Listening to Clients

Abstract

Qualitative research can be used to influence policy development, implementation, and evaluation. Three focus group studies dealing with implementation of a county's welfare reform programs are presented to illustrate the ways that qualitative research can be used. The paper discusses results of the studies and presents strategies for exertinginfluence. Processes used to develop and change policy are explicated.     

对幼儿园男教师作用的初步研究

在学前教育领域,教师性别倾斜仍然是一个不争的事实。对教师性别比例不平衡的关注导致出现了许多关于在学前教育领域需加大男教师比例的呼吁。但是,有关学前教育领域男教师比例高低的影响的论述一直受实证证据少的限制。采用观察法、访谈法和实物研究等多种方法的对照,有助于获得对这一问题的新资料与新思考。     

Encouraging Creativity in the Social Work Classroom: Insights from a Qualitative Exploration

Creativity is vital to the learning process of social work students. Despite its importance, educators are still uncertain of ways to enhance creativity and translate it from classroom to practice. Therefore, this study examines social work student perspectives on ways to define creativity, infuse it into the classroom, and apply it as practitioners. This study qualitatively explores the open-ended insights of 37 social work students. Through an unguided semantic analysis and application of Kolb’s experiential learning theory, the following themes emerged: classroom, creativity, performance, activities, and ideas. These themes indicate that students believe that additional creative opportunities in their classrooms would eventually benefit them as practitioners. Further pedagogical emphasis on increasing student creativity through experiential learning activities would be beneficial.     

Experience,perceptions and attitudes of parents who planned home birth in Spain: A qualitative study

BackgroundA woman’s home birth and postpartum experience can have a major impact on her baby’s, partner’s and family’s well being. It is a life-altering event that can help improve or worsen women’s self-esteem and self-confidence.AimThe aim of this study was to describe and understand the experiences, perceptions and attitudes of parents who planned a home birth in Spain.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted based on Gadamer’s hermeneutic phenomenology. Two main methods were used for data collection; narratives and individual in-depth interviews with 14 mothers and 8 fathers who had planned a home birth in the last year. Inductive analysis was used to find themes based on the data obtained.FindingsSix main themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) in search of a natural and personalised birth, (2) breaking with social pressures, (3) experience of home birth for the mother, (4) role of the father in home birth, (5) how does the father experience home birth?, (6) home birth is not available to all mothers and fathers.ConclusionFor the mothers and fathers in this study the home birth experience fulfilled their previous expectations of an intimate and natural moment, making it a highly satisfying experience for both. However, parents expressed experiencing negative feelings such as fear and worry about complications and labor pain. According to our research society in general and public health professionals in particular issue numerous criticisms and value judgments towards mothers and fathers who opt for a home birth in our country. In addition, the study shows the economic and cultural inequalities in access to home birth in Spain.     

Transitional socioeconomic and political environments of public relations in Mexico

This qualitative research on the socioeconomic and political environments of public relations in Mexico documents how national context influences the practice of the profession. The evolution of public relations in Mexico has accelerated since the establishment of the North America Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Canada. This advancement is attributed to the practices of transnational corporations and the democratization process that motivates openness, greater professionalism and the expansion of public relations across diverse organizations.     

Optimal Designs for Binary Logistic Regression with a Qualitative Classifier with Independent Levels

Dose response studies arise in many medical applications. Often, such studies are considered within the framework of binary-response experiments such as success-failure. In such cases, popular choices for modeling the probability of response are logistic or probit models. Design optimality has been well studied for the logistic model with a continuous covariate. A natural extension of the logistic model is to consider the presence of a qualitative classifier. In this work, we explore D-, A-, and E-optimal designs in a two-parameter, binary logistic regression model after introducing a binary, qualitative classifier with independent levels.     

For the greater good? Ethical reflections on interviewing the ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ in qualitative research

ABSTRACT

There is increasing emphasis on understanding economic advantage alongside disadvantage – on studying both ‘poverty’ and ‘riches’. This trend prompts and requires new ethical reflection. I argue that in qualitative interview research, a clearer distinction needs to be drawn between ethical commitments to individual research participants, and the group(s) to which they belong. This distinction is often elided in ethics guidelines and when researchers discuss their own work. Attending to the distinction highlights a symmetrical ethical dilemma: researchers studying disadvantage are often motivated to further the interests of the wider group to which their participants belong, yet the study itself risks eliciting or exacerbating negative experiences or identities amongst participants themselves. Conversely, the process of studying advantage frequently bolsters the positive identities or experiences of individual study participants, even as the research findings challenge or subvert the interests of their group.     

The Role of Empowerment in Home Care Work

ABSTRACT

The home care industry experiences similar problems with the recruitment and retention of direct care workers (DCWs) as those faced by institutions, and it is important to identify strategies to help retain and grow this important workforce. The empowerment of DCWs has been shown to be an effective strategy for increasing job satisfaction and decreasing turnover in nursing homes but has not been studied in home care. Using Kanter’s organizational theory of empowerment, including structural empowerment (structure of opportunity, access to resources, access to information, and access to support) and psychological empowerment (meaning, competence, self-determination or autonomy, and impact) this study examined whether home care workers (HCWs) feel empowered in carrying out their jobs. An exploratory, qualitative study of 12 HCWs, recruited from two states in the United States, found high levels of both structural and psychological empowerment among research participants, as well as a number of disempowering aspects of their job. Findings suggest ways to support elements of the work that HCWs find empowering and decrease elements that contribute to job dissatisfaction and turnover.     

Smoking cessation care during pregnancy: A qualitative exploration of midwives’ challenging role

ProblemThe majority of South Australian pregnant women who smoke do not quit during pregnancy. Additionally, the prevalence of smoking is higher among pregnant women living in socially disadvantaged areas.BackgroundUnderstanding challenges in midwives’ provision of smoking cessation care can elucidate opportunities to facilitate women’s smoking cessation.AimWe aimed to understand midwives’ perspectives on current practices, perceived barriers and facilitators to delivery of smoking cessation care, and potential improvements to models of smoking cessation care.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative research methodology and thematic analysis was used to understand the perspectives of midwives in five focus groups.FindingsFour themes were generated from the data on how midwives perceived their ability to provide smoking cessation care: Tensions between providing smoking cessation care and maternal care; Organisational barriers in the delivery of smoking cessation care; Scepticism and doubt in the provision of smoking cessation care; and Opportunities to enable midwives’ ability to provide smoking cessation care.DiscussionA combination of interpersonal, organisational and individual barriers impeded on midwives’ capacities to approach, follow-up and prioritise smoking cessation care. Working with women living with disadvantage and high rates of smoking, the midwife’s role was challenging as it balanced delivering smoking cessation care without jeopardising antenatal care.ConclusionProviding midwives with resources and skills may alleviate the sense of futility that surrounds smoking cessation care. Provision of routine training and education could also improve understandings of the current practice guidelines.