Constructivist Grounded Theory Methods Research Articles

Optimising Social Support for the Preservation of Self: Social Support and Women’s Reproductive Decision-Making

Although social support is a known determinant of good health outcomes, its specific role in women’s reproductive decision-making has been largely overlooked in Australia. This paper develops an explanatory theory of how women interact with social support for reproductive decision-making. Twenty-three women residing in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, aged 18–45 years who had or were making reproductive decisions were interviewed and constructivist grounded theory methods were used to analyse the data. Expectations of social support, mobilising social support and constructions of social support emerged as the key phases by which women engaged with reproductive support. These phases demonstrated when, why, what and how women accessed reproductive support, while also giving meaning to their support exchanges. Overall, women wanted to be active participants in resolving reproductive decisions affecting them and, largely, desired support to do so. This article extends the understanding of social support as a phenomenon, specifically exploring its role in Australian women’s reproductive decision-making.

Uncovering the Process of Reasonable Academic Accommodations for Prelicensure Nursing Students With Learning Disabilities.

The purpose of the study was to explore the process by which nursing faculty make reasonable academic accommodations in the classroom setting for students with learning disabilities. Nursing students with identified learning disabilities require academic accommodations. The process of reasonable academic accommodations for nursing students with learning disabilities has not been examined within nursing education literature and clarification is needed. Constructivist grounded theory methods, as described by Charmaz, guided data collection and analysis. Literature supports the categories, themes, and subthemes of the academic accommodations process found in this investigation. However, further research is necessary regarding the academic accommodations process and faculty development to support nursing students with identified learning disabilities. Nursing education needs standards of academic accommodations for students with learning disabilities.

Islamic Performance Instrument (IPI): An Alternative Servant Leadership (SL) tool for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

In the search for measures to keep the society sustained, a qualitative study was conducted to explore a Tawhidic Paradigm (TP) alternative for servant leaders, building upon Greenleaf servant leadership (SL) theory. The aim is to ground an Islamic Performance Instrument (IPI) favourable to sustainable development (SD). Adopting Charmaz's (2006) constructivist Grounded Theory Method (GTM), 5 Muslim managers were identified and interviewed through purposive sampling. The coding process produced an IPI-5es principles (expertise, ethereal, emotional, ethical and empowering) essentially required by servant leaders to transform SDGs around the globe. The Islamic constructs of �Aqidah (Creed), Khalifa (Vicegerent) and �Adl (Justice) were critical in grounding these principles. Theoretically, the research outcome contributes to� body of knowledge on Tawhidic Paradigm (TP) and Islamic Servant Leadership (ISL). This paper projects leaders forming polices that synchronizes meeting SDGs with spiritual responsibilities. Practically, it offers leaders the ideal purpose of SL: servitude to the Creator � (Allah) and, also to humanity (fulfilling SDGs), as against the conventional SL theory which excludes the former. By implication, TP projects service to humanity (SDGs) as acts of worship (Ibadah). The paper was limited by fewer GTM research on Islamic SL principles for SDGs. Future study may conduct a time series analysis on servant leaders imbued with IPI-5es principles to determine SDGs success rate. The paper offers a pioneer model (IPI-5es principles) that extends conventional SL theory for SD.

'The Problem of the Color Line': Faculty approaches to teaching Social Justice in Baccalaureate Nursing Programs.

Social justice is put forth as a core professional nursing value, although conceptualizations within foundational documents and among nurse educators remain inconsistent and contradictory. The purpose of this study was to explore how faculty teach social justice in theory courses in Baccalaureate programs. This qualitative study utilized constructivist grounded theory methods to examine processes informing participants' teaching. Participants utilize four overarching approaches: fostering engaging classroom climates, utilizing various naming strategies, framing diversity and culture as social justice, and role modeling a critical stance. They deploy specific strategies, varying largely by race, educational background, and nursing specialty. A background in social sciences supports pedagogy that interrogates health inequities rather than merely raising awareness about disparities. Findings also reveal that faculty of color navigate institutional structures predicated upon colorblind racism and problematic views of culture, which many white faculty teaching non-Community Health Nursing courses described doing. To enact social justice and be answerable to our communities, concerted anti-oppression efforts are needed across education, research, practice, and policy. This includes sustained commitment to address colonialism and whiteness in every institution that defines, promotes, and claims to advance nursing so that we can fulfill our responsibility to address unjust systems and structures to serve our communities.

