Computer-assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Research Articles

Living with type 1 diabetes and schooling among young people in Ghana: a truism of health selection, inadequate support, or artefactual explanation of educational inequalities?

IntroductionType 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is mostly diagnosed among young people. Despite the evidence that T1DM is disruptive, and affects individuals’ health and cognitive ability, there is dearth of knowledge on the impact of T1DM on schooling in LMICs including Ghana. In this research, we explored the impact of T1DM on the schooling of young people living with the disease, and discussed the results within health selection, social support, and artefactual perspectives of inequality.MethodsData were extracted from a qualitative project on T1DM lived experiences in southern Ghana. The study participants were young persons living with T1DM (n = 28) and their caregivers (n = 12). They were purposively recruited to participate in the study using maximum variation and snowball sampling techniques and interviewed in their support group centres, homes, or healthcare facilities using semi-structured interview guides. A computer-assisted qualitative data analysis was performed using QSR NVivo 14 software, and the results were categorised into themes.ResultsThree themes were identified from the transcripts. These themes were school and classroom attendance, choice of school, and school/academic performance. T1DM was a major reason for patients’ limited contact hours with teachers, school drop-out, preference for day schools rather than boarding, opting for vocational training instead of continuation of formal education, limited concentration at school, and delayed educational progression.ConclusionT1DM impacted the schooling of young people living with the disease. The mechanisms of these impacts, and young peoples lived experiences are not artefactual, but rather support discourses on health selection and inadequate social support for young people living with the disease. The results call for the need to develop educational and social interventions to address these barriers. The full implementation of the Inclusive Education Policy (IEP) may contribute to reducing educational and social inequalities caused by ill-health.

AI Applications for Fiqh Rulings in Islamic Banks – Shariah Committee Acceptance

Purpose ‒ The objective of this paper is to study the acceptance of applications of AI in the fiqh ruling process of Islamic banking, among Shariah committees (SC) members of Islamic banks Design/Methodology/Approach ‒ This is a qualitative study using focus group interviews with ten SC members from different Islamic banks. Following the interviews, a thematic analysis of the transcribed data was conducted using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). Findings ‒ The participants were generally receptive towards the utilization of AI tools in the fiqh ruling process at Islamic banks. The participants recognize the potential of AI smart assistants for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the fiqh ruling process. However, they raised some concerns and expectations that need to be addressed. Originality/Value ‒ The novelty of this research comes from sourcing first-hand perspectives of SC members of Islamic banks in Malaysia. Being the end users of AI systems for the fiqh ruling of Islamic banking, it is important to understand their perceptions, concerns, and expectations Research Limitations/Implications ‒ The size of focus group was limited to ten participants to optimize group size and composition in order to allow adequate participation by each group member. Further sampling from more SC members may elicit additional findings Practical Implications ‒ The first-hand views from the target users provides valuable input for initiatives developing AI systems for the fiqh ruling process of Islamic banking

An Analysis of Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Moroccan Secondary School Quality

Quality becomes an integral part of a school when the staff’s thinking and vision align with the school’s culture as a global organization. Stakeholders such as school directors, administrators, educational inspectors, and guidance counsellors play a significant role in ensuring quality integration through effective managerial practices in schools. The research study follows a generally inductive qualitative method. The analysis used semi-structured interviews with stakeholders to explore their perceptions of quality in secondary schools. The 24 interviews were conducted, and their responses were transcribed into text, classified, sorted, and coded in the first stage. This was done with two researchers and experts in consultation. In the second stage, we utilized computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software. As a result, the sub-themes from the research have been grouped into 36 major themes in two phases. We identified perceived categories and themes that mainly revolved around the leadership of school heads and their participative management. This research contributes to an analytical discussion of school administrators’ and directors’ perceptions of quality. A set of generic and innovative multidimensional key performance indicators for school quality is finally proposed.

