Browsing by Subject "Qualitative"

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Adoptive Parent Perspectives on Placing an Intercountry Adopted Child with Disabilities in Out of Home Care
(2015-05) Kim, Kendra
In the past seven decades over 400,000 children born outside the U.S. have been adopted to U.S. citizens through intercountry adoption (U.S. State Department 2014, Evan B. Donaldson, 2002). Many of these children experienced trauma, malnutrition, abuse, neglect, prenatal exposure to alcohol and other drugs, and institutionalization and nearly eight percent of intercountry adopted children under 18 in 2010 had at least one intellectual, developmental or mental health disability as according to the U.S. Census (Kreider, 2014). Some adoptive parents choose to place their child in out of home placement including residential treatment center, foster care, group home, or even another adoptive home as a result of their child�s disability. Research on the decision-making process of adoptive parents that placed their intercountry child either temporarily or permanently in out of home care does not exist in the current literature. Using a qualitative, constructivist grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2006) perspectives of adoptive parents who placed an intercountry adopted child in out of home placement due to the child�s disability were explored. Nineteen parents representing 16 families living in West Coast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states participated in this study. Findings reveal that adoptive parents begin the intercountry adoption process with specific constructions about disability and intercountry adoption that impact the choices the parents make regarding the reasons they adopt, the services they choose (including out of home placements), and whether or not they consider dissolving their adoption. Additionally, adoptive parents experienced financial, social, relational and personal costs related to the choices they made in parenting their children and respond by making behavioral or emotional changes in their approach to parenting, leading them to re-define their concept of disability and adoption. These findings from this study highlight the importance of developing training programs for both adoption agency staff as well as prospective adoptive parents on adopting children with intellectual, developmental and mental health disabilities. Policy recommendations include requiring an increased minimum standard of training for adoption agency staff and prospective adoptive parents on disability content, better data collection on intercountry adoptive families, as well as a shift toward child welfare as the standard focus of intercountry adoption policy.
Analysis of experienced pharmacist clinical decision-making for drug therapy management in the ambulatory care setting
(2013-05) Bartels, Christine E.
Objectives: The overarching objective of this research study was to document drug therapy decision-making processes of experienced pharmacists in the ambulatory care setting. The specific aims of this study were to examine the current clinical decisionmaking of experienced pharmacists in the context of the ambulatory care clinic setting, to compare and contrast pharmacist clinical decision-making with current decision-making models, and to identify enabling factors and barriers to clinical decision-making in the specific context of ambulatory care. Methods: This study used the thematic hermeneutic phenomenological human science methodology influenced by Dr. van Manen. After a feasibility pilot study of two experienced pharmacists in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, the main component of the dissertation research project included six experienced pharmacists throughout Minnesota and Iowa. Recruitment was done via e-mail request of eligible pharmacists known by faculty in Minnesota or Iowa and public information with a state association (the Minnesota Pharmacists Association). Three audio-taped data collection methods of participant observation, semi-structured interview, and personal audio-taping were utilized and exactly transcribed to provide textual data for analysis. Thematic analysis provided emerging themes of experienced pharmacist clinical decision-making which were further subdivided into subsuming themes after much reflection and interpretation of the entire study data. Results: Other health professions have identified experienced clinical decision-making to encompass the Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning Model, Decision Analysis, intuition and pattern recognition. Pharmacists’ clinical decision-making processes are considered in light of other health professionals’ decision-making techniques; however the results show that experienced pharmacists use a different model of clinical decision-making using constant dialogue between two different types of knowledge (objective and context-related). The pharmacist must perform an active modification step necessary to combine the objective, factual information with the contextual, patient-related knowledge. With this modification, pharmacists are able to have complete situational understanding necessary for the final clinical decision. Although experienced, the pharmacist may have inadequate information to conduct the modification step necessary for understanding to make the clinical decision. The analysis suggests that the enabling factors and barriers to clinical decision-making are unique for each context. The availability of time to spend with patients and the effort in consulting with other health professional colleagues have enabled experienced pharmacists to ensure more patientcentered decisions in the general ambulatory care clinic setting; however, practicing within certain disease specialties and potential limited knowledge presented possible barriers in making more optimal clinical decisions. Conclusions: This research study may ultimately increase interprofessional work since there may be significant similarity between pharmacists’ and other health professionals’ experienced clinical decision-making. The cross-communication between different health professions may further improve decision-making processes and collaborative practice agreements. Also, this research may guide pharmacy education necessary to advance patient experiences for clinical decision-making based on better understanding of the practices of those experienced pharmacists with 5+ years of practice. Increased objective teaching should be encouraged in classrooms to provide for longer-lasting learning experiences for students. Finally, this study provides evidence for better understanding of the current pharmacy practice including clinical decision-making in the ambulatory care clinic setting, which may further expand the success of pharmacists’ contributions to improving patient care.
