Research Article
Corinne Torrekens, Fabienne Brion
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 1-18
ABSTRACT
The concept of radicalization has become a focal point of scrutiny in both the media and academia. For almost a decade, scholars have emphasized the ongoing empirical shortcomings in this field, which has primarily relied on secondary data and theoretical speculation. While recent research has begun to address these gaps, critical epistemological engagement remains limited. This is particularly true given the 'reflexive turn' inspired by post-positivist approaches and the call for the decolonization of the social sciences, which emphasizes the importance of examining researchers' positionality, privilege, and potential complicity in reproducing gendered and racial hierarchies. Such reflections are particularly necessary in a research area where participants are often male, racialized, and socio-economically marginalized. This paper contributes to filling this void by drawing on insights from an 18-month empirical study of detainees convicted of terrorism or labelled as radicalized by penal institutions. We examine the negotiation processes required to gain access to detention centers, analyze the impact of surveillance and carceral protocols on our research practices, and reflect on the methodological and epistemological recalibrations undertaken throughout the project. In doing so, we advance a reflexive account of radicalization research that foregrounds the entanglement of knowledge production, power, and positionality.
Keywords: Fieldwork, Prison, Positionality, Reflexivity, Radicalization
Research Article
Angela E. Russo, Devika Singh, Jennifer Monroe Zakaras
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 19-33
ABSTRACT
Between July 24 and August 23, 2023, researchers set out to better understand the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care needs of women living with HIV (WLHIV) in Vermont. In-depth interviews were conducted with women receiving HIV care through the University of Vermont Health Network to explore their experiences and identify ways to improve SRH care. Inductive and deductive methods were used to analyze the interview data. The participants ranged in age from 29 to 67, and 20% identified as African American or Black. A recurring theme in the interviews was the importance of the relationship between patients and their healthcare providers. Many women emphasized that how they were treated by their providers shaped their perceptions of care quality. They expressed a strong desire to be seen as whole individuals, not solely defined by their HIV status. A particularly challenging issue was the disclosure of HIV status to intimate partners, which many women found to be a significant source of stress. They voiced a need for more guidance and support from clinicians when navigating these deeply personal conversations. The study concluded that affirming and supportive interactions between healthcare providers and WLHIV are crucial for fostering positive experiences with SRH care. Based on these findings, it should be emphasized that HIV care providers play a vital role in addressing the SRH needs of WLHIV. To do this effectively, providers should receive training on HIV-specific SRH issues and learn strategies for facilitating safe and supportive discussions about HIV disclosure with intimate partners.
Keywords: HIV-related stigma, patient-centered care, rural health, women’s health
Research Article
Micah Swartz
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 34-53
ABSTRACT
Use of math apps in elementary schools is increasing, with most research focusing on achievement-related outcomes. Given that motivation is an essential mediator of student success, research on the relationship between the use of elementary math apps and motivation is needed. This paper focuses on the case of Sarah, drawn from a 5-month-long, exploratory multiple-case study of a technology-rich third-grade math classroom that routinely used math apps during instruction. Using self-determination theory and expectancy-value theory to guide the operationalization of motivation, the findings suggest that math apps are strongly associated with students’ enjoyment of math and their sense of connection. In Sarah’s case, math apps shifted from an enjoyable technology to one that left her stressed and frustrated. Additionally, findings illustrate that motivation related to math app use can change over a relatively short period of use. This study on math apps shows that implementing new technology in elementary classrooms often yields unintended consequences. This study contributes to understanding how educational technology can both support and undermine elementary students’ motivation, underscoring the importance of examining its full range of impacts.
Keywords: Elementary Education, Mathematics, Motivation, Technology
Research Article
Alain Finet, Kevin Kristoforidis, Julie Laznicka
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 54-74
ABSTRACT
This study examines how emotions, competition, and time pressure shape financial decision-making within a three-day trading simulation. Eight management students traded virtual portfolios of CAC40 stocks under conditions designed to replicate market stress, including real-time rankings and a performance-based incentive. A qualitative methodology was employed, using semi-structured post-simulation interviews analyzed through Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic framework. Findings showed a wide range of emotional responses. Fear emerged as the most significant emotion, linked to financial losses and to the constant visibility of rankings. Anger and frustration were associated with unexpected losses and market stagnation, while happiness and pride were reported following successful trades. These results confirm prior research on emotion-specific influences and extend it by highlighting how competition and social comparison intensify emotional responses. Rankings acted as a behavioral driver: participants at the bottom engaged in riskier strategies, whereas those at the top became more conservative, consistent with social comparison theory. The short time horizon favored short-term strategies such as scalping, reflecting the dominance of "System 1" reasoning under pressure. The study contributes to behavioral finance by providing qualitative evidence of how emotions and competition interact in trading. It also raises methodological questions regarding the paradox of virtual simulations, which reduce emotional intensity and encourage excessive risk-taking. Our research holds theoretical and practical value for financial education by emphasizing the importance of preparing future traders for the emotional realities of market decision-making.