Optimising textual analysis in higher education studies through computer assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) with ATLAS.ti

The main objective of this article is to highlight the importance of training in digital tools at the university level to foster the development of innovative and efficient data analysis from a scientific perspective. In an increasingly digitised world, the acquisition of digital skills has become a fundamental requirement for success in various disciplines, especially in conducting academic studies and research. The implementation of Computer-Aided Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) software, such as the ATLAS.ti platform, for text analysis not only enriches the educational experience but also prepares students to excel in an ever-evolving digital environment and raise the quality of their research. We present here a practical example of textual analysis in ATLAS.ti that can serve as a reference guide for similar studies based on content analysis of interviews. Various qualitative and quantitative data analysis options and techniques are explored that allow researchers to identify patterns, trends and relationships in the texts analysed, which contributes to a deeper understanding of the topics under study by transcending traditional methods of text analysis.

School Strategies on Improving Students’ Physical Activity Engagement During COVID-19 Pandemic Period: A Thematic Review

Study purpose. Physical inactivity among school students was an existing health issue over the past decade. This became more alarming when the world was hit by the COVID–19 pandemic. Movement restriction that results temporary school closure significantly affect students’ physical activity participation. Therefore, strategies and practices to improve active play engagement as well as to counteract its negative health-related effects on students were widely implemented by teachers and administrators in school upon its re-opening. Numerous articles have been published on the effectiveness of school-based interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is still a lack of a review paper that deals with the identification of patterns and trends about school practices in this area. Hence, this paper intends to generate impressions and identify concepts within the published articles during 2021 to 2023. Materials and methods. Selected articles for this study were collected from the following databases: SCOPUS, Sage, ProQuest, Academic Search complete, Science Direct. Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis (ATLAS ti. 23) guided the comprehensiveness of this review. Study findings were generated and presented through quantitative and qualitative lenses. Results. Four central themes were identified: 1) Alternative Physical Education – modifying traditional physical education subject; 2) Physical literacy focus – approach anchored to multi-dimensional foundation in physical activity engagement 3) Web-based intervention – virtual and cyberspace approach and 4) Needs–based intervention – focusing on integration of participants’ attributes and specifically designed program. Conclusions. The structure of strategies conducted by schools were greatly affected by the current community health status. Findings of this study will serve as a reference for designing future intervention approach to address the sedentary lifestyles of young populations associated to specific community health and other related issues.

Why do patients want medication free treatment for psychosis? An explorative study on reasons for applying to medication free programs

BackgroundA focus on patient’s and service user’s perspectives regarding long-term antipsychotic treatment led to a declaration from the Norwegian Ministry of Health in 2015 to offer treatment without psychotropic medication in mental health as a voluntary option in all four health care regions. In the northernmost region, a 6-bed inpatient ward unit was established, uniquely designed to give people with severe mental illness the possibility to choose such treatment. Only voluntary admissions were accepted. The aim of the present study was to explore the motivation for applying for medication free treatment among patients with several years of treatment history due to psychosis.MethodWe performed nineteen semi-structured, in-depth interviews with persons having at least one admission at the medication free treatment ward during the period 01.01.17 – 17.10.2021. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (NVivo). Systematic Text Condensation was applied, with analysis of data from the first interview. Exploration of connections, similarities and nuances was performed through axial coding with continuous comparison of data and memo writing, followed by focused coding identifying core concepts.ResultsAll participants had a diagnosis of severe mental illness and a history of use of antipsychotics throughout many years. The motivation to apply for medication free treatment was complex. Negative experiences with medication were described, but also positive. Many had tried to taper off before, but described this as a lonely and difficult process. Five core concepts were formed and developed from the participants’ narratives: 1) Medication experiences, 2) Developing illness, 3) Treatment in general, 4) Social life and 4) Growing up.ConclusionThe concept of medication free treatment represents a salutogenetic hope for change, closely linked to self-efficacy and an experience of mastery. Potential conflicts concerning guidelines or evidence on medication does not come forward as important. Support from family and professionals is crucial, in contrast to the feeling of being alone when hoping for change. Motivational factors are closely linked to the concept of recovery, where interaction happens on both an individual and a structural level.

