Qualitative Phase Of Research Research Articles

Qualitative Research on Fatigue Associated with Depression: Content Validity of the Fatigue Associated with Depression Questionnaire (FAsD-V2).

BackgroundFatigue is one of the most common symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD). The Fatigue Associated with Depression Questionnaire (FAsD) was developed to assess fatigue and its impact in patients with MDD. The current article presents the qualitative research conducted to develop and examine the content validity of the FAsD and FASD–Version 2 (FAsD–V2).MethodsThree phases of qualitative research were conducted with patients recruited from a geographically diverse range of clinics in the US. Phase I included concept elicitation focus groups, followed by cognitive interviews. Phase II employed similar techniques in a more targeted sample. Phase III included cognitive interviews to examine whether minor edits made after Phase II altered comprehensibility of the instrument. Concept elicitation focused on patients’ perceptions of fatigue and its impact. Cognitive interviews focused on comprehension, clarity, relevance, and comprehensiveness of the instrument. Data were collected using semi-structured discussion guides. Thematic analyses were conducted and saturation was examined.ResultsA total of 98 patients with MDD were included. Patients’ statements during concept elicitation in phases I and II supported item development and content. Cognitive interviews supported the relevance of the instrument in the target population, and patients consistently demonstrated a good understanding of the instructions, items, response options, and recall period. Minor changes to instructions for the FAsD–V2 did not affect interpretation of the instrument.ConclusionsThis qualitative research supports the content validity of the FAsD and FAsD–V2. These results add to previous quantitative psychometric analysis suggesting the FAsD–V2 is a useful tool for assessing fatigue and its impact in patients with MDD.

Induction, Deduction, and Cyclical Movement: A Review of Qualitative Research Methods

In Qualitative Research Methods, Hennink, Hutter, and Bailey (2011) offer readers an overview of every phase of qualitative research from formulating research questions, to participant recruitment, to writing and presenting results. In each of these phases, the authors push readers to continuously move between induction and deduction and embrace the cyclical nature of the qualitative research process.

Prioritizing the Determinants of Social-health Inequality in Iran: A Multiple Attribute Decision Making Application.

Background:One of the main challenges of healthcare systems of developing countries is health inequality. Health inequality means inequality in individuals’ ability and proper functioning, resulting in inequality in social status and living conditions, which thwarts social interventions implemented by the government.Objectives:This study aimed to determine and prioritize the social determinants of health inequality in Iran.Materials and Methods:This was a mixed method study with two phases of qualitative and quantitative research. The study population consisted of experts dealing with social determinants of health. A purposive, stratified and non-random sampling method was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data along with a multiple attribute decision making method for the quantitative phase of the research in which the TOPSIS technique was employed for prioritization. The qualitative findings were entered into NVivo for analysis, as were the quantitative data entered into MATLAB software.Results:The results approved the suitability of the conceptual framework of social determinants of health suggested by the WHO (world health organization) for studying social determinants of health inequality; however, this framework general and theoretical rather than a guideline for practice. Thus, in this study, 15 themes and 31 sub-themes were determined as social determinants of social health inequality in Iran. Based on the findings of the quantitative phase of our research, socioeconomic status, living facilities such as housing, and social integrity had the greatest effect on decreasing health inequality.Conclusions:A major part of the inequality in health distribution is avoidable because they are mostly caused by adjustable factors like economic conditions, educational conditions, employment, living facilities, etc. As in the majority of developing countries the living and health conditions are the same as Iran, the findings of this study may be applicable for other developing countries.

Factors influencing take-up of free school meals in primary- and secondary-school children in England.