"The Only Way We'll Be Successful": Organizational Factors That Influence Psychosocial Well-Being and Self-Care Among Advocates Working to Address Gender-Based Violence.

Advocates who work for nonprofit organizations (NPOs) that address gender-based violence (GBV) experience a wide range of psychosocial health and well-being risks due to the emotionally demanding nature of the work they engage in. Most recommendations for advocates' self-care focus on individual-level activities, failing to hold the NPOs accountable for creating workplace cultures and practices that foster psychosocial well-being, self-care, and resilience among the advocates. The aim of this qualitative research was to further our understanding of organizational-level factors that influence psychosocial well-being and self-care practices among advocates who work for GBV-specific NPOs in a metropolitan area in the southeastern United States. We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 GBV-specific advocates. Constructivist grounded theory methods were used in coding and analyzing the data. Sixteen advocates identified as White, followed by five Black, two Hispanic, and two mixed-race/ethnicity. Mean age was 36 years. Most participants had a master's degree (n = 16). Analysis of the data resulted in three major themes: (a) Management and Leadership Style, (b) Interpersonal Relationship Dynamics, and (c) Culture of Self-Care. The ways in which leaders established relationships with other advocates to accomplish organizational goals, how advocates developed a sense of camaraderie with their coworkers, and shared norms around self-care shaped advocates' willingness and ability to engage in individual and collective self-care. Findings of this study highlight the role of GBV-specific NPOs in creating workplace cultures and practices that are conducive to engaging in self-care and developing resilience among the advocates. By fulfilling this responsibility, organizations would enable the advocates to not only survive, but thrive in their work and make even greater strides in the overall mission of GBV prevention.

Online collaborative mind mapping in a mathematics teacher education program: a study on student interaction and knowledge construction

The inclusion of alternative and multimodal methods for online interaction and knowledge construction in mathematics teacher education is still an incipient field. In this paper, we present a multiple case study of three blended courses in an elementary mathematics teacher education program at Western University. In these blended courses, the online component included the construction of collaborative mind maps. Through constructivist grounded theory methods, we analyzed teacher candidates’ mind maps as (a) final products, and (b) interaction processes. The resulting theory describes how pre-service mathematics teachers interact and construct knowledge while they engage in online collaborative mind mapping. The study provides insights into the ways that collaborative and multimodal technologies affect mathematics teacher education, and in turn, suggests how its implementation may be improved.

Exploring the attitude formation process of individuals towards new technologies: the case of augmented reality

We examine how individuals assess augmented reality (AR) technologies and build attitudes towards them. Following a constructivist grounded theory method, we find that individuals do not assess the functionalities of AR technologies in absolute terms, but based upon the perceived benefits, limitations and concerns of other existing technologies. Consequently, individuals evaluate to what degree certain individually chosen technologies are equivalent to AR. By generalising this process and combining these insights with knowledge about attitudes from the literature, we develop the extended attitude formation theory (EAFT) representing the synopsis of this cognitive process. Our results contribute to theory by providing a new perspective on how attitudes towards innovative and somewhat unknown technologies are formed by individuals under a high level of uncertainty and therefore, overcome certain weaknesses of existing theories - like the technology acceptance model (TAM) which until now failed to explain users' attitudes in cases of new technologies.