Gadget use and physical activity among children: Involvement Process Theory

Sedentary behaviour is a global concern over the past decade and still an alarming issue at present. Among the concerns of being sedentary was gadget use among children as well as physical activity involvement. Several researches explore the factors link to inactive lifestyle. However, theory generation particularly on gadget use and physical activity involvement process among children were limited. Thus, this paper aims to build theory on gadget use and physical activity involvement among children. This study explores children experiences on too much gadget use and physical activity involvement through qualitative approach using grounded theory lens. Participants of the study were 11 to 13 years old school student and selected parents from Philippines. Data were gathered through face-to-face semi – structured in depth interview. Computer assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) was implemented in this study. Specifically, ATLAS ti. 22 software was used in data management and analysis which was guided by constructivist grounded theory by Charmaz. Theory was generated in this study after coding process i.e. initial coding, focused coding and theory building. Rigorous analysis of data in this study generated a theory and presented in form of process. The children’s involvement process theory to gadget use and physical activity was explained in the following phases; being influence, being happy, accepting the situation, giving conditional task, physical activity: being last on the list. The findings indicate the reason why children spend too much time on gadget as they interpret it as happy place and less time for physical activity as they consider it as last in engagement priority. Results of this paper contribute understanding on how middle school students interpret their experiences regarding excessive gadget use and physical inactivity. Awareness on how children view gadget use and physical activity involvement provides parents, health experts and other related professionals a basis for creating a plan or strategy to promote a balance gadget use and physical activity involvement for children.

Characterization of food insecurity among the forced migrants in northern Nigeria

Food insecurity affects many people worldwide. More than one billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa are food insecure. About 35% of this population, representing 346 million, are food insecure because of conflicts and political unrest. About 1.6 million people forced to migrate from northern to Central Nigeria in 2018 alone are food insecure. Food insecurity reduces people’s choice, power, and opportunity to access and control their food practices. Forced migrants have difficult circumstances, including physical restrictions on food access, and cultural and financial means during the migration. However, there is little knowledge of how the forced migrants engaged and managed their food practices throughout their migration period, making the form of food insecurity they experienced poorly understood. This calls for an investigation to increase food security for forced migrants. This article draws on the investigation from an in-depth Narrative interview involving 25 people who had experienced forced migration in northern Nigeria to address this gap. Unstructured interviews were, used for data collection to allow a wide range of responses. Their responses were audio recorded and subsequently transcribed and written in English. The contextual data that resulted from transcriptions of the audio data were subjected to computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) and the data was analyzed. The study's objectives are to find out the forms of food security/insecurity experienced by the forced migrants, their experiences, and the nature of the migration. The finding revealed that violent conflicts caused by terrorists, Fulani herders, religious bigots, and communal disagreement caused forced migration in the region and resulted in short-term, intermittent, and long-term food insecurity. Short-term food insecurity was more devastating for the migrants than intermittent and long-term food insecurity.

ESG themes of the restaurant industry: a comparison between full-service and limited-service restaurants

ABSTRACT Considering the increasing significance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) in the corporate world, an exploration of ESG reporting in the hospitality context has received limited attention. Accordingly, based on the stakeholder and institutional theories, this study proposes to reveal the overall and contemporary status of the restaurant industry’s ESG practices and further compare the ESG engagements of full-service restaurants and limited-service restaurants. This study collects data from publicly traded restaurant companies’ ESG reports and employs automated content analysis based on a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis approach. The findings of this study provide value to the ESG literature and practical implications

Challenges of Clinical Education: From the Perspective of Clinical Instructors and Clinical Staffs at Dire Dawa University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, Qualitative Study.

To explore the challenges of clinical education from the perspective of clinical instructors and clinical staff at Dire Dawa University College of Health Science. An institutional-based phenomenological qualitative study was conducted. Clinical instructors and staff provided data through in-depth interviews and key informant discussions, which were facilitated by a semistructured tool and a voice recorder. A total of 17 participants, including 11 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with clinical instructors (including two key informants) and six IDIs with clinical staff were included in this study. A purposive sampling method was used to select study participants, and the data were analyzed thematically using the computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software Atlas.ti7. The thematic analysis with an inductive approach involves six steps: familiarization, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and writing. Clinical instructors and clinical staff noted a number of challenges in clinical education, including insufficient medical equipment, low incentives, clinical site repetition, unfavorable clinical practice sites, lack of communication from instructors, skill attrition, lack of orientation for instructors and students, client/patient unwelcomingness, uncooperative healthcare workers, and poor university cooperation. The aforementioned issues contributed to the quality of clinical education and its desired impact, as outlined in this research. A multidisciplinary and collaborative effort is needed to address these challenges.

