Qualitative Questionnaire Data Research Articles

"When a story gets a face…": Visual elicitation of Serbian perspectives on Afghan refugee women's maternity experiences in Serbia.

Serbia is a country through which many Afghans pass, en route to the European Union. Pregnancy and birth continues for Afghan women while journeying. This study aims to examine the understanding and attitudes of Serbian health professionals and members of women's civil society organisations (CS0) about the perinatal experiences of Afghan women in Serbia, using a webcomic to elicit responses. A total of 38 respondents completed the questionnaire, including health professionals (n = 10), women's CSO members (n = 6), and others (n = 10). The majority had little awareness of the experiences of Afghan women around the childbearing time and for most respondents, viewing the webcomic raised their awareness. Qualitative questionnaire data were analysed thematically, and four inductive themes developed: (1) maternal health provision as inadequate; (2) Afghan women face difficulties in Serbia; (3) solidarity with Afghan women; and (4) the webcomic raises awareness. Webcomics, as a visual modality, may play a valuable role in increasing empathy and awareness of refugee women's perinatal experiences among citizens.

The implementation of writing pedagogies in the Write to Read intervention in low-SES primary schools in Ireland

This study describes the initial implementation of the writing component of the Write to Read (W2R) literacy intervention in eight low-SES (socio-economically disadvantaged) elementary-level urban schools. Through customised onsite professional development provided by coaches, the writing component sought to build teachers’ capacity to design and implement a writing workshop framework infused with research-informed practices for writing suitable for their school and classroom contexts, including attention to cognitive, social and affective dimensions. The paper draws on quantitative and qualitative questionnaire data gathered from classroom teachers in the eight schools in Year 1 (n = 66) and Year 3 (n = 62) of implementation, and semi-structured interviews with randomly selected teachers in each school in Year 4 (n = 18). In general, teachers succeeded in implementing a writing workshop approach to teaching writing, within the broader W2R literacy framework, including the allocation of more time to writing instruction. Professional development, including observation, feedback and demonstration by W2R literacy coaches, contributed to high levels of teacher confidence in such areas as planning and teaching fiction and non-fiction writing genres, and analysing writing samples to inform mini-lessons. By Year 3, teachers noted marked or good improvements in students’ attitudes towards writing, volume of writing produced, knowledge of writing genres, and language of response to writing. Areas in need of further support included aspects of the craft of writing, including writing vocabulary, supporting pupils to set goals for writing, selecting mentor texts to teach writing genres, and using a rubric to assess writing development.

The impact of non-standard varieties of isiZulu language learning on students’ performance at a university of technology in Gauteng

The impact of non-standard varieties of isiZulu language learning on students’ performance at a university of technology (UoT) in Gauteng incorporates the investigation of the positive and negative impacts that non-standard varieties may have in isiZulu language learning and the interference of non-standard varieties with its correct standard usage. The researchers purposefully sampled 85 respondents (80 students, three lecturers and two Department of Arts and Culture workers) at a UoT. They used a mixed-methods approach, including both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The responses from 60 questionnaires, 15 interviews and 10 proficiency tests form a sociolinguistic profile of the non-standard varieties at a UoT. The dissemination of questionnaires, interviews and proficiency tests occurred almost simultaneously. A quantitative approach was used to analyse the qualitative questionnaire data, based on the frequency of response type as a percentage. The article reveals that non-standard varieties have both a positive and negative impact on isiZulu language learning and that non-standard varieties interfere with the correct usage of a standard language. The article concludes that this interference of non-standard varieties in isiZulu language learning is the cause of students’ poor performance.

The state of practice in soil-structure interaction modelling in New Zealand

The current state of practice in soil-structure interaction (SSI) modelling in New Zealand was investigated through an industry-wide questionnaire. This used a mixed methods, sequential explanatory research design involving the collection of quantitative and qualitative questionnaire data, as well as follow-up focus groups. Several statistically significant relationships were observed for SSI modelling approaches between different engineering fields, company sizes, and years of experience. The key findings from this study suggest that there is no consensus on the best SSI analysis methods, modelling strategies, or guidelines to be used. Overall, fixed base analysis remains the most popular method across all company sizes and number of years of industry experience. Engineers from large companies reported higher consideration for SSI modelling and use of performance-based design for design projects, which perhaps reflects the scale and complexity of projects carried out in those companies. However when SSI is considered, analyses are typically limited to nonlinear vertical springs under the foundation as part of a dynamic analysis. Use of SSI for buildings is typically limited to seismic assessments and complex or otherwise high importance structures. However, bridge engineers routinely used pushover analyses with linear and nonlinear springs and dynamic analyses with nonlinear springs, in contrast with the rest of the industry. There is further room to improve on the quality of communication and interaction between structural and geotechnical engineers. A lack of specific guidance on when SSI should be considered was reported, alongside broader training issues to ensure that structural and geotechnical engineers fundamentally understand the requirements and input/output needs of each role.

