Research Article
Joanna Farrer Mackie, Janet Shim, Catherine Duarte, Robert Ream, Irene Yen
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp. 1-22
ABSTRACT
Higher educational attainment has been linked to better health and economic outcomes. However, little is known about how family caregiving responsibilities influence individuals’ educational trajectories in the United States (U.S.). Currently, 26% of U.S. undergraduates have at least one dependent child. While some literature describes the experiences of college-student parents, few studies examine the myriad ways family caregiving may singly or simultaneously present, including caregiving for children, relatives, household members, and older adults. The literature shows that caregiving for relatives, household members, and older adults is a common experience, with 20% of Americans providing care for an adult. Guided by social reproduction theory and reproductive labor, this paper examined qualitative interviews (n=31) from the Educational Trajectories & Health study to understand how caregiving responsibilities, broadly defined, influenced educational trajectories. Participants who identified as women discussed bearing disproportionate expectations to take on family caregiving responsibilities, including caregiving for siblings and aging parents. For most participants, family caregiving responsibilities substantially influenced educational decisions. Some experienced additional caregiving responsibilities but still attained their educational goals; others with family caregiving responsibilities discussed stretching and substituting resources in an effort to manage but ultimately having to step back from their stated educational pursuits. Situating these findings within broader social and structural contexts, this analysis examines educational disruption when family caregiving responsibilities arise. Findings have implications for policies that support students with family caregiving responsibilities at school, state, and federal levels.
Keywords: Family caregiving, reproductive labor, qualitative research.
Research Article
Mohamed Abdullahi Nuh, Sultan Juma Kakuba
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp. 23-44
ABSTRACT
The study sought to investigate the IGAD's socio-economic, political, and environmental contributions contribution to peace and stability in Mogadishu, Somalia. A qualitative case study design was used in this work. Among the 15 people who took part in the survey were IGAD officials, parliamentarians, civil society activists, political analysts, and ministers. These participants were chosen using snowball sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Data were gathered from these participants through interviews conducted with the aid of an interview guide. The findings revealed that IGAD contributed to Somalia's peace and stability by initiating mediation, and re-establishment of the Transitional Federal Government and its security capabilities It also contributed to the socio-economic development of the region by promoting regional economic integration, free movement of goods, services, and people, the creation of a conducive environment for cross-border trade, the promotion of sustainable development, the provision of social services such as schools and hospitals, and immigration issues. According to the study, it also established a drought disaster resilience sustainability program, as well as complementary programs aimed at implementing the drought resilience agenda in arid and semi-arid areas. The study also discovered that IGAD improved Somalia's access to early warning systems.
Keywords: IGAD, Peace and Stability, Early Warning System, Conflict.
Research Article
Alvita Nathaniel
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp. 45-59
ABSTRACT
Glaser and Strauss (1967) sprinkled suggestions about the use of the literature throughout their seminal work as did Glaser in subsequent years. They, however, did not lay out a clear and structured overview of how to use the literature. The aim of this paper is to weave together the recommendations from classic grounded theory originators and to describe how, why, and when to review the literature and which literature to review. The paper includes a section debunking the no literature myth followed by descriptions of the three phases of the classic grounded theory literature review—the introduction phase, the integration phase, and the disposition phase. The three phases work together to substantiate, confirm, and enhance an emerging grounded theory and situate it within the existing body of knowledge.
Keywords: literature review, extant literature, grounded theory, classic grounded theory.
Research Article
Sam Prough
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp. 60-73
ABSTRACT
While observation research strives to capture the diverse experiences of participants, a researcher’s interpretation is often foregrounded in the work. As a result, those observed and how they interpret the meaning of their actions can fade into the background. I argue for a shift in traditional models of observation to include an observation debrief to unite the purpose of interview and observation while centering the participant’s perspective through a more immediate reflection of a participant’s observed experience. I describe the benefit of an observation debrief through a narrative account of one participant in a study about parents’ mathematical interactions with young children.
Keywords: debrief, mathematics education, narrative, observation, parent engagement.
Research Article
Aaron Leo, Kristen Wilcox, Jessie Tobin
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp. 74-98
ABSTRACT
Previous scholarship has identified factors that can influence peer relationships at the classroom level, while others have noted how school-level characteristics and practices can impact the interactions among young people. Little scholarship, however, has addressed the connections between these school systems as well as to the wider community. Moreover, few studies have offered a qualitative analysis of peer relationships in varied settings. To address this gap, this study draws on data gathered among educators and students from two secondary schools in New York State to better understand the various influences on peer relationships. In this analysis, we draw on social-ecological theory to demonstrate how elements from the various systems in which youth participate impact peer relationships in these schools. Our contribution offers practical value for educators and policymakers seeking to improve relationships among youth while providing a qualitative contribution to a topic that has largely been examined through quantitative analysis.
Keywords: adolescents, teachers, mentoring, extracurricular, Bronfenbrenner.