The present study sought to explore the factors that influence registration for free school meals and the subsequent take-up following registration in England. The research design consisted of two phases, a qualitative research phase followed by an intervention phase. Findings are presented from the qualitative research phase, which comprised interviews with head teachers, school administrators, parents and focus groups with pupils. The study took place in four primary schools and four secondary schools in Leeds, UK. Participants included head teachers, school administrators, parents and pupils. Findings suggested that parents felt the registration process to be relatively straightforward although many secondary schools were not proactive in promoting free school meals. Quality and choice of food were regarded by both pupils and parents as significant in determining school meal choices, with stigma being less of an issue than originally anticipated. Schools should develop proactive approaches to promoting free school meals and attention should be given not only to the quality and availability of food, but also to the social, cultural and environmental aspects of dining. Processes to maintain pupils' anonymity should be considered to allay parents' fear of stigma.

Development of a Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Instrument To Assess Complex Activities of Daily Living and Interpersonal Functioning in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Suspected Alzheimer's Disease: The Qualitative Research Phase (P07.133)

Development of a Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Instrument To Assess Complex Activities of Daily Living and Interpersonal Functioning in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Suspected Alzheimer's Disease: The Qualitative Research Phase (P07.133)

Conversion of local winery awareness

PurposeThe aim of this research is to distinguish between the attitudinal and behavioral differences in consumers aware of local wineries; half of which visited the wineries (n=233) and half of which did not (n=212). Smaller wineries are dependent on wine sales at the “cellar door” meaning on‐site; therefore, the cellar door experience is a critical part of the wineries overall success. Researchers examined the non‐visitor population in an effort to identify ways in which wineries can improve their services and reputation to convert non‐visitors to visitors. A unique contribution was made in identifying barriers to converting non‐visitors to visitors as well as the non‐visitors' interest and willingness to buy local.Design/methodology/approachA first phase of qualitative research occurred to obtain early learning on consumer awareness, trial, repeat, barriers, and image of local wines and wineries. The second phase consisted of a quantitative survey with local wine users/visitors and aware non‐users/visitors, using a panel design and web execution.FindingsThe research factors differ in attitudes, leisure preferences and identification of barriers to determine marketing approaches that would increase winery visits. Factor analysis found strong cores for wine/winery reputation and winery experience. A key discovery to enhance the appeal of local wines was the need to emphasize and romance the hedonic aspect of wine and the winery setting as opposed to expanding knowledge of wines and winery operation. Factor analysis revealed added dimensions for non‐visitors involving travel planning, indoor recreational preference, and buying local.Originality/valueAn examination of local US winery marketing practices, and attitudes of consumers aware of the wineries, yield useful insights for crafting marketing strategies to increase first time and repeat visits to local wineries. This research adds to the limited study of the behavior of consumers aware of local wineries but not visiting the cellar door.

Community‐based participatory research and the challenges of qualitative analysis enacted by lay, nurse, and academic researchers

There are multiple challenges in adhering to the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), especially when there is a wide range of academic preparation within the research team. This is particularly evident in the analysis phase of qualitative research. We describe the process of conducting qualitative analysis of data on community perceptions of public maternity care in the Dominican Republic, in a cross-cultural, CBPR study. Analysis advanced through a process of experiential and conversational learning. Community involvement in analysis provided lay researchers an imperative for improvements in maternity care, nurses a new perspective about humanized care, and academic researchers a deeper understanding of how to create the conditions to enable conversational learning.