The dynamics of social, cultural, human, and economic capital in food insecurity among the forced migrants

Food insecurity signifies limited access, expertise, and capacity to affordable safe food. Food insecurity creates different experiences in the daily lives of people worldwide. Food insecurity is common among forced migrants due to changes in cultural norms, space, politics, and economies. While it is readily apparent that forced migration is associated with food insecurity, the details of how the changes in their social, cultural, human, and financial capital affect their food security are not well understood. This matters for finding ways to address food insecurity for those who are, forced to migrate to help improve their food across the migration trajectory. The objectives of the study are to find out how social capital improves the migrant's sources of livelihood and ensures their food security before the violent crisis. Find out how they lost the capital and the implications for food security. Find out the efforts made by forced migrants during and after migrations to ensure food security. This article draws on twenty-five (25) in-depth narrative interviews with people who had experienced conflict-induced migration in Nigeria to address this gap. Their responses were audio recorded and subsequently transcribed and written in English. The contextual data was, subjected to computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS), and the data analyzed. Analysis of this data provides critical insight for explaining and addressing the dynamic relationship between social, cultural, human, and economic capital and food insecurity experienced by forced migrants. It revealed that social, cultural, human, and economic (financial) capitals are significant factors shaping the participant’s livelihood sources before and after the crisis.

Perspectives of organizational culture in the Brazilian oil, gas and biofuels companies

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the aspects of the organizational culture (OC) of companies operating in the Brazilian oil, gas and biofuels (O&G) sector based on semistructured interviews with managers of these organizations and its content analysis. Design/methodology/approach This research was conducted based on semistructured interviews with 12 managers of Brazilian O&G companies and analyzed with a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, namely, MAXQDA™. Findings The results make it possible to obtain the perception of managers about OC, generally understood as a set of attributes and variables of social order, supported by the historical–culturalist theoretical approach. Information about the explicit and implicit manifestation of culture, as well as the evaluation of the most appropriate research instruments and metrics, were also obtained after the interviews. Originality/value This study presents detailed results about OC and its characteristics in the perception of managers of the O&G companies that operate in the Brazilian market.

Social Media and the Public’s Involvement in the Disaster’s Narrative (Case Study: Bantul Regency, Indonesia)

This research aims to discuss the disaster narration during the PPKM period on the Bantul Regency's social media. This research uses the qualitative method from interviews and social media data analyzed by the Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDS). The data were showcased in crosstab analysis and word cloud analysis. The result shows that 1 Bantul District has succeeded in building a community understanding of crises rather than increasing the reputation of actors. The narrative built through crisis knowledge created by the Regional Disaster Relief Agency (BPBD) Bantul Data and Information Center (Pusdalops) needs to be better informed. 2) Then, in the social media dimension of Twitter, COVID-19 data is only presented with updates without showing collaboration between actors. 3) public interaction on BPBD Bantul's Twitter social media was primarily positive, with 63% (supporting all parties in tackling COVID-19), damaging 21% (distrust in COVID-19 data), and neutral 11% (impartial). In word cloud analysis, the dominance of words often used as narratives is Bantul with 31 counts, followed by data, COVID-19, district PPKM, etc.

Doctors for the Truth: Echo Chambers of Disinformation, Hate Speech, and Authority Bias on Social Media

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyser of one of the most prolific waves of disinformation and hate speech on social media. Amid an infodemic, special interest groups, such as the international movement of “Doctors for the Truth”, grew in influence on social media, while leveraging their status as healthcare professionals and creating true echo chambers of COVID-19 false information and misbeliefs, supported by large communities of eager followers all around the world. In this paper, we analyse the discourse of the Portuguese community on Facebook, employing computer-assisted qualitative data analysis. A dataset of 2542 textual and multimedia interactions was extracted from the community and submitted to deductive and inductive coding supported by existing theoretical models. Our investigation revealed the high frequency of negative emotions, of toxic and hateful speech, as well as the widespread diffusion of COVID-19 misbeliefs, 32 of which are of particular relevance in the national context.