Running free: recreational runners’ reasons for non-use of digital sports technology

The use of digital sports technology has become more the rule than the exception in digitalized societies. The normativity of technology use is also present in the research literature and there is only a little research on the non-use of technology. We see the non-use of technology as an active and conscious choice, reflecting people’s relationship with digital society, with sport, and with themselves. We have limited the research context to recreational running, which, as a popular and highly technologized form of sport, offers a rich environment for research into the non-use of technology. Through an abductive analysis of the qualitative questionnaire data, we identified four partially overlapping themes: 1) Technology, and its use and non-use, are not categorical and binary things; 2) Non-use of technology as freedom; 3) The relationship between technology and the meanings attributed to running; and 4) The material reasons for non-use of technology.

Situating divergent perceptions of a rapid-cycling network in Montréal, Canada

As cities work to accelerate sustainable-transport transitions, the expansion of cycling networks has become a significant topic of debate. Even as cycling mode shares are increasing across a number of North American contexts, ‘bikelash’ (i.e. community opposition to cycling facilities) remains prevalent. In this paper, we draw from qualitative questionnaire data and spatial analysis from Montréal, Québec to contribute a situated understanding of factors influencing both positive and negative social perceptions of cycling infrastructure. Our analysis confirms general trends that contribute to residents’ overall satisfaction with recent cycling interventions, including enhanced safety considerations and family-friendly infrastructure. We also identify particular sources of bikelash that require deeper consideration, including conflicting ideas about the impacts of cycling facilities on local businesses, divergent opinions about the planning process, perceived inequities in the distribution of cycling networks, as well as issues of seasonality and modal integration. These findings can be of interest to practitioners and decision makers working to support sustainable-mobility transitions, including recommendations on public communication and consultation processes, winter cycling facilities, integrated infrastructure for active travel, as well as the inclusion of social equity and critical disability perspectives.

Mixed methods instrument validation: Evaluation procedures for practitioners developed from the validation of the Swiss Instrument for Evaluating Interprofessional Collaboration

BackgroundQuantitative and qualitative procedures are necessary components of instrument development and assessment. However, validation studies conventionally emphasise quantitative assessments while neglecting qualitative procedures. Applying both methods in a mixed methods design provides additional insights into instrument quality and more rigorous validity evidence. Drawing from an extensive review of the methodological and applied validation literature on mixed methods, we showcase our use of mixed methods for validation which applied the quality criteria of congruence, convergence, and credibility on data collected with an instrument measuring interprofessional collaboration in the context of Swiss healthcare, named the Swiss Instrument for Evaluating Interprofessional Collaboration.MethodsWe employ a convergent parallel mixed methods design to analyse quantitative and qualitative questionnaire data. Data were collected from staff, supervisors, and patients of a university hospital and regional hospitals in the German and Italian speaking regions of Switzerland. We compare quantitative ratings and qualitative comments to evaluate the quality criteria of congruence, convergence, and credibility, which together form part of an instrument’s construct validity evidence.ResultsQuestionnaires from 435 staff, 133 supervisors, and 189 patients were collected. Analysis of congruence potentially provides explanations why respondents’ comments are off topic. Convergence between quantitative ratings and qualitative comments can be interpreted as an indication of convergent validity. Credibility provides a summary evaluation of instrument quality. These quality criteria provide evidence that questions were understood as intended, provide construct validity, and also point to potential item quality issues.ConclusionsMixed methods provide alternative means of collecting construct validity evidence. Our suggested procedures can be easily applied on empirical data and allow the congruence, convergence, and credibility of questionnaire items to be evaluated. The described procedures provide an efficient means of enhancing the rigor of an instrument and can be used alone or in conjunction with traditional quantitative psychometric approaches.

Young people’s engagement with digital gaming cultures – Validating and developing the digital gaming relationship theory

Young people’s digital gaming is a complex phenomenon often approached in both research and public discussion from risk or utilitarian perspectives, erasing young people’s diverse experiences of their participation in gaming cultures. This study explores the utility of a novel approach, the digital gaming relationship (DGR) theory, in examining young people’s gaming experiences. Drawing from a thematic analysis of qualitative questionnaire data (N = 180) collected in Finland from respondents aged 15–25, the study illustrates how the DGR approach helps make sense of young people’s engagement with digital gaming cultures and develops the theory further.