Standardized Measurement of Recovery From Nonspecific Back Pain

Hush JM, Kamper SJ, Stanton TR, Ostelo R, Refshauge KM. Standardized measurement of recovery from nonspecific back pain. ObjectiveTo propose standardized, patient-centered measures of recovery from nonspecific low back pain (LBP) in research, underpinned by an empirically derived concept of recovery and informed by expert opinion. DesignSynthesis of literature reviews and expert panel opinion. SettingPrimary care centers for the management of nonspecific LBP. ParticipantsPersons with nonspecific LBP. InterventionsConservative treatments for nonspecific LBP. Main Outcome MeasuresThree phases of research were conducted. First, qualitative research that explored patients' perspectives of recovery from nonspecific LBP was reviewed. Second, measures of recovery used in LBP clinical trials during the past decade were investigated in a systematic review. Third, opinion was sought from an expert panel of clinicians and researchers about how to measure recovery from nonspecific LBP, in a workshop at the 10th International Forum for Primary Care Research in Low Back Pain. ResultsAn empirically derived and patient-centered concept of recovery from nonspecific LBP was developed from the qualitative research phase. The systematic review conducted in the second study phase revealed that researchers have used vastly heterogeneous measures of LBP recovery in clinical trials during the past decade. Finally, the key conclusions of the LBP Forum workshop were (1) that appropriate patient-centered instruments to measure recovery include global measures and patient-specific measures; and (2) that the benefits of implementing the same recovery measures for acute and chronic LBP outweigh the disadvantages of using different measures. ConclusionsThe results were synthesized to inform our recommendation that researchers consider adopting 2 instruments as standardized measures of recovery from nonspecific LBP, as an adjunct to the existing core set of LBP outcome measures. These instruments are an 11-point Global Back Recovery Scale, for a simple measure of global recovery, and the Patient-Generated Index of Quality of Life–Back Pain, to evaluate specific relevant dimensions of recovery. This recommendation has majority endorsement by members of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Acute Low Back Pain Review Group.

How to Use Qualitative Research to Design a Managerially Useful E-Service Questionnaire

E-service questionnaires must be content-aligned with the company or organization's customer relationship management system (CRM). Four phases of qualitative research will ensure this alignment. The first phase is a qualitatively evaluative search of the practitioner literature on e-retailing, both B2B and B2C, and on CRM so as to capture evolving knowledge in both fields. The second phase is individual depth interviews (IDIs) with potential, current, and lapsed customers to map their e-interactive behavior and experiences. The third phase is dyadic depth interviews (DDIs) with the marketing manager and the website designer to fully understand the company's current and potential e-service and CRM capabilities. The e-service questionnaire can then be designed according to the general guidelines presented in this article and using question-and-answer templates provided in the author's previous article [14]. The final phase of qualitative research will consist of post-survey IDIs with a sample of the original survey respondents to clarify and elaborate on the survey's findings, followed by a final manager-designer DDI to implement the findings.

Imperatives of the science of operations and supply-chain management

Although knowledge in operations and supply-chain management (O&SCM) has advanced substantially during the last six decades, our community has not fully utilized the potential for radical innovations. We identify two sets of opportunities for pursuing radical innovations. First, there is an opportunity to pursue all phases of science, including exploratory and qualitative research, developing theories, causation and internal validity, and testing models and theories for external validity (the ability to generalize knowledge to other situations). This would broaden the domain covered by each research effort, minimize the bias resulting from the choice of research paradigm and research domain, to enhance external validity, and to minimize the gap between our research efforts and the real world our community seeks to reshape. Second, there is an opportunity to pursue multiple perspectives because a scientific conclusion valid for a narrow domain may prove to be partially true or even false if one obtains multiple perspectives. Multiple perspectives can be obtained by investigating different parts of the system, by employing different methods of analysis, by using different sources of data, or by using different subsets of the same data. Developing scientific knowledge requires pursuit of all phases of science and of multiple perspectives. In a separate paper, we propose and analyze ways to accomplish it.

Environmentally conscious consumption patterns in Hungarian households

This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on the theoretical aspects of sustainable consumption. The conditions for consumers’ social responsibility and the formation of environmentally conscious behavior patterns will also be discussed, along with possible methods for motivating behavioral changes. The authors have completed a primary research study with the purpose of surveying environmentally conscious consumption patterns in Hungary. They also examined how the provision of appropriate information and the raising of awareness might encourage sustainable consumption. According to their findings, the respondents’ knowledge on environmentally conscious behavior was rather limited, and reinforcement was needed in identifying appropriate activity alternatives. This paper provides a summary of the qualitative research phase which employed in-depth interviews, logging and focus groups. The consecutive application of these methods enabled the authors to keep track of the process and the consequences of raising awareness.