Keywords: Behavioral Finance, Decision-making, Emotions, Qualitative Analysis.
Research Article
Lindsay A. Beddes
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 75-94
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research was to observe transformational learning and identity development at the intersection of motivational and adult learning theories among 21 participants (18 emerging adults and three adults) during a two-week international service-learning trip to northern Peru. Exploring transformational learning and identity development in emerging adults (Arnett, 1997) is crucial, as existing learning theories may not fully explain their experiences in this transitional developmental phase. As participant-observer, the researcher, supported by one research assistant, collected qualitative observational data during the service, and follow-up survey responses at the end of the service-learning experience. Findings were analyzed using social science Portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Hoffman-Davis, 1997) and arts-based analysis and representation. Findings confirmed salient themes in service-learning research; while participants experienced cognitive dissonance, the reflection process failed to challenge perspectives or push the boundaries of dissonance. This allowed participants to confirm preconceived biases, in some cases resulting in essentialized identity. This research confirms the importance of intentional and ongoing critical reflection, but highlights that for service learning to move beyond “voluntourism,” facilitators must engage participants in critical reflection that supports addressing difficult issues and promotes genuine growth.
Keywords: arts-based research, identity development, international service learning, reflection, transformational learning, portraiture
Research Article
David C Coker
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 95-125
ABSTRACT
Themes and thematic analysis are very popular in qualitative research methods and analysis. The very definition of theme varies widely, from patterns that exclude the researcher as biased to highly interpretive work that prizes the researcher's instrumentality. Exploring the historical development of themes, the many definitions reveal that different levels of analysis produced varied understandings of the meanings of concepts and themes. A qualitative analysis of educational leadership dissertations in the US using thematic analysis showed that a common practice was to state that themes emerged; regardless of the claims, the resultant themes were mostly topical and descriptive. The construction of themes beyond the descriptive is a practice for which many researchers lack systematic, rigorous processes and fail to show visible methods. To develop a methodical, visible practice, a theme construction tool provides a three-step framework to use a storyboard approach to develop concepts, produce hypotheses using abductive reasoning, and then evaluate hypotheses to make an inference to the best explanation. Criteria for evaluating themes provide a reference point for researchers to apply concrete skills across a range of qualitative methods. The paper serves as a call to action for researchers to adopt structured, transparent, and methodologically flexible tools for theme construction. By doing so, researchers can move beyond simple summarization and opaque claims of “emerge” to produce more credible, nuanced, and genuinely interpretive themes.
Keywords: Qualitative Methods, Themes, Thematic Analysis, Qualitative Analysis, Interpretative
Research Article
Tugce Ertem-Eray, Eyun-Jung Ki, Yezi He, Katelin Aspre Mueller
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 126-147
ABSTRACT
Guided by intersectionality theory, this study conducted in-depth interviews to examine mental health challenges among underrepresented college students and to determine how they access care in U.S. higher education. Findings indicated that the challenges faced by underrepresented college students during the COVID-19 era continue to influence the higher education landscape. Underrepresented college students face mental health challenges not only as individuals but as members of overlapping identity groups. These challenges are shaped by the stigma and discrimination associated with their social identities. Recognizing and addressing these challenges is essential to addressing mental health issues effectively. Thus, colleges must respond by making targeted adjustments to better support these students and choose an approach to mental health in U.S. higher education that accounts for how multiple social identities and systems of oppression intersect. This study suggests that colleges should develop counseling and support systems that explicitly consider these intersections and promote coping strategies tailored to the needs of diverse student populations.
Keywords: mental health problems, counseling centers, underrepresented college students, intersectionality
Research Article
Karina Donald, Xingyi Li, Cole Lin
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 148-168
ABSTRACT
This study examines how visual artists and non-artists collaboratively engage in the interpretation of family-generated artwork within an arts-based research (ABR) framework. Arts-based research (ABR) has expanded qualitative inquiry by engaging visual, embodied, and affective dimensions of experience. However, limited attention has been given to how family-generated visual data are collaboratively interpreted and how differences in artistic training shape analytic processes. This study examines how visual artists and non-artists analyze family-generated artwork, guided by the research question: What are the experiences of visual artists and non-artists in analyzing family visual data? Informed by social constructivist theory, the study employed an arts-based design integrating visual analysis, response artmaking, memo writing, and collaborative dialogue. Analysis followed an iterative process of independent coding, group refinement, and thematic synthesis. Findings indicate that artist-analysts expanded meaning through symbolic and affective engagement, while non-artists stabilized meaning through categorization and narrative structuring. Meaning emerged through the interaction of these approaches rather than residing in the visual data itself. The study demonstrates that interpretive diversity enhances analytic depth, challenges assumptions about expertise in visual analysis, and underscores the value of collaborative, multimodal approaches in family research.