Assessing the "goodness of fit" between scholarly assertions and audience interpretations of media images of Black male athletes
(2013-06) Houghton, Emily Jane
The purpose of this study was to examine the "goodness of fit" in sport media research, specifically how audiences interpret media images of Black male athletes and the ways in which their interpretations "fit" with scholarly assertions pertaining to racially marked media depictions. Participants in the study (n=36) were part of eight focus groups segmented by age, gender and race. They viewed and discussed mainstream media images of Black male athletes found on major American sport media websites (ESPN.com and SI.com). The images corresponded with five categories of representation found in the literature: highly competent/natural athlete, exotic savage, deviant, emotionally immature, and race transcendent. Although results were systematically compared across groups, race seemed to be the most significant factor in focus group responses. White participant responses provided support for some of the scholarly assertions (stereotype interpreted as reality, conditional acceptance of Black male athletes, perception of sport as upward mobility and the myth of meritocracy) while African American focus group responses were more likely to challenge some assertions (stereotypes interpreted as reality, perception of sport as upward mobility and myth of meritocracy), and confirm the existence of others (conditional acceptance of Black male athletes). Similar to the sport media study by Kane and Maxwell (2011), which utilized audience reception research, this project aims to generate knowledge and awareness that sport leaders could use to implement programs or practices which have the ability to transform sport and society into a truly equitable realm.
Consumer Embeddedness and Motivations for Farmers Market Patronage: A Qualitative Study
(2019-07) Norton, Alanna
The rise in popularity of farmers markets in the United States reflects consumers’ negative response to more traditional food distribution systems. Farmers markets provide consumers with a more local and often more personal food purchasing experience. This paper examines consumer motivations to attend farmers markets in Minnesota using the concept of embeddedness. Values of social embeddedness, spatial embeddedness, and natural embeddedness are used as a framework to analyze the range of non-economic motivations and values sought by patrons of farmers markets. This work contributes to existing literature on non-economic motivations to patronize farmers markets and support local food systems.
Creating a patient-centered report card for solid organ transplant candidates
(2024-08-15) Israni, Ajay K.; Bruin, Marilyn; Chu, Sauman; McKinney, Warren T.; Schaffhausen, Cory; Schladt, David; wmckinney@hhrinstitute.org; McKinney, Warren
Choosing a transplant center that will accept a particular candidate can be difficult and challenging for patients with end-stage organ failure. As transplant centers have varying levels of expertise, interests, and outcomes of solid organ transplant, patient health-related characteristics influence the variation in candidates centers will accept. Most transplant candidates undergo waitlist work-ups as outpatients and many undergo transplant at centers not closest to their homes. Some are listed at more than one center. Several studies suggest that patients have a choice of centers. The PI, as Deputy Director of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), provides comparative information to the public about each solid organ transplant center in the United States. The risk adjusted outcomes, in the report cards, account for the transplant recipient's health-related characteristics, donor characteristics and transplant related factors. Many transplant centers provide a print-out of this SRTR report card to their candidates to comply with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid rules. Unfortunately, in their current format, the report cards are not designed for transplant candidates, many of whom may have low health literacy and numeracy. The proposed work aims to develop and evaluate a patient-centered website and printouts of the SRTR report cards that will effectively communicate comparative information to transplant candidates about their alternatives when choosing transplant centers. We will develop a novel tool to allow candidates to tailor the report cards to their clinical profiles based on their health-related characteristics and to communicate information on alternative transplant centers that perform transplants in patients like them. The website will also allow patients to self-refer to centers. Here, we provide copies of the interview / focus group guide as well as examples of the demographic / clinical questionnaires completed by study participants. We are releasing these materials to allow for greater insight into the study and to enhance reproducibility.
Creating opportunities for all: a qualitative study of the reintegration of students with emotional/behavioral disorders to the mainstream environment.