Processing incomplete questionnaire data into continuous digital biomarkers for addiction monitoring.

PurposeeHealth systems allow efficient daily smartphone-based collection of self-reported data on mood, wellbeing, routines, and motivation; however, missing data is frequent. Within addictive disorders, missing data may reflect lack of motivation to stay sober. We hypothesize that qualitative questionnaire data contains valuable information, which after proper handling of missing data becomes more useful for practitioners.MethodsAnonymized data from daily questionnaires containing 11 questions was collected with an eHealth system for 751 patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Two digital continuous biomarkers were composed from 9 wellbeing questions (WeBe-i) and from two questions representing motivation/self-confidence to remain sober (MotSC-i). To investigate possible loss of information in the process of composing the digital biomarkers, performance of neural networks to predict exacerbation events (relapse) in alcohol use disorder was compared.ResultsLong short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks predicted a coming exacerbation event 1–3 days (AUC 0.68–0.70) and 5–7 days (AUC 0.65–0.68) in advance on unseen patients. The predictive capability of digital biomarkers and raw questionnaire data was equal, indicating no loss of information. The transformation into digital biomarkers enable a continuous graphical display of each patient’s clinical course and a combined interpretation of qualitative and quantitative aspects of recovery on a time scale.ConclusionBy transforming questionnaire data with large proportion of missing data into continuous digital biomarkers, the information captured by questionnaires can be more easily used in clinical practice. Information, assessed by the capability to predict exacerbation events of AUD, is preserved when processing raw questionnaire data into digital biomarkers.

“Good Foreign Language Teachers Pay Attention to Heterogeneity”: Conceptualizations of Differentiation and Effective Teaching Practice in Inclusive EFL Classrooms by German Pre-Service Teachers

This paper explores how pre-service EFL teachers perceive the variety of methodic-didactic and pedagogical forms of differentiation that they consider as acceptable in their teaching practice and which shed light on knowledge areas related to adaptivity competence. Our investigation looks into (a) qualitative questionnaire data that depict pre-service FL teachers’ conceptualizations of what it means to be a “good” and “bad” foreign language teacher; and (b) pre-service FL teachers’ quantitative evaluations of existing differentiation approaches designed for accommodating learners, especially ones experiencing specific learning differences such as difficulties with memorization, classroom communication, anxiety, or lexical and grammar confusion. Our results show that, despite expressing general agreement towards supporting individual learners’ needs, participants’ knowledge regarding how to respond to the needs of all FL learners appropriately is incomplete.

Modification of a children's hospital pediatric early warning score (EWS): An evaluation of inter-rater reliability, nurses' critical thinking and perceptions of the tool

Pediatric early warning scores (EWS) have been utilized to assist the identification of children at risk for clinically decompensating, experiencing a cardiac or respiratory arrest, or requiring a transfer to a higher level of care. Although their use is widespread, little consistency exists between tools and research evaluating the effectiveness of these tools is lacking. This quasi-experimental project evaluated twenty-five medical-surgical staff nurses' use and perceptions as well as the inter-rater reliability of a newly modified pediatric EWS tool at a free standing, academic Midwestern pediatric hospital. The tool was modified utilizing existing literature and an interdisciplinary team's expertise. Five fictionalized patients, presented in case studies, were developed and nurses were asked to score these patients using the newly modified tool with rationale. Inter-rater reliability was assessed utilizing Fleiss' Kappa and qualitative questionnaire data was analyzed for emerging themes. Overall, Fleiss' Kappa showed that there was moderate agreement between the nurses' judgments and scoring, with scores primarily differing due to the difficulty level of each case study. Nurses' responses to a questionnaire indicated differing levels of comfort identifying and managing children that present with mid-range total scores as opposed to those who scored in the lower or higher ranges. This project's findings highlight nurses' concerns that an objective tool may not accurately describe a subjective assessment. The results of this project indicated that use of this tool, with some modifications to address nursing concerns, may help to identify clinically decompensating pediatric patients being treated on medical-surgical units.

Multifactorial Interventions to Reduce Duration and Variability in Delays to Identification of Serious Injury After Falls in Hospital Inpatients.

