch with the perceptions and identity of border inhabitants. The increasing refugee and migration influxes have highlighted the gateway roles of border cities as well as the agency and strategies adopted in border cities to cope with resettlement, including the utilization of resources and knowledge from both sides. Many studies approach borders in terms of a resource, yet the barrier and even violent effects of borders are also of continuing relevance and interest. In this area, divided border cities with persistent conflict and political violence are of specific interest, but they are also examined in relation to the above-mentioned themes, such as cooperation and planning. The recent trend of border fencing and protectionism has similarly highlighted the need for border city research.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenges expectations of retirement. In this paper, we ask: How is the retirement transition experienced in the everyday lives of older adults during pandemic as compared to pre-pandemic times? The paper draws on 15 semi-structured interviews with adults aged 60–75 years living in Germany within the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which were analyzed based on social constructivist Grounded Theory and Situational Analysis. We identified four themes: (1) general retiring experiences; (2) changes in the everyday lives following the retirement transition; (3) changes in their social life and (4) subjective wellbeing. The findings suggest that both retirement and the COVID-19 pandemic entail significant changes to older adults’ experience. Results show that experiences of both groups are similar but vary in degree. Adults retiring in pandemic times feel like missing out on the retirement life. We conclude by outlining a relational perspective on retirement research.

목적 청소년기 아버지와 사별한 경험은 청소년기는 물론 성인기 삶에도 영향을 미칠 수 있다. 그러므로 청소년기에 경험한 사별은 청소년기와 성인기를 포함하여 삶의 전체 과정에서 조망할 필요가 있다. 이러한 관점에서 본 연구는 청소년기에 아버지와 사별한 성인들의 상실과 치유 경험을 분석하였다. 방법 이를 위하여 청소년기에 아버지와 사별한 성인 9명을 대상으로 일대일 심층면담을 실시하여 원자료를 구성하였다. 수집된 자료는 Charmaz(2014)의 구성주의 근거이론 연구방법(Constructing grounded theory)과 Clark(2005)의 상황분석(Situational analysis)을 융합하여 분석하였다. 이는 아버지의 죽음이라는 개인적 체험과 여기에 영향을 주는 사회적 담론, 문화적 규범, 한국 사회만의 독특한 상황적 지식을 포착하려는 연구방법의 설계이다. 결과 구성주의 근거이론에 입각하여 3단계의 코딩을 수행하였으며, 초기 코딩에서 42개의 범주, 초점 코딩에서 15개의 범주, 이론적 코딩에서 6개의 범주가 도출되었다. 이후 이론적 코딩에 근거하여 분석적 이야기를 기술하였다. 또 상황분석으로 접근하여 상황적 지도, 사회적 세계/무대 지도, 위치적 지도를 완성하여 청소년기 아버지와 사별한 성인들의 상실과 치유의 경험을 드러냈다. 구성주의 근거이론 방법으로 접근한 내용과 상황분석을 통합한 연구참여자들의 공통의 경험이자 핵심 범주는 ‘아버지 상실이라는 비극적 생애 사건으로 인해 고립과 침체의 늪에 빠졌으나, 실존적인 자각을 통해 상실의 고통을 극복하고 성장으로 나아가는 삶’으로 제시할 수 있다. 결론 상실의 자기치유와 성장에 대한 논의, 그리고 죽음교육에 대한 제언을 했다. 아버지와 사별은 불행한 사건이지만 이를 통해 죽음을 직면하게 되었고, 이후의 삶은 성장으로 이어졌다. 죽음이 빈번한 사회에서 성장을 모색하기 위해서는 삶에 대한 적극적인 의미 작업이 필요하다. 또한 죽음을 직면할 수 있는 용기와 삶과 죽음에 관해 통찰할 수 있는 죽음교육이 필요하다.

Criminological research on COVID-19 and its repercussions on crimes, criminals and law enforcement agencies is still in its infancy. This paper fills that void with regard to the influence of COVID-19 on organized crime and the work of law enforcement agencies’ investigations of organized crime in Germany by presenting empirical findings from a nationwide qualitative interview study. Through the methodological combination of Grounded Theory and Situational Analysis, we find three central narratives (us vs. them, nationalization vs. internationalization, conservatism vs. innovation) that were provided by law enforcement personnel in terms of the way in which COVID-19 influenced both organized crime groups and their work in the investigation thereof. Following a reflexive approach, the implications of COVID-19 on the research process itself are also discussed.

Over the years after its inception in 1967 the term grounded theory has been packed with multiple meanings, but also fraught by numerous misunderstandings, and complicated by competing versions. (Charmaz, 2006, 177) Introduction I am not completely convinced that this is the right place in this book for a discussion of grounded theory; it is here because it is so often referred to as a ‘research method’. Grounded theory (see Example 16.1 on page 185) is an approach that uses ‘simultaneous data collection and analysis’ (Charmaz, 2006, 20) and as such can be applied in ethnography, case study, historical or action research. It is more about how data is collected and analysed than about the entire research design. Grounded theory is a process of qualitative analysis, not a research method; it is a ‘general method of comparative analysis’ (Glaser, 1978, 116). Although taking a grounded theory approach will influence the design of a research method – for example, in pure grounded theory the literature review very often comes after the analysis of empirical data (Charmaz, 2006) – it is not a research method in its own right. Grounded theory is described as ‘a strategy for handling data in research, providing modes of conceptualisation for describing and explaining’ (Glaser and Strauss, 1967, 3). This is supported by Barney Glaser, who consistently refers to ‘grounded theory analysis’ and when making reference to the ways in which data can be gathered makes no reference to this as a research method (Glaser, 1998). The Discovery of Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) offered a systematic approach to qualitative research practice, emphasizing that qualitative research had a logic of its own, and for the first time practical guidelines were offered in applying that logic. Since 1967 the two originators have taken very different paths. Strauss (1987) and Strauss and Corbin (1990, 1994 and 1998) present a systematic and what some describe as ‘rigid’ approach to grounded theory analysis. Many claim their approach has moved too far from the original concept of grounded theory and suggest that the constant comparative method of Strauss and Corbin has changed the way data is used, from the concept of emerging theory, to theory being forced: ‘the technical tail is beginning to wag the theoretical dog’ (Melia, 1996, 371).

The purpose of this paper is to describe the advantages, experiences, observations and the findings made during the use of two different qualitative data analysis approaches: Grounded Theory and Emergent Themes Analysis. The study carried out evaluated low and high literacy user information seeking behaviour characteristics of UKs “Adviceguide” website. We discuss the use of more than one Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) method, such as process tracing, observation and interviews, can overcame limitations of each method and optimise the outcomes.

One outcome of more than three decades of social and political transformation around the world, the result of processes broadly referred to as globalisation, has been the emergence of a complex (and at first glance, contradictory) conceptual language in the social sciences that has sought to grasp hold of these developments. Throughout the 1990s, theorists began to emphasise a world in motion, deploying concepts like “liquid modernity” (Zygmunt Bauman) to signal rapid and profound changes at work in the social structures, relations, and spatialities of societies (Neil Brenner) that were reconfiguring state-citizen relations (Saskia Sassen). Recently, however, researchers have concentrated on the study of borders and containers as a corrective to the preoccupation with mobility, arguing it is not possible to imagine a world which is only borderless and de-territorialised, because the basic ordering of social groups and societies requires categories and compartments. This paper focuses attention on processes of bordering and ordering in contemporary education systems, suggesting that comparative educators – whose main intellectual project is to understand how (different) education processes are re/produced within and across time, space and societies – would get much greater purchase on transformations currently under way.