(2011-07) Rinkel, Michaela
Reintegrating students with emotional and behavioral disorders from alternative school settings to the mainstream school environment presents significant challenges. Students are frequently unsuccessful when they return to home districts. Most researchers address the problem in a variable-centric manner, and explore specific student, teacher, and system attributes that lead to failure. Research needs to focus on the overall process of reintegration and the interactions that create conditions for success or failure. This study analyzed the perspectives of students, mainstream and special education teachers, administrators, peers, and parents when six middle and high school students with emotional and behavioral disorders moved from self-contained settings to placements in the mainstream environment of two Midwestern suburban school districts. Data were collected over one school year using semi-structured interviews, as well as student records and observations. Data were analyzed utilizing inductive case study and grounded theory methods. Four major findings emerged from the data. First, the desire of students to fit in influenced their use of the important skills of self-advocacy and self-regulation. Second, having and seeking out an understanding of the student's disability influenced the provision of support to students. Third, parents used advocacy to increase systemic understanding of the student's disability. Finally, attributes of communication within the system and a lack of understanding of student disability created a problematic reliance on student self-advocacy. These findings suggest school policy and practice should be directed toward improving educators' understanding of student disability, supporting parental advocacy, and increasing the use of self-advocacy in the classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Elementary teachers conceptions of graphical representations of categorical data
(2007-12) Tiefenbruck, Brenda Fay
This study investigated fourteen Grade 4 teachers' understandings of graphical representations of categorical data. The study examined what the teachers knew about: (a) categorical data and graphical representations of categorical data, (b) their students' knowledge of graphical representations of categorical data, and (c) how to work in class with student errors and misunderstandings. A list of common errors was developed from a review of the literature and used to create written assessments for students and teachers. Teachers completed the Categorical Data Graph Knowledge instrument, Curriculum Implementation Survey , and participated in an interview. Interviews probed the understanding teachers had of student errors and instructional strategies to assist student learning. The group of teachers revealed some basic knowledge of graphical representations of categorical data. These teachers could: (a) name common types of graphs, (b) name components of graphs, (c) identify title and labels on all graphs, (d) understand horizontal and vertical bar graphs, and (e) compare bar graphs and circle graphs. The teachers were also successful in identifying many errors the students made. Issues uncovered that are of primary interest to teachers and teacher educators include: (a) confusion between histograms and bar graphs; (b) interpretation of data within context; (c) putting labels for the frequency in the spaces, not at the end of line; (d) use of a template, or bars in a bar graph touching; (e) keeping a category with a zero value and how to explain a zero category value; and (f) creating the scale. The difficulty revealed in this study regarding the teachers' knowledge was not that the teachers couldn't make a bar graph, but that these teachers did not have a depth of understanding of graphical representations of categorical data, which is needed to assist students.
Experiences and Tensions in Justice-Oriented Teacher Education
(2020-11) Kiesel, ryan
This paper investigates and interprets the experiences of university students participating in a teacher preparation undergraduate major and initial licensure program. The program contains a mission statement focused on developing a “justice-orientation” in its participants. Through qualitative and interpretive research methodology the researcher and the participants examined moments of tension and conflict experienced in program participation.
An exploration of alcohol use in Karen refugee communities in the context of conflict-related displacement
(2013-07) McCleary, Jennifer Simmelink
Refugees who are displaced due to political conflict often experience a range of traumatic events throughout displacement and resettlement including exposure to events such as imprisonment or gender-based violence, protracted periods of time in refugee camps or resettlement related stress. Refugees who are displaced across borders bring cultural beliefs and values with them, although often the structures that support culture such as family and community are disrupted due to displacement. All of these factors can influence patterns of alcohol consumption and the consequences of alcohol use. Traditionally, high levels of alcohol consumption in refugee communities have been explored using models of self-medication of trauma symptoms or acculturation (Ezard, 2011). There have been almost no studies conducted of refugee alcohol use that qualitatively explore refugees' perceptions and experiences of alcohol use from their own perspectives. This dissertation describes a qualitative that study drew from critical ethnographic and phenomenological methodologies to explore the experiences and perceptions of alcohol use in Karen refugee communities displaced by political conflict. I collected data through focus group and individual interviews (N=62) and participant-observation in two locations: refugee camps in Thailand and a resettlement community in St. Paul, Minnesota. Analyzing the data using domain analysis (Spradley, 1979), I found that both culture and displacement related traumatic experiences contributed to increased levels of problematic alcohol use and negative consequences of alcohol use after displacement. I also discovered that geographic location may have played an influencing role on patterns of alcohol use. Participants said that many cultural structures and patterns were disrupted during displacement and this disruption of culture led to increased problems related to alcohol. Finally, Karen participants described people with problematic alcohol use as people who had stopped thinking about community and family and had begun to think only of themselves, which is counter to traditional Karen ways of thinking communally. These findings contain knowledge that will contribute to the development of culturally relevant treatment programs that consider the cultural, historical and political factors that contribute to alcohol use in Karen refugee communities as well as the ways in which communal cultural values impact both use of alcohol and quitting problematic alcohol use.