Encouraging healthy outdoor activity amongst under-represented groups: An evaluation of the Active England woodland projects

This paper explores how under-represented groups can be encouraged to access woodlands for healthy exercise, drawing on the evaluation of five woodland-based health projects. These projects were part of a broad programme called ‘Active England’, organised by Sport England and funded through the Big Lottery. A review of academic and policy literature related to health and physical activity, access to greenspace and issues of social inclusion and exclusion is followed by an overview of the wider Active England Programme and an introduction to the five woodland projects. There follows a detailed description of the multi-method approach adopted in the evaluation, including on-site surveys, site catchment profiling, and a qualitative research phase involving shared activities, discussion groups and interviews with project users, non-users and project staff. The inclusion of qualitative research with non-project users was an important innovation of the evaluation, allowing the researchers to explore in detail some of the barriers to involvement experienced by particular groups. The key findings of the research are presented, highlighting aspects of projects that were more or less successful in reaching under-represented groups. The results indicate that staff or volunteer led activities and ‘facilitated’ (supported) access can be crucial in enabling some groups to overcome barriers to participation. Discussion of the findings and critical reflections on the research process are used to draw out key recommendations, with the aim of informing the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of greenspace and woodland projects for target groups.

Re-Conceptualising Research

Mindfulness is a whole state of being that is not usually linked with academic research in information systems. However if we take Denzin and Lincoln’s (2000; 2003), first qualitative research phase, which is the consideration of the key role of the researcher in socially-situated research, it soon becomes evident that a mindful researcher (Fielden, 2005) is more likely to conduct quality research than one who is not. In this discussion paper the qualities of mindfulness (Fielden, 2005) are explored; Denzin and Lincoln’s (2003) 5-stage qualitative research process is then mapped onto these multiple characteristics of mindfulness; and also onto a timeline for a typical qualitative research process in information systems. The paper concludes with suggestions on how to include mindful practices in research methods and supervision training in information systems, which is a contribution to the literature in this area.

Approach to treatment of mental illness and substance dependence in remote Indigenous communities: Results of a mixed methods study

To develop and evaluate a culturally adapted brief intervention for Indigenous people with chronic mental illness. A mixed methods design in which an exploratory phase of qualitative research was followed by a nested randomised controlled trial. Psycho-education resources and a brief intervention, motivational care planning (MCP), were developed and tested in collaboration with aboriginal mental health workers in three remote communities in northern Australia. A total of 49 patients with mental illness and 37 carers were recruited to a randomised controlled trial that compared MCP (n = 24) with a clinical control condition (treatment as usual, n = 25). The early treatment group received MCP at baseline and the late treatment group received delayed treatment at six months. The primary outcome was mental health problem severity as measured by the health of the nation outcome scales. Secondary measures of well-being (Kessler 10), life skills, self-management and substance dependence were chosen. Outcome assessments were performed at baseline, six-month, 12-month and 18-month follow up. Random effects regression analyses showed significant advantage for the treatment condition in terms of well-being with changes in health of the nation outcome scales (P < 0.001) and Kessler 10 (P = 0.001), which were sustained over time. There was also significant advantage for treatment for alcohol dependence (P = 0.05), with response also evident in cannabis dependence (P = 0.064) and with changes in substance dependence sustained over time. These results suggest that MCP is an effective treatment for Indigenous people with mental illness and provide insight into the experience of mental illness in remote communities.