Keywords: Arts-based research, visual inquiry, family studies, interdisciplinary collaboration, reflexivity
Research Article
Juan Zhong, Si Wang, Sofia R Friedl, Weining Wen
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 169-193
ABSTRACT
Financial identity is a major developmental task for emerging adults. Little is known about how parental and cultural master narratives influence this important developmental process. A narrative approach to identity emphasizes the value of analyzing how individuals construct their identities through their stories in relation to others, which makes it possible to examine the cultural developmental processes of financial identity microgenetically and ontogenetically. The goal of this exploratory case study is to understand the ways in which meaning-making in financial identity development unfolds during emerging adulthood. A small sample of Chinese emerging adults participated in semi-structured interviews regarding personal finance. A positioning analysis was conducted on the participants’ narratives to illustrate how they constantly navigate their financial identity in relation to their parents during emerging adulthood. Findings illustrated that these emerging adults constructed their financial identity through conflict with their parents and critical moments. This developmental process involved an ongoing negotiation between the individual and cultural processes. The study provided a nuanced understanding of individual pathways towards financial identity in these cases, and suggested interventions aimed at fostering economic well-being and supporting a healthy transition to adulthood.
Keywords: financial identity, narrative approach, positioning analysis, Chinese emerging adults, economic well-being.
Research Article
Christine Y. Mason, Alexis M. Richmond, Hallie Williams, Melody Mann, Chandni Lal
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 194-213
ABSTRACT
This qualitative study explored how educators and leaders experience and implement Heart Centered Learning (HCL), an integrative framework that connects mindfulness, breath, and compassion to promote well-being and community across educational settings. Based on semi-structured interviews with nine purposefully selected participants, the reflexive thematic analysis identified core themes of community, mindfulness, compassion, and breath as interrelated elements of personal and collective transformation. Participants described using HCL to cultivate emotional competence, reflective awareness, and relational safety for themselves and their students, emphasizing practices that extend beyond classrooms—such as family engagement, student-led initiatives, and community dialogue—as well as structural supports like wellness coaches and data systems to sustain implementation. Educators reported developing greater self-regulation, empathy, and confidence, noting perceived positive ripple effects on students’ resilience, self-advocacy, and social responsibility. These findings suggest that committed practitioners experience HCL as a framework for integrating mindfulness- and compassion-based approaches into everyday educational practice and community life, while underscoring the need for future research using more diverse samples, direct outcome measures, and longitudinal designs.
Keywords: Heart Centered Learning, Mindfulness, Mindfulness and Lived Experiences, Compassion, Well-Being, Educator Stress Reduction, Community Building, Regulating Emotions, Collective Well-Being.
Research Article
Chin-Wen Chien
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 214-232
ABSTRACT
In content and language integrated learning (CLIL) contexts, teacher talk provides learners with valuable input that enhances both language and content comprehension. This case study investigated the pedagogical functions of teacher talk produced by two Taiwanese elementary school English teachers in CLIL classrooms, as well as the impact of collaborative analysis on their professional development. Using thematic analysis of data derived from classroom observations, interviews, video recordings, and teaching materials, three key findings emerged. First, the pedagogical functions of “animating” and “explaining the language of learning” were found to be predominant in the teachers’ talk. Second, both teachers found the selection of appropriate language for learning and the use of simplified language challenging. Finally, the teachers considered the collaborative analysis process valuable for critically examining their use of teacher talk. Based on the findings, the researcher put forward a professional development model centered on the collaborative analysis of teacher talk.
Keywords: collaborative analysis, content language integrated learning (CLIL), language of learning, professional learning, teacher talk
Research Article
John L. Lane, Karmin Bourdo
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 233-248
ABSTRACT
This article highlights the tension of two different meanings of trustworthiness. Researchers are responsible for being empirically trustworthy by producing social scientific manuscripts of high quality. Researchers must also be relationally trustworthy by protecting the vulnerabilities and best interests of the research participants. However, researchers often face the dilemma of attending to both types of trustworthiness without strategies for addressing the challenges. This article, co-constructed by a researcher and participant, describes how member checking can promote both more rigorous research (empirical trustworthiness) and strengthen relationships and leave participants feeling valued and empowered (relational trustworthiness). To this end, this article highlights the challenges and affordances of the member checking process itself, examines the process’s impact on both the researcher and the participant, and offers guidelines for how member checking can simultaneously promote both more rigorous and more ethical research.