A Factorial Mixed-Methods Inquiry to Engage Latino Participants in Parenting Programs
(2016-09) Garcia-Huidobro Munita, Diego
Parents are important for healthy child development. Parenting programs help mothers and fathers improve their parenting practices; however, reduced participation diminishes the impact of these interventions. Using mixed methods and a factorial approach, this study examined the needs and preferences for an ideal parenting program for Latino families. Participants included Latino fathers and mothers with low and high attendance to a prior parenting program, and those without previous experience in parenting education. Evaluated domains included intervention characteristics, promotion, recruitment, and retention strategies, and places for program delivery. Mothers and fathers with adolescents aged 10-14 years (n=36) completed a semi-structured individual interview and a survey in Spanish. Data were collected until reaching qualitative data saturation. Qualitative data were analyzed in the original language following the procedures of Content Analysis. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Qualitative and quantitative data were merged using side-by-side comparisons. Subgroup analyses compared responses based on parent role (mother or father) and program enrollment/attendance status (low attendance, high attendance, and no contact with the program). Results showed that participants wanted an engaging program that covers a variety of topics. Ideally, the intervention would include individual and group components, target the whole family, and be facilitated by involved Latino leaders. Subgroup analyses revealed different needs and preferences among participants. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
How economic theory can inform qualitative analysis in evaluation
(2014-12) Larsen, Lindsay S.
This paper examines how economic theory can inform qualitative analysis and what an evaluator should consider when incorporating an economic theory. The study applies a specific economic theory, the theory of rational addiction, to a series of interviews with tobacco users before and after a cigarette tax increase. This study tests the extent to which the economic theory added value to the analysis of qualitative data and the implications this has for an evaluation. The researcher first analyzed the interviews using codes created from the content of the transcripts; she then analyzed the interviews again using predetermined codes from the theory of rational addiction. The study found that using this economic theory provided another lens through which the evaluator could interpret the data. In addition to revealing extra themes, the theory also helped the researcher better understand her positionality and assumptions about the participants.
Memorable Messages from Mentors: A Qualitative Study of First-Generation Graduate Students
(2019-04) Ojeda, Opal
This study’s inquiry aimed to examine the mentoring experiences of first-generation graduate students, meaning first-generation college students who are currently enrolled in graduate school. Mentors can provide guidance for first-generation graduate students and can have a positive impact on their experience of the graduate school process. This study examined the impact of mentoring relationships on first-generation graduate students and the memorable messages they received from these mentors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen first-generation college students who were currently in doctoral programs. Using the qualitative research approach of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), predominant domains and themes were created to provide a rich description of the entire data set. A total of three overarching domains were identified with ten themes within them. Domains covered the areas of 1) Creating a Positive Relationship, 2) Navigating the World of Higher Education, and 3) Supporting the Emotional Needs of Students. Participants emphasized how mentors created positive mentoring relationships. These relationships often began through connecting over shared backgrounds or interests and then deepened through the supportive environment that mentors created. Within the supportive environment, mentors were open to both a personal and professional relationship with their mentees. Participants also reported that their mentors helped them to navigate higher education. This was done by helping participants with the application process to graduate school and providing them with opportunities that were needed to make them competitive applicants. Mentors also assisted students in navigating the culture of graduate school and in guiding their career paths. Finally, participants stated that mentors supported their emotional needs. This was done in a variety of ways including encouraging students to attend graduate school, building up students’ confidence that they can be successful in graduate school, and increasing students’ sense of belonging in graduate school. Discussion of research recommendations and implications for training and practice are included.