Inpatient falls are the most commonly reported safety incidents and are associated with serious injuries. This study aimed to use multifactorial interventions to reduce the delays to the diagnosis of serious injury in a time series analysis after serious incidents relating to falls within a central London Trust. A multiprofessional project team undertook process mapping to identify opportunities for improvement at different stages in the management of a fall. The interventions included an educational teaching session aimed at doctors, a lanyard card designed by doctors using the plan-do-study-act methodology, a falls-specific pager for radiographers, and a new system to refer to portering. Quantitative data were obtained using an serious incident database where serious injury occurred (SI data; n = 65) and routinely collected incident reporting database on falls regardless of injury (IR data; n = 178). Qualitative questionnaire data (n = 70) were also used to evaluate doctors' confidence in falls assessment before and after interventions. Results in the IR data demonstrated a significant reduction in the median (interquartile range) minutes delay in the time to review a patient after a fall from 81 (43-180) to 51 (26-112; P = 0.003) and the time to order imaging from 102 (45-370) to 50 (33-96; P = 0.04). Analysis of the SI database demonstrated a nonstatistically significant reduction in the overall time taken to detect serious injury after a fall from 348 (126-756) to 192 (108-384) minutes (P = 0.070). Furthermore, analysis using statistical process control charts showed evidence of special cause variation and a shift in the process in detecting serious harm after a fall. Junior doctors' confidence in investigations improved from 53% to 76% (P = 0.04) after the intervention. The cumulative application of multiple interventions with small individual effects resulted in a substantial positive effect on delays and variability in diagnosis of serious harm. Given a similar institutional context, the more effective interventions in our study could be adopted elsewhere.

ANALISIS PADA PENYELEISAIAN ANALISIS KOMPLEKS: CURIOSITY ATTITUDE MAHASISWA

This research aims to describe and describe curiosity student. The indicators of curiosity in this study are asking about information or problems given, reading sources outside the textbook about material related to the lesson, the desire to learn, and the desire to solve problems. The subjects of this research were students of the FKIP UIR mathematics education study program for the 2019/2020 academic year which consisted of 60 people. This research was conducted from April 2020 to July 2020. The research method used was descriptive qualitative. Retrieval of data using a curiosity questionnaire instrument at the completion of the complex analysis that has been developed by the researcher. The data analysis technique used was qualitative questionnaire data analysis. The results of data analysis show that overall the curiosity is students'classified as "good" with an average questionnaire score of 75.19%, this indicates that there is curiosity of students towards solving complex analyzes, but it still needs to be improved through learning that can increase student curiosity.

Assessing the fidelity of consecutive interpreting

Abstract The study reported on in this article pertains to rater-mediated assessment of English-to-Chinese consecutive interpreting, particularly informational correspondence between an originally intended message and an actually rendered message, also known as “fidelity” in Interpreting Studies. Previous literature has documented two main methods to assess fidelity: comparing actual renditions with the source text or with an exemplar rendition carefully prepared by experts (i.e., an ideal target text). However, little is known about the potential effects of these methods on fidelity assessment. We therefore conducted the study to explore the way in which these methods would affect rater reliability, fidelity ratings and rater perception. Our analysis of quantitative data shows that the raters tended to be less reliable, less self-consistent, less lenient and less comfortable when using the source English text (i.e., Condition A) than when using the target Chinese text (i.e., Condition B: the exemplar rendition). These findings were backed up and explained by emerging themes derived from the qualitative questionnaire data. The fidelity estimates in the two conditions were also found to be strongly correlated. We discuss these findings and entertain the possibility of recruiting untrained monolinguals or bilinguals to assess fidelity of interpreting.

Selecting successful harvester operators through aptitude tests and demographics

ABSTRACT Simulators are used worldwide for various applications in different industries (e.g. aviation and medicine), generally to train prospective operators for actual work situations. The forest industry is no exception, with numerous studies – mostly in countries such as Finland, Norway, Switzerland and the United States of America – showing that simulator-based training has many advantages, especially for fast and inexpensive learning. Little information is available, however, relating to the pre-selection of harvesting operators prior to simulator-based training. The aim of this study was to determine whether harvesting simulators could be used in conjunction with the Vienna Test System to identify potential harvesting operators. A mixed methods approach (quantitative work study data and qualitative questionnaire data) was used to determine differences among 14 volunteer participants, each of which spent a total of ten hours using the simulator. After completing demographic questionnaires, participants used the Vienna Test System. The test is designed to measure hand–eye coordination, the ability to concentrate for long periods, and the participant’s cognitrone, and it is used in the mining industry as a pre-selection tool for heavy machine operators. Preliminary results show that the Vienna Test System was able to pre-identify individuals who are fast and productive. Many studies have indicated that effective and efficient operators require these abilities and more. Learning improved at different rates among participants over the ten hours spent on the simulator.

