M. Lori Thomas

Grounded Theory Managing the Challenge for Those Facing Institutional Review Board Oversight

The authors examine one of the earliest systematic forms of qualitative inquiry to identify some of the boundaries needed in grounded theory designs to provide a small corner of clarity in the discourse about what is acceptable science from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) perspective. Beginning with an overview of grounded theory research as it was originally conceived and extended, the challenges for establishment of a uniform standard are put forth. Within this background and context, the authors report the results of a content analysis of a sampling of dissertation abstracts claiming to use grounded theory. Results reveal the need to clarify standards for different types of grounded theory research to help those facing IRB oversight. The authors assert that there are two useful sets of standards that should be applied to the assessment of the quality of a grounded theory design and researchers should not confuse the two.

Mixing and Phasing of Roles Among Volunteers, Staff, and Participants in Faith-Based Programs:

In this grounded theory research project, face-to-face interviews were conducted with program participants, board members, administrators, coordinators, and collaborators in 15 faith-based programs. Findings concerning the roles played by participants, volunteers, and paid staff reveal the wearing of multiple hats, facilitated by a tendency toward cross-training, role diffusion, and doing what is needed. Boundaries created by roles appear to be less important than pragmatically responding to meet human needs. The moral imperative or faith-based nature of the work appears to be a recruiting tool for both paid staff and volunteers, as well as an expressed personal benefit for both. Challenges include turnover among paid staff and volunteers, heavy reliance on volunteers, and low pay. Psychological contracting with a faith-based community may be related to the ability to cope with fluid role expectations and associated ambiguities.

Traumatic Transitions Homeless Women’s Narratives of Abuse, Loss, and Fear

This article presents traumatic experiences among 21 women residing in budget hotels after housing displacement. Framed in feminist and cumulative trauma theories, the purpose of this study was to explore types of trauma and adversity prior to and during housing at budget hotels. In this qualitative study, narrative and categorical content-analysis approaches were conducted to identify common themes across women’s narratives. Findings revealed trauma narratives of physical and emotional abuse, childhood maltreatment, loss, financial exploitation, sexual intimidation, eviction anxiety, environmental stress, crime exposure, and systematic subjugation. Trauma-informed intervention approaches for social work practice are outlined to promote women’s empowerment.

Integrating Assessment and Evaluation Into Partnership Initiatives Lessons From the Community Partnerships for Older Adults

Communities nationwide have formed cross-sector partnerships to face the needs of an aging population, particularly for the purpose of improving long-term supportive service systems. Research is limited on how evaluation strategies are incorporated into partnership work, especially in the field of aging. This retrospective qualitative study reviewed administrative and key informant interview data to examine how 15 community partnerships (CPs) within the Community Partnerships for Older Adults (CPFOA) national program incorporated evaluation into their work. The four overarching lessons drawn from our inquiry suggest that effective CPs: (a) incorporate both formative and summative methods into evaluation, (b) use and develop the knowledge and skills of its members, (c) support flexible and creative evaluation methods and strategies, and (d) use internal and external resources to support evaluation efforts, particularly with nontraditional partners. There is a need for continued research to capture the methodological complexity of partnership evaluation.

Voice and Community in the Corporate Academy: A Collective Biography

This article is the story of the simultaneous feminization and corporatization of universities, themes that emerged in a test of a collective biography, a qualitative research method. Organizers brought together 12 macro social work academic women across generations and, through sampling, attempted to avoid the intergenerational splitting that seems to be leaving junior faculty to be socialized by administrators while simultaneously isolating senior faculty from their generative role. Our analysis identified several trends developed from our collective experiences including changes in faculty governance, formalized mentoring, intergenerational faculty relationships, and shifting expectations. With these changes, we sense a reduction in what we used to think of as a collegium, now in danger of becoming an historical artifact.

Faith and Collaboration: A Qualitative Analysis of Faith-Based Social Service Programs in Organizational Relationships

As faith-based organizations and congregations are increasingly relied upon for social service provision in the United States, the collaborative relationships formed for human service purposes regularly include one or more faith-related organizations. Despite the growing attention on faith-based organizations and their history of participation in social service delivery, research concerning their interaction with others in the public and private sectors remains quite sparse. This article describes the findings of a qualitative post hoc analysis of a national study examining fifteen diverse faith-based social service programs. Findings emerged in three categories: partners, purposes, and relationships.

The Variations and Strategies of Faith-Based Advocacy Organizations in Virginia

While recent discourse has focused on the role of religion in direct social service provision, religious groups also participate in other facets of the social welfare system. Faith-Based Advocacy Organizations (FBAOs) are religious organizations that work through legislative bodies to create social change. Representing a variety of theological and political perspectives, these groups are active in Washington, DC and in a number of state legislatures throughout the country. Such religious institutions, however, are rarely considered in academic literature. This article reviews existing literature on FBAOs and reports findings from an exploratory study of such organizations in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Reclaiming and Reimagining Macro Social Work Education: A Collective Biography

ABSTRACT The authors focus on a collective biography of 12 women social work educators, all either tenured or in tenure lines, from five different universities at the time of the study. The participants represent several aspects of macro practice including administration, planning, community practice, and policy. Beginning with reflections about coming into macro practice, we highlight memories about first teaching experiences and examine cultural shifts discovered in our academic journeys. We feature students who inspired us and perceptions of challenges in curricular development affecting the preparation of students. This article includes comments that emphasize the themes and focus of our collective reflections. Finally, we place what we learned in the context of a report from the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration calling for the visibility of and advocacy for macro social work education.

An Exploratory Examination of a Grant-making Project in Social Work Education

Educators secure funding for MSW students to become a grant-making entity and provide monies to address local needs. An exploratory research design is used to obtain quantitative and qualitative data from students participating in the course-based project. Feedback suggests that students perceived increased abilities in the area of community needs assessments, grant writing, grant making, fund raising, public relations, and professional interest in efforts to secure monies. The merits and challenges of implementing a course-based grant-making and philanthropic project in the social work education are examined.

The effect of North Carolina free clinics on hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions among the uninsured

BackgroundFree clinics are volunteer based organizations that provide health care services to low-income individuals for free or minimal cost. Communities served by a free clinic can provide ambulatory care services for uninsured individuals, reducing reliance on costly hospital admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. This study examines whether free clinics in North Carolina reduce hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions for uninsured adults.MethodsThe study used North Carolina hospital discharge data from 2003 to 2007, restricted to uninsured adults residing in North Carolina (N = 270,325). Prevention Quality Indicators identified hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. The entry of new free clinics in some counties during this time period in conjunction with county-level and year fixed effects allows the logistic regression analysis to simulate a pre/post study design.ResultsDischarges for ambulatory care sensitive conditions constituted 12.6% of the sample. Despite the limited coverage provided by free clinics, which serve 5.5% of the uninsured in North Carolina, uninsured adults in counties served by a free clinic had an 8.0% reduced odds of a hospitalization being for an ambulatory care sensitive condition. When the model is limited to ambulatory care sensitive conditions related to chronic conditions, the odds of a hospitalization of an uninsured adult for an ambulatory care sensitive condition in counties served by a free clinic is reduced by 9.0%.ConclusionFree clinics are effective providers of primary care services for uninsured individuals, particularly for those with chronic conditions. To enhance this impact by increasing free clinics’ reach, state and local policy makers should support and encourage development of free clinics in high need areas.