Occupy Madison Village: A Case Study of the Lived Experience
(2019-10) Longworth, Michelle
In December 2018, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted its annual point-in-time homeless assessment study. The study estimated the national homeless count as 553,000, an increase from the previous 2017 report. Developments of tiny house villages, as an alternative approach to the on-going challenge of housing the homeless, were found in several regions of the country. The purpose of the case study was to describe the phenomenon of people with a history of homelessness living in Occupy Madison Village, a tiny house village located in Madison, Wisconsin. Participant narratives were analyzed to identify themes and describe their perceptions of the experience. The advocates for the Occupy Madison Village creatively combined best practices from multiple approaches of housing and community development. The objective was to pull together elements of governance, community-based decision making, and communal living elements. Descriptions of participatory governance, decision making, and design created an environment that encouraged individuals to develop place and community attachment. Themes of place and community attachment emerged from examples of personalization of the space, sense of belonging, length of residency, purpose, and community participation. The integration of community focused principles of cooperative housing and cohousing and place and community attachment encouraged experiences that generated long term residency, self-efficacy, leadership skills, and community engagement.
Research Study of the Lived Experience of Alopecia Areata for Women During Early Adulthood.
(2017-06) Bemmels, Heather
Objectives: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune condition that causes baldness in men and women; however, it may be especially distressing for women given social standards and expectations for beauty. This sporadic condition can present with various extents of hair loss that unexpectedly relapse or remit across time. The present phenomenological study aimed to describe the lived experiences of early adult women with AA who developed it in pre-adolescence or adolescence, to provide greater understanding of the experience of having AA over time. Method: The present study is guided by phenomenological methods, including interpretive phenomenological analysis. Following in-depth, semi-structured interviews with six female participants ages 27-36 with current, active AA, who developed their AA between ages 10-16, data were transcribed and analyzed at an individual and general (i.e., cross case) level for themes. Results: Responses to initial awareness of AA or increasing hair loss were not uniform, with participants’ psychological experiences ranging from not being bothered to life-altering and devastating. Physical sensations and visual reminders of increased hair loss can pull participants out of their everyday experiences, with possible helplessness regarding inability to stop the loss. Losing hair was sometimes experienced as a deep emotional loss, and was sometimes so devastating that years felt “dark” or “lost.” Participants encountered uncertainty regarding when their hair might fall out, as well as unpredictability with others’ reactions. Participants often experienced normality with friends and family, but occasional rejection and derision from others led to certain spaces or situations feeling unsafe for revealing AA. Participants often concealed their AA with various approaches, including wigs or hair pins, which might lead to self-consciousness about the AA or wig being discovered. At some point, these routines become “automatic.” Disclosing about AA to others increased vulnerability and openness, which might have negative (e.g., fear of negative reactions) and positive (e.g., deeper relationships) implications. The threat of AA being incidentally discovered can be distressing even after decades of having AA, but for some, making an intentional choice to reveal AA (e.g., openly telling others, not wearing a wig) led to freedom and comfort with the tradeoff of possible increased attention through stares or questions. Discussion: AA impacts individuals’ lives in a variety of ways, and the impact can differ across time, situations, and relationships. AA can produce a great deal of distress that persists after more than a decade of living with it. For others, AA is less distressing. Psychologists and other providers might best serve individuals with AA by better assessing their individual experiences of the condition. Future research might investigate the process of how some individuals with AA come to greater acceptance of or appreciation for their AA.
The role of social networks in medication information seeking behavior
(2009-05) Kjos, Andrea Lee
The study purpose was to determine the role of social networks in medication information seeking behavior by describing the structure of social networks that provide information, the content provided, and the function of information in addition to individual characteristics of people who use various types of social networks to obtain medication information. This was an exploratory qualitative research study, which used volunteering participants who were at least eighteen years old. Forty subjects completed a personal interview that measured aspects of one's social network as a modality to seek medication information. Data were audio recorded and transcribed using theory and prior research driven themes as a basis for ethnographic content analysis. Phase I analysis found that social network structures used for obtaining medication information were made up of health professionals and lay social contacts. Content themes included factual information, personal experiences, and beliefs and attitudes. Function themes were identified as decision making, diagnosis, monitoring, prescriptive or recommendations, social support, staying informed, or validation. Phase II analysis used clustering of social network types and themes to create coding intersections within the data to explore co-occurring thematic concepts. Social network contacts displayed different roles for what content was provided and the subsequent function of the information. For health professionals, the strongest content related role was to provide factual information functioning to support patient decision making, monitoring, recommendations, staying informed, and validation of information. In contrast, the role of content provision from lay contacts was to provide factual information, personal experiences and beliefs and attitudes functioning to support decision making, monitoring, recommendations, social support, staying informed, or validation of information. Findings from this study described the role of social networks in medication information seeking behavior of patients as complex, dynamic, and important to the medication use experience. The study concluded that patients use social network contacts from both inside and outside of health care to satisfy all types of information needs. Finally, by coming to a more complete understanding of the social nature of the information environment, health professionals can better understand information needs from a patient's perspective.