A inserção da família nos centros de atenção psicossocial sob a ótica de seus atores sociais

Este trabalho é um recorte da fase qualitativa da pesquisa de avaliação dos Centros de Atenção Psicossocial da Região Sul do Brasil. É um estudo de caso realizado no município de São Lourenço do Sul - RS. Objetiva retratar a inserção da família nos Centros de Atenção Psicossocial sob a ótica dos grupos de interesse: usuários, familiares e profissionais da equipe. Para isso, foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas, através do Círculo Hermenêutico-dialético, em 2006. Para análise adotou-se a Avaliação de Quarta-Geração. Os resultados apontam que das várias formas de inserção da família, a atividade de grupo surge como uma estratégia para contribuir no processo terapêutico. Verificou-se a necessidade dos profissionais voltarem-se para a assistência às famílias, visto que estas precisam ser cuidadas frente as suas individualidades e singularidades. Assim, novos contornos devem ser assumidos para re-significar o cuidado à família, incluindo-a como foco da atenção profissional.

Freirean Cultural Lenses for Promoting Future Teacher Literacy Knowledge: Dominant Literacy Discourses and Majority Interns in a Minority High School

How is it possible for us to in a community without feeling the spirit of the culture that has been there for many years, without trying to understand the soul of the culture? --Paulo Freire cited in Gadotti, 1994 Introduction Upon reflection about my teaching practice, I began my first phase of qualitative research in literacy policy research, moving from practice to theory. The result of this part of the project was a history of literacy discourses 1970-1998 (Agnello, 2001). In that history, I traced the development of what Bernstein called official pedagogical discourse, utilizing discourse analytical procedures to frame a critical study of prescriptions for literacy development in landmark educational policies (Bernstein, 1980). Citing official literacy statements as data, I constructed a history of four discourses of literacy including human capital, cultural, critical, and feminist literacies. The time range spans from the publication of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970) to an effort to unite welfare and literacy in the Workforce Investment Act (1998). Most recently, I have added an analysis of No Child Left Behind in an effort to bring the dominant discourses of literacy study up to date. In sum, discourse analysis of landmark policy texts chronicled archaeological discursive relics that contributed to the development and regulation of a literate citizenry (Freire, 1970; Foucault, 1972; Agnello, 2001). Regulation results from discourses of human capital and cultural literacy and the power exercised in many locations to perpetuate the knowledge arrangements such discourses afford the political economy (Freire, 1970). For those on the bottom of the social hierarchy, oppression often results from implemented literacy policies (Freire, 1970; McNeil, 2000; Valenzuela, 2005). In the second stage, I moved from theory to practice. The history of literacy discourses became a backdrop against which I approached critical applications of teaching literacy in a language arts methods class. The objective of such teaching was to promote reflective and critical teaching practice. Cochran-Smith (1991, 2001), Darling-Hammond (1990), and Darling-Hammond and Wise (1991) have discussed the possibilities for such critical practice in the turbulent seas of educational restructuring resulting from policy reform. Followers of Freire promote reflection through teacher as researcher and teacher as public intellectual endeavors. In new multicultural times, with new literacy awareness, and upon new epistemological foundations of literacy research, I shared new teaching methods and postformal practices with language arts methods students in order to transform schooling and the world (Kincheloe, 1991, 1993; Giroux, 1988; Kincheloe & Steinberg, 1993; Agnello, 2006). Responding to Duke and Mallette, who express a paucity of lenses utilized to explore the many facets of national literacy research, I pursued archaeological, genealogical research, employing synthetic and interpretive discourse analysis of both student interns' influences on their literacy development and formal literacy policy articulations. This research is phenomenological and hermeneutical making interpretive connections among future teachers' experiences, national literacy policy, and the educational possibilities afforded a literate citizenry (Agnello, 2001). Such multi-epistemological and multi-methodological endeavors promote change in the way we view knowledge connoted by the truths of literacy and the practices implemented to achieve such literacy at large. Revolutions and struggles evidenced in research methodologies, in education, and in literacy studies stem from epistemological questioning of the inscription of political and social doctrines of progress into science (Popkewitz, 1997, p. 18; Lankshear, 2001). This revolutionary phenomenon has occurred particularly in the production of knowledge, social sciences, and education that question[s] the presuppositions of progress and power underlying intellectual work (Popkewitz, 1997, p. …