Tech Talk: Analyzing the Negotiations and Rules Around Technology Use in Intimate Relationships

Technology use has become pervasive, and its use in relationships can either be helpful or harmful. While a growing body of research is exploring relationship-based outcomes related to tech use, little is known about how couples communicate about expectations around social media, video games, or other online activities. This study explored how couples communicate about and monitor rules and boundaries related to use of technology in their relationship. Constructivist grounded theory methods were used to analyze semi-structured interviews with 25 couples in committed relationships. The analysis resulted in the construction of a theoretical model explaining the communication process couples engage in concerning use of technology in their committed relationships. Results revealed that some couples have developed explicit rules about technology use, but many couples relied on implicit rules or had not communicated about technology-related issues. Clinical implications and future research recommendations are discussed.

Infant-led Research: Privileging Space to See, Hear, and Consider the Subjective Experience of the Infant

ABSTRACTThe subjective experience of infants is seldom considered in research directly concerning them. Commonly, infants are not believed to possess self-agency or innate communicative abilities, obscuring space for researchers to consider the infant’s subjectivity. Rather, measuring and coding behaviour or seeking the parent’s perspective is privileged. Making meaning is not limited to the capacity to verbalise; as meaning encompasses feelings, behaviours, and contexts. In this paper, a novel “infant-led” qualitative research methodology is presented utilising infant observation techniques, drawing on theories of “intersubjectivity” and using a constructivist grounded theory method. Distinct to this methodology is how data collection begins with the infant before any other, as does the process of data analysis; providing the basis upon which all other data are interpreted. The application of such an approach is nonintrusive and has much to offer social workers working with infants in high risk situations in community, health, and mental health settings.IMPLICATIONSThe experience of infants is entitled to be included in research that directly impacts them.Adopting an infant-led approach brings alive the experiences of infants and challenges assumptions that minimise the competencies and contributions infants make.

People, places, and stigma: A qualitative study exploring the overdose risk environment in rural Kentucky

BackgroundThough overdose rates have been increasing in US rural areas for two decades, little is known about the rural risk environment for overdoses. This qualitative study explored the risk environment for overdoses among young adults in Eastern Kentucky, a rural epicenter of the US opioid epidemic. MethodsParticipants were recruited via community-based outreach. Eligibility criteria included living in one of five rural Eastern Kentucky counties; being aged 18–35; and using opioids to get high in the past 30 days. Semi-structured interviews explored the rural risk environment, and strategies to prevent overdose and dying from an overdose. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using constructivist grounded-theory methods. ResultsIn this sample (N = 19), participants reported using in a range of locations, including homes and outdoor settings; concerns about community stigma and law enforcement shaped the settings where participants used opioids and the strategies they deployed in these settings to prevent an overdose, and to survive an overdose. Almost half of participants reported using opioids in a “trap house” or other dealing locations, often to evade police after buying drugs, and reported that others present pressed them to use more than usual. If an overdose occurred in this setting, however, these same people might refuse to call EMS to protect themselves from arrest. Outdoor settings presented particular vulnerabilities to overdose and dying from an overdose. Most participants reported using opioids outdoors, where they skipped overdose prevention steps to reduce their risk of arrest; they worried that no one would find them if they overdosed, and that cell phone coverage would be too weak to summon EMS. ConclusionFindings suggest that initiatives to reduce overdoses in Eastern Kentucky would be strengthened by de-escalating the War on Drugs and engaging law enforcement in initiatives to protect the health of people who use opioids.

