Qualitative research and the computer

This paper explores some of the possibilities of using computers in qualitative research. The common association of computing with quantitative procedures in social science is a very narrow and restricted way of thinking about them. In fact, the predominant use of computers in social science is in text-processing and record-managing tasks, many of which are very similar to the kinds of clerical work which qualitative researchers have traditionally performed for themselves. Recent developments in computing technology have aroused interest in the possibility of using computing as a means to support qualitative research (e.g., Werner, 1982; Drass, 1980; Becker and Gordon, 1984). This paper is not concerned with the details of developing the necessary programs. Rather, it outlines what such a system might do for researchers, and why. The first section makes some general points about qualitative research and introduces the metaphor of the computer as a clerk for organizing, indexing, and retrieving notes. The second section presents a series of specific features which a working computer system might have. The third section discusses current prospects for the development of such systems.The author is grateful to Howard Becker, Nan Chico, Arnold Goldfein, and Anselm Strauss for their encouragement, advice, and suggestions.     

HOME COMPUTERS AND EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES: EVIDENCE FROM THE NLSY97 and CPS*

Although computers are universal in the classroom, nearly 20 million children in the United States do not have computers in their homes. Surprisingly, only a few previous studies explore the role of home computers in the educational process. Home computers might be very useful for completing school assignments, but they might also represent a distraction for teenagers. We use several identification strategies and panel data from the two main U.S. data sets that include recent information on computer ownership among children—the 2000–2003 Current Population Survey (CPS) Computer and Internet Use Supplements matched to the CPS basic monthly files and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97)—to explore the causal relationship between computer ownership and high school graduation and other educational outcomes. Teenagers who have access to home computers are 6–8 percentage points more likely to graduate from high school than teenagers who do not have home computers after controlling for individual, parental, and family characteristics. We generally find evidence of positive relationships between home computers and educational outcomes using several identification strategies, including controlling for typically unobservable home environment and extracurricular activities in the NLSY97, fixed effects models, instrumental variables, and including future computer ownership and falsification tests. Home computers may increase high school graduation by reducing nonproductive activities, such as truancy and crime, among children in addition to making it easier to complete school assignments (JEL I2).     

SCALING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: HOME COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Does differential access to computer technology at home compound the educational disparities between rich and poor? Would a program of government provision of computers to early secondary school students reduce these disparities? We use administrative data on North Carolina public school students to corroborate earlier surveys that document broad racial and socioeconomic gaps in home computer access and use. Using within‐student variation in home computer access, and across‐ZIP code variation in the timing of the introduction of high‐speed Internet service, we also demonstrate that the introduction of home computer technology is associated with modest, but statistically significant and persistent negative impacts on student math and reading test scores. Further evidence suggests that providing universal access to home computers and high‐speed Internet access would broaden, rather than narrow, math and reading achievement gaps. (JEL I2, J24)     

The physical impact of computers and electronic game use on children and adolescents,a review of current literature

Children using computers and electronic games may adopt the kinds of sustained and awkward postures that are associated with musculoskeletal disorders in working adults. If they do, the physical demands of extensive use could lead to a wide range of adverse effects on developing children, including visual, neurological and physical changes. This article reviews the literature related to media use, ergonomics, epidemiology and pediatrics that address the physical impact of computer use by children. The literature establishes that computer use is common, but does not demonstrate a causal or statistical association with any physical disorders. Laboratory studies on vision, case reports of game-related tendonitis and ergonomic analyses of classroom computers suggest that concern is warranted.     

Developing Responsive Preventative Practices: Key Messages from Children's and Families’ Experiences of the Children's Fund

As part of the prevention and social inclusion agenda, the Children's Fund, set up in 2000, has developed preventative services for children at risk of social exclusion. Drawing on a large qualitative dataset of interviews conducted in 2004/05 with children, young people and their parents/carers who accessed Children Fund services, this article analyses key practices and approaches valued by children and parents. These included: specialist support tailored to individual support needs, family‐oriented approaches, trusting relationships with service providers, multi‐agency approaches and sustainability of services. Finally, the article draws out key lessons for the future development of preventative services.     