Parental concerns on inclusion: The Northern Ireland perspective

The relationship between home and school is an integral feature of how pupils learn and parents have a central role to play in their child’s education. Philosophical and practical discourse around inclusion has informed and directed inclusive policy in recent years. In Northern Ireland, it has latterly been conducted under the auspices of emerging and revised legislation that is intended to promote the rights of children with special educational needs (SEN) and their families. This paper will examine provision for SEN within the evolving continuum of education in Northern Ireland. The paper will explore findings from the qualitative phase of recent research (O’Connor et al, 2003) on parental perceptions of SEN provision and contextualize these within the recent changes in educational policy and legislation. It will examine the research findings and their implications within the context of school practice, institutional and professional development.

Philosophical dialogues as paths to a more ‘positive psychology’

AbstractAlthough family support programmes have been in place for several decades in Greece very little attention has been paid to evaluating the effectiveness of such endeavours, the techniques that influence their outcomes and the receptiveness to their messages. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of research findings collected during the first qualitative research phase of a community mental health promotion project. The research was conducted in order to delineate programme outcomes and the characteristics that had an impact on the participants' lives. The 3‐month family support programme intended to introduce ‘philosophical dialogues’ as means to developing personal and communal understandings of what makes life worth living. The programme was developed and implemented on Crete under the auspices of a non‐profit community organization appropriately named ‘The Lyceum for Women’. The features of the programme that contributed and enhanced the participants' tendencies to become not passive targets but active partners and stakeholders in the process will be clarified, as will the conceptualization and approach. Of the 45 evaluation protocols that were analysed the following themes were most important for the participants: ‘Group as‐a‐whole process’—the sense of sharing and development understandings in a ‘parea’ (in‐group); ‘relational outcomes’—feeling of belonging, ‘reciprocated kindness’, and giving of self to others; personal and emotional outcomes‐self‐efficacy and empowerment; knowledge outcomes‐learning about positive emotions and enjoying the simple things in life; and group facilitator outcomes‐sharing stories, ‘gives of self to the community’. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Adaptability and Self-Management: A New Ethic of Employability for the Young Unemployed?

Encouraging individuals' adaptability to more flexible patterns of work and learning, and promoting greater self-management of employment security, are central to UK policies aiming to improve employability and social inclusion. Little is known, however, about the responses to these issues of those deemed to have employability problems. This article presents the results of a qualitative phase of research with young people not in work, education or training to determine the extent to which these policy-espoused concepts of adaptability and self-management were reflected in their attitudes and jobsearch activity. The findings indicate generally negative attitudes and avoidance in jobsearch towards working outside a traditional ideal of standard, permanent employment and also towards improving prospects by updating skills. Reasons included a disincentive to enter training or temporary work due to short-term risks to benefit status, but more significant concerns reflected the increasing problem of the ‘churning’ of low-skilled youth between work and welfare. It is argued that inconsistencies between policy dictums about how the unemployed should behave in order to receive benefits and how they should behave in order to become more employable are not conducive to long-term employability and may actually contradict the aims of ‘active’ labour market policies.

Place-Based Poverty, Social Experimentation, and Child Outcomes: A Report of Mixed Effects

In the past two decades, a host of non-experimental and quasi-experimental studies have been conducted on how neighborhoods affect child and family well-being and social status. The federal Moving to Opportunity (MTO) program is the most important ongoing demonstration in American housing policy on the effects of neighborhood upon the life chances and futures of children and adults who had previously lived in low income public housing projects. Research indicates positive impacts upon the neighborhood contexts, their levels of fear and sense of security, and upon a range of major behavioral outcomes. Gender differences appear significant but are currently unexplained. A new phase of qualitative research currently underway is described as the next stage in this longitudinal panel study of neighborhoods' effects on poor children.