EVERYDAY MEMORY IN OLDER AND YOUNGER ADULTS: OUTSOURCING, SOCIALLY-DISTRIBUTED REMEMBERING & CONCEPTUALIZATION

Qualitative interview data about everyday remembering within the context of older adults ages 62-83, (N= 27, M=69.5, SD=5.72) and younger adults ages 18-24 (N=29, M=21.2, SD= 1.77) lives were collected and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methods. This study sought to compare the processes used by these individuals in their pursuit of everyday memory-demanding goals and their conceptualization of these methods. Older adults typically reported importance beliefs that guided memory-supportive behaviors for things like social engagements or medical appointments, whereas younger adults reported important information as being primarily school-related. There were major differences in the execution and conceptualization for remembering critical information. Younger adults engaged in a form of socially-distributed cognition, wherein they relied on and outsourced remembering to technology and other people via apps. Interestingly, younger adults relied on others to remind them about coursework, extra-curricular activities, and social obligations via social communication platforms (e.g. GroupMe), text messages, and shared calendar alerts. Very few of the younger adults sampled were responsible for reminding others, but relied on the social altruism of their peers who were responsible for disseminating mass reminders. Conversely, technological outsourcing was not as prevalent in the older adults interviewed and only a few shared that they received similar reminders via text or email. Of the few cases that did outsource, a small subset did, however, engage in these processes within small groups or pairs, wherein a friend or significant other reminded them about social gatherings or names but in a much smaller proportion, comparatively.

Barriers and enablers for the implementation of clinical practice guidelines in China: a mixed-method study

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore perspectives and reasoning of medical staff from Class A tertiary hospitals about the factors hindering and facilitating the uptake and use of...

Filial Piety: From the Perspective of Indonesian Young Adults

Background: Filial piety refers to expectations for children to respect parents and fulfill care responsibility, including provide direct care and support them in their old age. However, socio-demographic changes might shape how young generation would see and practice the value of filial responsibility in parent’s old age.Purpose: This study aimed to explore the meaning of filial responsibility among young adults within the social context of Indonesia.Methods: Symbolic interactionism formed the framework for this study. The constructivist grounded theory method guided the analysis of the data obtained from in-depth interviews with eight university students. The participants were selected using a purposive and snowball sampling technique with the following criteria: 18 years old or over, currently enrolled as a student and had living parents. Results: The result showed that redefining the meaning of filial responsibility was obtained as the main theme which linked all four categories: ‘I am the one’, ‘not institutional care’, ‘the gendering of caregiving’, and ‘it is okay to do so’. The findings revealed that the value of filial responsibility was still upheld by Indonesian young people. However, their views had been changed somewhat from the traditional practices which were family oriented and highly gendered to a more contemporary form where caregiving was extended to non-family caregivers and supposed to be less gendered in the practice.Conclusion: This study offers an insight into the shifting patterns in elderly caregiving and support in Indonesia. The findings also indicate the need to further promote gender equality in elderly caregiving.

Rural risk environments for hepatitis c among young adults in appalachian kentucky

BackgroundRural Kentucky is an epicenter of hepatitis C(HCV), especially among young adults who inject drugs. While the Risk Environment Framework (REF) has been used widely to study and address socio-ecological determinants of infectious disease among people who inject drugs (PWID), it has been almost exclusively applied to urban environments. Applying REF to rural environments can enhance our understanding of the drivers of HCV epidemics in these hard-hit areas, and inform the creation and implementation of harm reduction interventions in this local context. MethodsParticipants were recruited between March and August 2017 via community-based outreach methods (e.g., cookouts, flyers) and peer referral. Individuals who met eligibility criteria (aged 18–35, recently used prescription opioids and/or heroin to get high, lived in one of the 5 target counties) participated indepth, semi-structured interviews. The interview guide was informed by the REF, and covered HCV-related risk behaviors and environmental features that shaped vulnerability to engaging in these behaviors. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using constructivist grounded-theory methods. ResultsParticipants (N=19) described multiple intersecting risk environment features that shaped vulnerability to HCV transmission. Economic decline generated intergenerational poverty, dwindling employment prospects, and diminished social enrichment opportunities that collectively contributed to substance misuse and risky injection practices. Geographic isolation, lack of collective knowledge about HCV transmission risks, scarce harm reduction services, familial poverty, and fear of law enforcement interacted to increase the odds of people injecting in "trap houses" (akin to shooting galleries) or secluded areas, spaces in which they rushed to inject and shared injection equipment. Pervasive stigma was a structural barrier to adopting, expanding, and using harm reduction services. ConclusionThis exploratory study identified features of rural risk environments that may contribute to significant HCV burdens in Appalachian Kentucky. Findings signal the importance of expanding proven harm reduction strategies and anti-stigma interventions tailored to rural contexts.