The effect of individually adjusted workstations on upper quadrant posture and muscle activity in school children

Evidence suggests there is increasing use of computers by children and poor workstation designs for children. This laboratory study investigated the effect of adjusting computer display height and desk height on upper quadrant posture and muscle activity. Thirty three children aged 4-17 years worked on a desktop computer at a standard school workstation and at a workstation adjusted to the individual, typically consisting of a lower display and desk height. The adjustments resulted in increased head tilt, neck flexion, gaze angle, cervical erector spinae activity and a trend for lower right upper trapezius activity. The recent evidence that suggests more head and neck flexion is not necessarily worse is discussed and normative values for children's head tilt and neck flexion presented. The role of forearm support in decreasing trapezius activity is also discussed.     

Children computer mouse use and anthropometry

Studies have shown that increased computer use among adults in occupational settings is associated with the development of cumulative trauma disorders; however, the need to address how adult-sized mice and keyboards are affecting children is becoming increasingly important as both access to and use of computers is increasing among today's youth. To address the potential mismatch that exists between child stature and computer input device size and activation force, we have applied existing, age-specific, anthropometric data to elements of device design, including mouse size (length, width, height, switch location), and mouse-button activation forces. Trends supported the development of smaller computer input devices with lower activation forces for smaller statured individuals including children. Distinct and consistent trends in size delineations were seen across gender and age groups-trends that correlate well with grades and schooling in the United States education system . Three to four mouse sizes would be recommended: a mouse sized for adult and high school males; one for adult and high school females and junior high males; one for elementary school children, aged 6 to 10 years; and possibly a mouse for the smallest users who are less than six years old.     

Internet Risks for Foster Families Online

ABSTRACT

Foster parents and children (n = 64 families) who participated in a program to reduce the digital divide among foster children were surveyed about difficulties experienced in use of online communications. Providing Internet access to foster families increased Internet use, but was not perceived by parents or children as taking away time from other family or social relationships. A minority of parents and foster youth, however, reported a variety of problems ranging from benign arguments over access to the computer or frustration over equipment failure to serious concerns about children receiving pornography or meeting a sexual predator online. Although the majority of both parents and social workers were confident in their ability to deal with Internet-related problems, approximately one-third had low confidence in their ability to deal with foster family's Internet-related difficulties. Training foster parents on using filtering software to prevent pornography from coming into the child's experience of the Internet significantly reduced problems related to pornography when compared to foster families not in the program. Implications for social work practice are discussed.     

What Adolescents Can Tell Us: Technology and the Future of Social Work Education

The use and usefulness of Information Technology (IT) is rapidly growing around the world, especially among the youth. IT has been shown to impact learning styles, communication, and social relationships in many ways. Recently, significant discussion has arisen around the importance of IT in higher education and more specifically, social work education. This study qualitatively assesses 128 youth aged 13–14 years to understand their access to and use of IT as well as the way it impacts their psychosocial development to provide clues that will help inform the design of social work education for the future. Youth in four school districts reported unanimous access to computers and television and a majority of students used other technologies. Adolescents reported increased ease of communication and ability to get information as well as enhanced social relationships connected to their use of IT. Discussion and implications suggest that in the future, social work education will have to implement IT into its curriculum in order to attract students and provide the best possible learning environment for the next generation, which has included technology in every aspect of their lives.     

The Challenges Facing Children Reunified With Their Families From an Orphanage in Ghana

This qualitative case study explores the challenges facing children reunified with their families from an orphanage in Ghana. Eight children, their biological families, and two social workers participated in semi‐structured interviews and shared their experiences and views. The study found that challenges facing the children include educational issues, poor living conditions and social isolation within their communities. The factors causing the challenges included the financial difficulties facing caregivers due to the lack of support, limited preparation for the children and their families for the reunification and the children's limited participation in the decisions concerning such reunification.     

Information Technology Availability in Schools of Social Work

Abstract

The introduction of information technology into social work education is essential and inevitable. Little, however, is known about the current use of computers in schools of social work. This study is the first to focus on the variety and availability of hardware and software; the extent to which computer-related courses are integrated into the curriculum; and the types of computers, uses, and users in schools of social work. The sample consists of non-US schools drawn from the membership of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and US schools drawn from the membership of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The study tested three hypotheses: A. Schools in the United States use computers significantly more and for more advanced purposes than do schools in other countries; B. Schools that offer graduate degrees will be better equipped with computers and use them more extensively; and C. The larger the school, the greater the number of computers and the higher the sophistication of computer use. The findings supported these hypotheses and portend a trend for standardization of hardware and software in schools of social work. Based on the findings, the article recommends curriculum and policy modifications that should be considered by schools of social work.     