School social work with grieving children in the Twin Cities
(2009-11) Quinn-Lee, Lisa
A review of the literature reveals few articles that deal with social work with grieving children in the public school setting. The purpose of this research is to describe and analyze the services that school social workers provide to grieving children. Grieving children are defined as those who have experienced loss through death of someone significant (e.g., parent, sibling, grandparent, friend). This research addressed the following questions: 1) What are school social workers' experiences working with grieving children? 2) What services are provided? 3) Which interventions do school social workers utilize? 4) To what community resources do school social workers refer grieving students? 5) How prepared do school social workers feel to provide support to grieving children? 6) How and by whom are grieving children identified and assessed? 7) Are other disciplines providing services to grieving children in schools? If so, what services are they providing? and 8) Do barriers exist in providing school social work to grieving students? If yes, what are they? A purposive sample of 105 school social workers was selected based on the following criteria: (a) currently licensed in Minnesota as a school social worker, (b) currently employed as a school social worker in the Twin Cities, and (c) currently a member of the Minnesota School Social Workers Association. One hundred five school social workers were invited to participate in two parts of the study. Fifty-nine agreed to participate in the preliminary e-mail survey. Subsequently, of the 59, 22 school social workers were interviewed in-person for approximately 45-60 minutes. This exploratory study required an open-ended, inductive approach using qualitative methods. Interviews were transcribed and coded through NVivo qualitative analysis software. Major codes were developed using the guided interview questions. Constant comparison was also utilized. The data analysis identified four main themes in the responses: (a) barriers to helping grieving students, (b) limitations placed on how grief is defined, (c) social workers' wide range on preparation for dealing with grief and loss issues, and (d) referring grieving students to outside resources. Subthemes were developed under each theme. School social workers faced various barriers in helping grieving children, including parents' privacy and confidentiality concerns, teachers' lack of support, lack of time, lack of resources, being limited on what can be discussed in public schools related to religion and spirituality, and no private space to meet with students. School social workers reported that the definition of grief encompassed much more than grief over the death of a family member. Grief for children comes in many forms, including death of a parent, death of extended family member, student death, divorce, and pet loss. All school social workers interviewed recognized that they could not be available to students at all times and could not provide all the services that grieving students need. They realized that it was necessary for them to have good referral sources for the students, including various outside agencies and community resources. School social workers are not always receiving the type of training that is necessary to work with grieving students. They believed that they received little preparation in assisting children with grief and loss issues, and that they only received education on this topic if they sought it out themselves and took elective courses or continuing education. Implications for practice: (1) School social workers' education should include courses that look at the types of grief experienced by children and be provided specific training in how to deal with grief. (2) School districts need to reconsider the budget allotted to hiring school social workers and to the resources they need. School social workers' roles should be expanded so they can respond to new and emerging needs of grieving students. (3) Social workers in the community and social workers in the school should communicate more with each other about their roles in helping grieving children, and this could help decrease duplication of services.