Learning to interact and interacting to learn: a substantive theory of clinical workplace learning for diverse cohorts.

Social interactions are integral to clinical workplace functioning and are recognised to play an important role in clinical workplace learning. How, why and to what end students, in the context of today's culturally and linguistically diverse cohorts, interact with members of clinical workplace communities during clinical workplace learning is not well understood. The aim of this research was to generate a theoretical understanding of students' interactive processes in clinical workplace learning that accounted for high levels of cultural/linguistic diversity. In accordance with constructivist grounded theory methods, data collection and analysis were premised on theoretical sampling and constant comparative analysis, and undertaken from an informed and reflexive stance. This involved iterations of survey, interview and diary data from two diverse cohorts of final year veterinary students who had undergone 11months of clinical workplace learning. Clinical preceptors were also interviewed. As an aid to theory building, testing and refinement, and in order to test the theory's relevance, usefulness and transferability beyond veterinary clinical education, critical feedback was sought from medical and allied health educators. Our substantive level theory demonstrates that upon entering the clinical workplace community, students learn how to 'harness dialogue' in order to effectively coordinate three, inter-related interactive processes: (i) functioning in the workplace, (ii) impression management and (iii) learning-in-the-moment. We found both positive and negative consequences ensued, depending on how students harnessed dialogue. The theory responds to a perceived need in international student education to move away from a deficit discourse by developing educational theory which focuses on the nature of participation, rather than the nature of the student.

'Staying strong on the inside and outside' to keep walking and moving around: Perspectives from Aboriginal people with Machado Joseph Disease and their families from the Groote Eylandt Archipelago, Australia.

Machado Joseph Disease (MJD) (spinocerebellar ataxia 3) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease causing progressive ataxia and loss of mobility. It is the most common spinocerebellar ataxia worldwide. Among Aboriginal families of Groote Eylandt and related communities across Australia’s Top End, MJD is estimated to be more prevalent than anywhere else in the world. This study explored lived experiences of individuals and families with MJD to determine what is important and what works best to keep walking and moving around. A collaborative qualitative exploratory study, drawing from constructivist grounded theory methods, was undertaken for data collection and analysis. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals with MJD (n = 8) and their family members (n = 4) from the Groote Eylandt Archipelago where ~1500 Aboriginal people (Warnumamalya) live. Interviews were led by Warnumamalya community research partners in participants’ preferred language(s). Participants described their experience of living with MJD, from ‘knowing about MJD’, ‘protecting yourself from MJD’ and ‘adjusting to life with MJD’. While the specific importance of walking and moving around differed widely between participants, all perceived that walking and moving around enabled them to do what mattered most to them in life. ‘Staying strong on the inside and outside’ (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) was perceived to work best to keep walking and moving around as long as possible. A framework that included personal and environmental strategies for staying strong emerged: ‘Exercising your body’, ‘having something important to do’, ‘keeping yourself happy’, ‘searching for good medicine’, ‘families helping each other’ and ‘going country’. This study, the first to explore lived experiences of MJD in Australia, highlights the importance of maintaining mobility as long as possible. Strategies perceived to work best address physical and psychosocial needs in an integrated manner. Services supporting families with MJD need flexibility to provide individualised, responsive and holistic care.

Successful Rules Reduction Implementation Process in Domestic Violence Shelters: From Vision to Practice.