Analytic rubric scoring versus comparative judgment: a comparison of two approaches to assessing spoken-language interpreting

In this article, we report on an empirical study conducted to evaluate the utility of analytic rubric scoring (ARS) vis-à-vis comparative judgment (CJ) as two approaches to assessing spoken-language interpreting. The primary motivation behind the study is that the potential advantages of CJ may make it a promising alternative to ARS. When conducting CJ on interpreting, judges need to compare two renditions and decide which one is of higher quality. Such binary decisions are then modeled statistically to produce a scaled rank order of the renditions from “worst” to “best.” We set up an experiment in which two groups of raters/judges of varying scoring expertise applied both CJ and ARS to assess 40 samples of English-Chinese consecutive interpreting. Our analysis of quantitative data suggests that overall ARS outperformed CJ in terms of validity, reliability, practicality and acceptability. Qualitative questionnaire data helped us obtain insights into the judges’/raters’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of CJ and ARS. Based on the findings, we tried to account for CJ’s underperformance vis-à-vis ARS, focusing on the specificities of interpreting assessment. We also propose potential avenues for future research to improve our understanding of interpreting assessment.

A Pilot Evaluation of a 2 Hour Intervention Breathing Method in Multiply Traumatized Individuals

Objective: Many trauma sufferers seek out alternative treatments. We report the results of a pilot observational outcome study of a 2-hour intensive breathing and awareness intervention in eleven multiply traumatized individuals, 9 of whom completed the intervention and the 30 day follow-up questionnaire. Methodology: Observational outcome evaluation using a mixedmethods approach: Outcome was documented by applying the Profile of Moods State Questionnaire and a qualitative questionnaire. Results: Effect size for POMS-Total score from pre-measurement to follow-up was high d=1.4, and was even higher for some subscales, such as “tense” (d=2.7) or “negative mood” (d=2.0). Only the subscale “vigour” did not show an effect. Qualitative questionnaire data after about one month supported the quantitative data: all nine participants reported good effects, some even dramatic improvements. Conclusion: This small pilot study documents beneficial effects of this breathing method which should be studied more formally in a randomized study.

Interactions between pupils and their teacher in collaborative and technology-enhanced learning settings in the inclusive classroom

This paper analyses the interactions between pupils and between pupils and their teacher, and the teacher's strategies in an inclusive classroom while pupils enrolled at a primary school work collaboratively on laptops. Video observation data collected from 21 s-grade pupils, one teacher, and her assistant, along with qualitative questionnaire data collected from the teacher, were examined using inductive content analysis. The findings divide interactions into four categories—non-verbal, verbal, emotional, and kinaesthetic—and indicate that their interactions are triggered by the social intimacy, teaching strategies, feedback, and classroom facilities. The results are useful for teachers and teacher education programmes.

English

This study investigates the preferences and justifications of teachers and students on written corrective feedback (WCF) at a tertiary institution in Thailand and is aimed at expanding on prior similar studies conducted with smaller data sets in different contexts. Quantitative and qualitative questionnaire data were collected from 262 intermediate students and 21 teachers in order to test two hypotheses: (1) teachers’ and students’ WCF preferences would differ significantly, and (2) their justifications for their preferences would differ significantly. The hypotheses were confirmed: teachers rated indirect feedback with metalinguistic comment as being most useful while students most preferred direct feedback with metalinguistic comment. This trend extended to all types of direct feedback being preferred by students while teachers preferred all types of indirect feedback. The most common explanation for the teachers’ preferences was the development of metacognitive skills, while accuracy was the greatest concern for students. The pedagogical implications of the results regarding expectations, student agency, and self-efficacy are discussed. DOI: http://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2016-1603-07

Women ministers of word and sacrament within the United Reformed Church: a health check

This study draws on qualitative questionnaire data provided by 22 women ministers of word and sacrament serving within the United Reformed Church in England to provide a health check across the four conceptually distinct areas of physical health, psychological health, religious health, and spiritual health. Here spiritual health is defined in terms of Fisher's notion of good relationships within the personal, communal, environmental and transcendental domains. The data reveal relatively poor levels of physical, psychological, religious and spiritual health. Many of the symptoms described and many of the issues raised are consistent with a picture of the clergy being an occupational group under considerable work‐related pressure and without adequate support mechanisms to help prevent such work‐related pressure leading to significant personal damage.