Keywords: Member Checking, Qualitative Methods, Transactional Validity, Transformative Validity, Catalytic Validity, Participatory Research, Trustworthiness
Research Article
Shams Shams
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 249-268
ABSTRACT
Reflexivity has become a central ethical and methodological imperative in contemporary ethnography, routinely framed as a means through which researchers manage discomfort, resolve ethical tension, and maintain accountability in the field. Yet reflexivity does not always dissolve discomfort, but it can intensify it. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with religious minorities in Pakistan, shaped by asymmetrical power, uneven trust, and unsettled obligation, this article argues that discomfort is not a failure of method to be corrected but a methodological condition through which ethnographic knowledge is produced. Through a series of fieldwork vignettes, I demonstrate how moments of ethical unease when empathy proves insufficient, reciprocity impossible, and responsibility unresolved generate critical insight rather than methodological breakdown. I identify four functions discomfort performs: signalling structural asymmetry, limit-testing ethical frameworks, registering relational excess, and enabling epistemological reorientation. By reconceptualizing discomfort as constitutive rather than incidental to ethnographic practice, this article challenges normative expectations of reflexive resolution and contributes to ongoing debates on ethics, positionality, and method in qualitative research.
Keywords: Reflexivity, Discomfort, Ethnographic Ethics; Positionality, Extractivism
Research Article
Sheryl L. Chatfield, Dennis Kirimi
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 269-282
ABSTRACT
Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a critical role in improving access to preventive services for lower resourced, underrepresented individuals, although most research in the U.S. is focused on program efficacy rather than CHW motivation and job satisfaction which may play a role in higher than ideal turnover among CHWs. The purpose of this research was to investigate motivation of U.S. based CHWs to develop recommendations for recruitment, retention and professional development. The constructs of competence, autonomy and relatedness from self-determination theory were used to frame data gathering and analysis. Fifteen practicing CHW participants in seven focus groups described their thoughts regarding motivations, challenges, and career growth. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes: Preparing for the CHW Role; Navigating the CHW Role; Thriving in the CHW Role; Reflecting on the CHW Role. Key findings within themes included CHWs were motivated to enter the profession as a result of having similar lived experiences to clients they served, and experienced ongoing motivation from contributing to health improvement in their home communities. While CHWs described profound challenges related to client needs and limited resources, participants experience competence in navigating challenges and were often autonomous in their work although some felt loss of control when client needs surpassed available resources. The growing need for CHWs may be addressed through an expansion of available training so CHWs can train and work in their home communities. A modified residual market scheme with private health insurers may have potential to facilitate viable and economically beneficial expansion of CHW practice.
Keywords: Community health workers; Focus groups; Qualitative; Motivation; Self-determination theory; health disparities; healthcare financing
Research Article
Suzanne L. Porath
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 283-308
ABSTRACT
This scholarly personal narrative (SPN) examines my experience of navigating stage 3 breast cancer while continuing to teach, mentor, and write as a tenured university professor. Drawing on self-generated artifacts, including blog posts, podcast reflections, and creative writing, I analyze how I made meaning across treatment and survivorship. Guided by Lent’s (2004) model of psychosocial adjustment, the study explores how self-efficacy, coping practices, and social support shaped an ongoing process of adaptation. Findings suggest that adjustment is not a simple return to a prior state, but a dynamic practice of living forward, sustained through everyday acts of meaning-making, creative expression, and relational connection. The analysis shows how illness reshaped embodied identity, professional capacity, and understandings of self without erasing continuity or purpose. This work contributes to qualitative research by showing how SPN can illuminate the lived complexities of illness, identity reconstruction, and professional persistence within contemporary academic life and academic work.
Keywords: Scholarly Personal Narrative, breast cancer survivorship, chronic illness in academia, psychosocial adjustment, meaning-making, identity reconstruction, qualitative inquiry
Research Article
Charles L. Lowery, Ashley Cannon, Jessica Muniz, Leanna Rippey
AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 309-329
ABSTRACT
This study explores the intersections of identity, place, and leadership through the co-constructed autoethnographies of three female doctoral candidates and one male doctoral professor in educational leadership from rural Appalachia. Through reflective writing of the self and writing of culture, we examine the socio-cultural influences shaping our leadership identities, decision-making processes, and responses to socio-political challenges in our rural school communities. We engage in our reflections by integrating personal narratives with cultural, gendered, and place-based dynamics, and then turn a reflective gaze on ourselves to illuminate the significance of what we collectively have come to consider rurally responsive school leadership. Our narratives and analyses emphasize the importance of rurally responsive practices that address the complexities of gender, geography, and community as rural educational leaders in Appalachian Virginia. Ultimately, our self-study contributes to the broader discourse on educational leadership in rural educational contexts and, as we hope, offers insights and implications for responding equitably, inclusively, and meaningfully as school leaders in rural schools.
Keywords: co-constructed autoethnography, decision making, educational leadership, place, rurally responsive leadership