El Silencio: a rural community of learners and media creators

A one-to-one learning environment, where each participating student and the teacher use a laptop computer, provides an invaluable opportunity for rethinking learning and studying the ways in which children can program computers and learn to think about their own thinking styles and become epistemologists. This article presents a study done in a rural school in Costa Rica in which students used computers to create media. Three important components of the work are described: (1) student-owned technology that can accompany students as they interact at home and in the broader community, (2) activities that are designed with sufficient scope to encourage the appropriation of powerful ideas, and (3) teacher engagement in activity design with simultaneous support from a knowledge network of local and international colleagues and mentors.     

Disadvantage and Discrimination Compounded: the experience of Pakistani and Bangladeshi parents of disabled children in the UK

This paper discusses a qualitative and quantitative study of the circumstances of 20 Pakistani and Bangladeshi families with one or more severely disabled children living in Birmingham, England. Parents and other adult carers were interviewed using a combination of structured questionnaires and a semi-structured interview schedule focusing on the families' material circumstances, their use of formal services, informal care arrangements, and aspects of the parents' social and psychological well-being. The study suggests that previous national surveys of disabled families may have under-estimated the extent of material disadvantage, while it confirms that health and social care professionals should not assume that Pakistani and Bangladeshi parents have recourse to high levels of extended family support. The combination of disadvantaged circumstances and difficulties in securing access to appropriate services, which are found for the majority of families with a disabled child, was particularly acute for these ethnic minority families, suggesting the additional dimension of institutional racism.     

Technology,Computerization, and the Conceptualization of Service Delivery

Mostly computers are considered to be tools by practitioners. Contrary to this view, computerization is not a value-free activity, but a conceptual process. Accordingly, computers may shape of socialize their users, thereby altering significantly the delivery of social services. The purpose of this paper is to outline the conceptual or cognitive side of computer use, in order to illustrate how knowledge, reason, and problem solving are defined as a consequence of computerization. Following this theoretical maneuver, the odds improve that computers will be used in a socially responsible manner.     

Computer acceptance of older adults

Even though computers play a massive role in everyday life of modern societies, older adults, and especially older women, are less likely to use a computer, and they perform fewer activities on it than younger adults. To get a better understanding of the factors affecting older adults' intention towards and usage of computers, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Usage of Technology (UTAUT) was applied as part of a more extensive study with 52 users and non-users of computers, ranging in age from 50 to 90 years. The model covers various aspects of computer usage in old age via four key constructs, namely performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influences, and facilitating conditions, as well as the variables gender, age, experience, and voluntariness it. Interestingly, next to performance expectancy, facilitating conditions showed the strongest correlation with use as well as with intention. Effort expectancy showed no significant correlation with the intention of older adults to use a computer.     

Computer Technology Utilization and Community-Based AIDS Organizations

SUMMARY

This study explores the computer utilization patterns of 107 community-based AIDS organizations in Canada. A questionnaire examined the current hardware/software capacities of agencies, knowledge and use of the Internet and its capabilities as a tool for psychosocial support, and barriers to computerized service provision. It also explored consumers' utilization and knowledge of computer-mediated technologies, and barriers to service. Results suggest agencies have resource-related dilemmas, relating to limited finances, time and personnel capacities. Consumers are challenged by a lack of access to computers, limited awareness of computer-mediated technologies, and other inhibiting factors. Future directions for community-based AIDS organizations are considered.     

Migrant Children,Social Capital and Access to Services Post‐Migration: Transitions,Negotiations and Complex Agencies

For migrant children, moving to a new country is marked by excitement, anxiety and practical challenges in managing this significant transition. This paper draws upon the concepts of social capital and social networks to examine migrant children's access to services post‐migration. Using data from a qualitative study with Eastern European families in Scotland, we identify a range of cumulative barriers that limit children's access to services and illustrate how their experiences are shaped by ethnicity, social class and place. The study shows that migrant children are often disadvantaged post‐migration and develop their own mechanisms to mitigate the impact of migration on their lives. We argue that migrant children's own social networks are relevant and they need to be analysed through a more individualised approach.     

A Support Group for Families who have Children in Care: an Evaluative Case Study

This article evaluates an attempt to establish a support group for parents and relatives whose children are in care in one health board in Ireland. It uses a qualitative methodology, drawing on a group evaluation session, supplemented by individual interviews with the members of that group. The paper shows that it was successful in so far as it provided members with a forum where they felt accepted, where their rights as parents were validated, their self-esteem enhanced and informal access provided to senior social workers. Finally, the paper suggests ways in which the therapeutic potential of such groups could be enhanced and more needy parents attracted into them.