Domestic violence (DV) shelters provide safety for survivors to consider their options and heal from abuse. Unfortunately, survivors have reported negative experiences associated with shelter rule enforcement. Rules, such as curfew, decreased access to community social networks; and staff's rule enforcement may trigger survivors' past experiences with abusive control and structural racism. Rule enforcement may deter safe, trusting relationships between staff and residents. Statewide DV coalitions have been innovation leaders in shelter rules reduction efforts over the past decade. Seven DV shelter directors and coalition trainers with expertise implementing reduced-rule shelter models were interviewed for this study. Interview data were then analyzed using modified constructivist grounded theory methods. A three-stage implementation process emerged from the data. The initial stage highlighted efforts to create an organizational vision rooted in shared values. Shelters then intentionally focused on enhancing organizational capacity through staff development and team building. Third, rule-reduction practices were enacted through specific shelter policies and staff practices. Findings have broader implications for social work organizations also implementing anti-oppressive, survivor-centered, trauma-informed approaches, as this process involves considerable intention, training, and resources beyond services as usual. Social workers can support these efforts through student training, program development, and research efforts.

Narrative storytelling as both an advocacy tool and a therapeutic process: Perspectives of adult storytellers with acquired brain injury

ABSTRACT As part of a larger study exploring narrative storytelling, this paper focuses upon the experiences of eight adults with ABI who had participated in storytelling workshops facilitated by an advocacy organization. Following participation in the storytelling workshops, each storyteller was interviewed twice, with three shorter interviews conducted with one participant with significant communication challenges. In total, 25 interview transcripts (17 interviews plus eight transcripts of produced personal narratives) were analysed using constructivist grounded theory methods. Data analysis produced two main themes and sub-themes; (1) Sharing and helping (feeling heard & releasing emotions) and, (2) Re-visiting my story (reflecting and learning). The themes capture insights into the process of storytelling and reveal the therapeutic potential of narrative storytelling when coupled with an altruistic opportunity to help others through story sharing. This study contributes to an emerging area of research and practice supporting positive identity growth following ABI. The findings present substantial implications for goal setting and meaningful productive engagement in brain injury rehabilitation.

Getting a Grip on My Depression: How Latina Adolescents Experience, Self-Manage, and Seek Treatment for Depressive Symptoms.

Latina (female) adolescents are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and less likely to receive mental health services than their non-Latina White peers. We aimed to develop a framework that explains how Latina adolescents experience, self-manage, and seek treatment for depressive symptoms. Latina young women (n = 25, M age = 16.8 years) who experienced depressive symptoms during adolescence were recruited from clinical and community settings and interviewed about experiences with depressive symptoms. The framework was developed using constructivist grounded theory methods. Participants experienced a psychosocial problem that we labeled being overburdened and becoming depressed. They responded to this problem through a five-phase psychosocial process that we labeled Getting a Grip on My Depression. Family members, peer groups, and mainstream authorities were influential in how participants experienced these phases. Future research should further develop this framework in diverse samples of Latino/a youth. Clinicians can use this framework in discussions with Latina adolescents about depressive symptoms.

An Exploration of the Clinical Accommodation Process for Nursing Students with Physical Disabilities Using Grounded Theory.

The purpose of this study was to uncover the process by which nursing faculty make reasonable academic accommodations in the clinical environment for nursing students with orthopedic impairments. Accommodating students with disabilities is necessary in nursing education. Unfortunately, policies, procedures, and practices for accommodation in nursing education are lacking. Nursing faculty lack resources for accommodation implementation for students with disabilities. Constructivist grounded theory methods according to Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed. ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage guided data collection and analysis. Two defined processes were uncovered. "Faculty Perceptions of Their Experience Navigating the Clinical Accommodation Process" discusses external factors that affected implementation. "Reaching the Bottom Line" describes the essential elements of the implementation process. Seven steps of the accommodation process were identified. Additional research is needed to determine the effectiveness of each step and explore possible ways to mitigate numerous barriers to the accommodation process which participants also described.