Juggle Between Work, Home, and Stress; A Qualitative Analysis Using Nvivo-12 on Working Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: India and other parts of the world have witnessed a health emergency due to COVID-19 that immensely affected the globe. These infectious diseases changed the lives of people, and the condition of working women worsened due to the responsibility of work, home, children, family, house, etc. altogether simultaneously. In a patriarchal society like India, where women are considered as ‘nurturing sex’ where domestic chores and care giving responsibilities are shouldered on women, the juggle between work and home elevated the work demand and heightened the level of stress. Based on the background discussed above, this research is an attempt to address the condition of working women the juggling between work and home elevated stress, work pressure amid COVID-19 Introduction: The world has been struggling with the greatest health crisis for the last two and a half years, affecting everyone’s life, especially working women. The condition of working women has worsened by bearing the heap of responsibilities of work, home, children, family, house, etc., which undoubtedly results in stress, frustration, and anger affecting women’s physical and mental health. This paper is to study the condition of working women who are juggling between work and home amid this COVID-19 pandemic. Method: For conducting the comprehensive study, a questionnaire was designed, which consisted of 14 questions excluding the demographic information, namely Name, Age, Gender, Profession, Experience, etc. Questionnaires were floated to 60 working women under different job profiles. Convenience Sampling was used to collect the data. Out of a sample of 60, 50 women recorded their responses via Google Sheets, and 38 questionnaires were finally used for analysis. The authors have utilized qualitative data analysis techniques to address the issue with the help of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software NVIVO. For analyzing the qualitative data, NVIVO 12 was used by applying three tools Word Cloud Analysis, thematic analysis, and sentiments analysis. Result: The findings of the study show that working women are facing continuous challenges and are under stress due to multiple roles, responsibilities, and work demands since the onset of COVID-19. It is supported by Word Cloud Analysis, thematic analysis, and sentiment analysis. Conclusion: The outbreak of this COVID-19 pandemic, and its exceptional impact on lives, has generated an array of challenges in everyone’s life, but it shattered the lives of working women. The objective of this research is to unearth the stress in working women’s life amid COVID-19 due to the juggling between personal and professional life simultaneously. Results show that amid COVID-19, working women are under stress due to familial responsibility, household chores, work demands, caregiving, etc., all simultaneously without any breather. This societal stereotype lays high pressure and exceptions on working women leading to stress affecting the personal well-being and health of the woman

Study on Contexts and Stages of Digital Content Curation Models: Guidelines for Use in Qualitative Analysis Software

Researchers have shown interest in using software in scientific investigations, expanding literature review strategies in the organization, collection, analysis, and data triangulation. These aspects revealed possibilities for discussions related to digital content curation in Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS). The choice and organization of qualitative data in scientific research are affected by this complexity of information, which involves planning, contextualization, and ethical dilemmas of sharing, among other aspects that permeate the investigations. Thus, this study aims to contribute to the reflection and analysis of models of digital content curation that can be used in CAQDAS. A qualitative descriptive methodology was used to achieve this goal, made possible by a critical literature review of scientific works about digital content curation. It was based on searches in two academic databases (Scientific Electronic Library Online – SciELO – and Scopus) and two gray literature databases. As a result, few digital content curation models with similar stages are employed in different contexts, and that some authors are interested in reflecting on such models. It was also found that the digital content curation models can be redefined and explored based on specific guidelines that consider the context of the organization of qualitative data in CAQDAS.

Computer Games as a Pedagogical Tool for Creating Cyber Security Awareness

Cyberattacks are increasing world-wide, both on corporate networks and public institutions network. During 2022 hackers were widening their aim to target business collaboration tools such as Slack, Teams, OneDrive, and Google Drive with phishing exploits, making for a rich harvest of sensitive data given that most organizations’ employees continued to work remotely. In the later years we have also seen academic institutions becoming more frequent targets for both cybercriminals and state sponsored hackers. In 2022 the education/research sector was most attacked industry globally, seeing a 43% increase compared to 2021, with an average of 2,314 attacks per organisation every week. Schools and universities have the unique challenge of dealing with children or young adults, many of which use their own devices, work from shared locations, and often connect to public Wi-Fi without thinking of the security concerns. Additionally, Russia’s war on Ukraine has led to an increase in spear-phishing activity targeting educational institutions in NATO countries. This situation calls attention to the need for awareness raising about personal cyber security. In Norway, Nord University is one of a few universities with specific focus on security and preparedness, including cyber security awareness. The university has two information security courses: one belonging to furthering education and one within the MBA-study program in Security and Preparedness Management. This paper examines the question whether serious games and online quizzes can create heighten cyber security awareness and motivate individual students to change their cyber security behaviour. The paper reports on the findings based on written reflection notes from students belonging to both courses. The technique of examination and interpretation applied to the data was qualitative thematic content analysis supported by computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software NVivo. Theoretical analysis was guided by social constructionist perspective on knowledge creation. While many advantages of the use of online quizzes and computer games were specified by students, challenges were identified as well. However, the findings show that the use of serious games and online quizzes can be an efficient approach to raising security awareness among participating students.