SPORTS information directors and the don't ask, don't tell narrative: applying gatekeeping theory to the creation and contents of Division I women's basketball online coaching biographies
(2014-10) Calhoun, Austin Stair
Researchers suggest that gay and lesbian coaches often respond with silence regarding their sexual orientation or family dynamic (Anderson, 2005; Griffin, 1998). Scholars speculate as to why this silence exists from two antipodal approaches: self-policing and institutionalized policing (Krane & Kauer, 2013; Norman, 2011). While we know that coaches respond with silence narratives (i.e., don't tell) when it comes to same-sex family narratives (Calhoun, LaVoi, & Johnson, 2011), it is unclear what dialogues (i.e., don't ask) occur between sports information directors (SIDs) and coaches with regard to including same-sex family narratives in online coaching biographies. Using Gatekeeping Theory (Shoemaker & Vos, 2009) as a guide, I examine the routines of BCS Division I women's basketball SIDs and investigate how the construction of online coaching biographies contributes to the absence of same-sex family narratives. The results from semi-structured interviews with SIDs (n = 14) provide insight on processes and dialogues between coaches and SIDs. Major findings were trifold: (1) SIDs presented similar communication routines when creating online coaching biographies, (2) each level of Gatekeeping Theory was reflected the content in online coaching biographies, and (3) SIDs explained the absence of same-sex narratives by placing the blame elsewhere and absolving themselves. This research has the potential to affect stakeholders and constituents in the sport and LBGT communities. Future research should address how SIDs can neutralize their routines and offer opportunities for inclusion of same-sex family narratives in online coaching biographies.
Trigger Warnings in the Classroom - Instructor and Student Perspectives
(2017-08) Horton, Emily
This qualitative case study looked at the use of trigger warnings in an introductory-level gender studies course at a large, public research university. Trigger warnings are understood to be any information given, either verbal or in writing, that serves to tell students about particular content that the instructor will be addressing in class that could be traumatic for students with particular experiences related to that content. Supporters of trigger warnings believe that they make classrooms more inclusive and help support students with certain backgrounds, such as veterans, refugees, and students with PTSD or other mental health issues. Those against trigger warnings insist that they diminish students’ resiliency and infringe on instructors’ academic freedom. This study examines the use of trigger warnings and the effect their usage has on instructors and students. Data collection involved classroom observations and interviews with five students, two teaching assistants, and a faculty member. Findings were divided into three categories: classroom experiences, history with trigger warnings, and views of trigger warnings. Discussion and implications include suggestions for improving the use of trigger warnings in the classroom and the need for increased collaboration between instructors and students.
Urban American Indians' perceptions of historical trauma.
(2010-12) Grant, Herbert
This dissertation presents a study of the experience of American Indians, residing in an urban setting, regarding historical trauma. This study consists of two parts. The first aspect of the study is to correlate scores from the Historical Losses Scale (HLS) and the Native American Acculturation Scale (NAAS). The results indicate that higher scores on the HLS are moderately related to lower scores on the NAAS. The second aspect of this study presents findings from interviews with 12 participants regarding their perceptions of the effects of historical trauma (HT). The following themes emerged from the interviews: Assimilation Produces HT, Oppression, Loss of Language, Guilt-Not being able to pass on, Family Connection or Lack of, Loss of Traditions and Spirituality. The qualitative and quantitative aspects of this study are both theoretically and empirically related. Hence quotes from the interviews were used to illustrate the items of the HLS. The content of the interviews suggests that the impact of historical trauma is relevant for American Indians residing in urban areas.
Urban, Low-Income, African American Well-Child Care: Parent and Provider Experiences and Expectations
(2020-05) Koschmann, Kara
Background Well-child care (WCC) is the foundation of pediatric health promotion. High-quality WCC in the context of a strong parent-provider relationship can improve child health. However, urban, low-income, African American parents report lower overall primary care quality. A critical review of the literature identified multiple factors impacting the parent-provider relationship for African Americans. Aims For urban, low-income, African American parents and children: (1) Describe parent’s expectations and experiences of WCC, (2) Describe pediatric providers’ perceptions of parenting needs and experiences of providing WCC to the population, and (3) Compare parents’ and providers’ expectations and experiences of WCC. Methods A naturalistic qualitative method was used. The first aim was achieved through focus groups with parents in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and St. Louis, Missouri. The second aim was achieved through unstructured, narrative, key-informant interviews with pediatric primary care providers. Analysis Conventional content analysis was used to code data. Codes were collapsed into categories. Aim three was achieved by drawing parent and provider data together using qualitative data triangulation and convergence coding. Results Four focus groups were held with 35 parents, and nine individual provider interviews. Parents and providers had similar expectations, but greater dissonance in the perceptions and experiences of WCC. Parent expectations for WCC are not that different between races and income levels, but the experiences of study parents reveal ongoing care disparities. Conclusion Improving care quality for this population requires changes in healthcare practice, research, and policy. Results serve as a foundation for these changes and inform the next action steps.

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