Social resilience and disaster resilience: A strategy in disaster management efforts based on big data analysis in Indonesian's twitter users

Disasters have various causes, disaster management efforts, and actors involved. A systematic big data analysis is needed to identify social resilience to determine the quality of the country's resilience on disasters. This study aims to (1) determine perceptions about the causes of disasters and (2) understand perceptions of disaster management efforts. (3) identify actors involved in disasters. (4) analyze the relationship between social resilience and disaster resilience using large data sources. (5) formulate a disaster management. The research was conducted by describing in detail from the opinions of the twitter user community about disasters using the text mining method. The data retrieval and analysis process was carried out using Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) with MAXQDA series 2020, Gephi version 0.10.0 and SWOT analysis. The results of the study show: (1) Most of the perceptions of the causes of disasters are associated with religion; (2) Most of the perceptions about disaster management efforts are based on the application of disaster management at the recovery stage; and (3) The actors who are most involved in disaster management efforts are the security forces countries. (4) There is a strong relationship between social resilience and disaster resilience, as shown by each actor having a role in disaster management efforts. (5) There are nine formulations of development strategies in disaster management efforts. The limitation of this research is that it only uses big data from Twitter and social media sources. The implications of this research can be used as a reference for governments, organizations, communities, or others involved in disaster management efforts, especially in countries that have diversity and are prone to disasters.

From suffering towards communal well-being: experiences of a Dalcroze-inspired workshop for a community in crisis.

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study aims to describe the meaning that members of the Parys community ascribed to their experiences of a Dalcroze-inspired workshop. Stakeholders were a number of local residents of Parys, a scenic town situated on the banks of the Vaal River in South Africa's Free State Province. Local residents were asked to share their water-related experiences at a workshop organized by a North-West University research group. It became clear from their stories that they had experienced severe stressful circumstances. They had suffered stress because of the health risks posed by polluted water and the frequent lapses in the town's water supply system. Dalcroze-inspired activities were used to facilitate this meeting. Data were collected through focus group interviews, open-ended individual interviews, photos, videos, and observations. All these data were consolidated in one heuristic unit in ATLAS.ti, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software program. The codes were organized into categories and themes. Friese's (2014) notice, collect and think (NCT) method for computer-assisted qualitative data analysis was used. From the data analysis, five themes emerged related to the Dalcroze-inspired activities. It included: joyful experiences, which facilitated social interaction that made it possible for personal relationships to be transformed. Virtues arose from this transformation, and participants' experience was that the group engagement supported their well-being. We, therefore, argue that the Dalcroze approach can be used in communities in crisis to facilitate conflict resolution and transform relationships.

The “Other” in Court: Islam and Muslims in Polish Judicial Opinions Published Online

Muslims are a marginal minority in Poland, but research shows that they are often subject to negative perceptions and hostility from the majority. Orientalist stereotypes about Islam and the people associated with it are widespread and often reproduced in the media. Research from North America and the European Court of Human Rights suggests that such prejudices can affect the adjudication of cases involving Muslims. It may be presumed that Poland is no exception to that, and this assumption was the starting point for our empirical study. To date, there have been no studies on the perception of Muslims and Islam in the Polish legal system. This article presents the results of a qualitative thematic analysis of 57 judicial opinions issued by the common courts in Poland and published online, in which Islam or being Muslim was mentioned. The cases were categorised and texts of the judicial opinions closely analysed (with computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software) to identify recurring themes. The findings of this first exploratory study show that stereotypical representations and the “‘Othering” of Muslims do indeed occur in Polish courts, with some judges repeating Orientalist tropes that have become normalised in Polish society.