Ysanne Chapman

Memoing in qualitative research: Probing data and processes

This paper explores memoing in the context of qualitative research methodologies. The functions of memos in the research process are discussed and a number of techniques for employing memo writing to enhance the research experience and outcomes are examined. Memoing is often discussed in the literature as a technique employed in grounded theory research, yet there is limited exploration of the value of memo writing in qualitative methodologies generally. Memoing serves to assist the researcher in making conceptual leaps from raw data to those abstractions that explain research phenomena in the context in which it is examined. Memos can be effectively employed by both the novice and experienced researcher as a procedural and analytical strategy throughout the research process. Data exploration is enhanced, continuity of conception and contemplation is enabled and communication is facilitated through the use of memoing. While guidelines exist to aid in the production and use of memos, memoing remains a flexible strategy wherein the process of construction and nature of content is determined by the preferences and abilities of the researcher and the aims and focus of the specific research study.

Husserl and Heidegger: exploring the disparity.

Introduced as an alternative to empirical science, phenomenology offers nursing an insightful means for understanding nursing phenomena specifically in relation to lived experiences. However, not all phenomenologies were created equal, a point which has left many a nursing researcher not only confused. Furthermore, this confusion might result in the choosing of a philosophical framework that is neither cognizant with the research question nor the epistemological lens through which the researcher operates. Drawing on common nursing examples to illustrate concepts, the authors closely examine and debate the disparities between Husserls transcendental phenomenology and Heideggers hermeneutic approach to phenomenology. The aim of the article is to demystify the dense language used and present the fundamental beliefs of each philosopher in a format that is accessible to novice phenomenologists.

Preceptors and patients – the power of two: Nursing student experiences on their first acute clinical placement

Abstract Background: There are several reasons postulated for undergraduate nursing students discontinuing their studies; one being the experiences exposed to during clinical placement. This research explores and describes the experiences of second year undergraduate nursing students at one University in Victoria, Australia undertaking their first acute clinical placement. In particular, it offers insight into how these experiences influence their journey as a student and their future career in nursing. Method: A qualitative approach using a Heideggerian lens was applied to this research. Interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim to form a text of each participant’s response. Analysis congruent with a hermeneutic interpretive phenomenological process was used to interpret meaning of these experiences. Results: Three main themes emerged: being overwhelmed and confronted; patients as people and perceptions of preceptors. A number of sub-themes were also expressed within the context of the three main themes. The themes allowed for more meaningful understanding of, and deeper insight into, the students’ experiences when exposed to the milieu of an acute clinical placement. Conclusions: Findings inform why some students consider discontinuance of their studies and how the experience impacts on decisions about future nursing practice. This research is useful to tertiary institutions in preparing students, placement areas and staff who preceptor students with the aim of facilitating positive experiences and assisting students’ motivation in future clinical placements.

Researching with people you know: Issues in interviewing

Abstract Interviewing is a key strategy used to elicit data in qualitative research. Whilst many nurse researchers are cognizant of the skills required to conduct a successful research interview, researchers may be less comfortable with the notion of interviewing a participant with whom the researcher claims a pre-existing, or dual relationship; a phenomenon becoming more apparent as the volume of researchers escalates especially in rural settings or smaller, heavily specialized fields. Issues pertaining to this particular situation are analyzed, debated and discussed. Furthermore tactics designed to enhance the research process whilst upholding the well-being of the researcher will be illustrated and elucidated.

Breaching the Wall: Interviewing People From Other Cultures

The interview as a data collection tool is an essential component of qualitative research. Many nurses are familiar with the process of interviewing through its use in the practice environment; however, in-depth interviewing for the purpose of research is a unique process. The ability to conduct an effective in-depth interview requires skill in the use of specific techniques, in particular when interviewing people from other cultures. A number of factors specific to the researcher, the participant, and the research context can affect the interview procedure. As global margins diminish, nurse researchers will increasingly find themselves working with people from ethnic groups that are different from the dominant culture. This article discusses strategies to improve the interview process in such circumstances. Techniques to enhance the process, along with avoidable potential pitfalls, will be illustrated using an example of conducting research with participants from the culturally diverse environment of Malaysian Borneo.

Self-management activities in diabetes care: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE To identify the range of self-management activities people diagnosed with diabetes engage in to manage their disease, the frequency of use, and whether self-management practices change over time. METHODS A systematic review of the literature was undertaken. Thirty-two studies identified through electronic databases met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. RESULTS The study found that people living with diabetes undertake regular self-management activities and that compliance with medication regimes is high. Adherence, however, varied with respect to blood glucose testing, diet, physical activity and foot care. Levels of physical activity were not found to change over time. Evidence suggests that some people with diabetes modify their self-management practices in response to factors such as holidays. CONCLUSIONS The review suggests that the majority of people with diabetes self-manage, although there is variation in adherence to key self-management activities. How self-management practices change over time and whether this impacts on health outcomes is an area for future research.

A thousand words paint a picture: the use of storyline in grounded theory research

Abstract This paper explores the use of storyline in grounded theory research and potentially other research methodologies that seek to explain phenomena. Storyline as a research strategy has had limited discussion in the literature. Although stories have been used as both a source of data and a means of reporting research findings, the use of storyline is underutilised and undeveloped as a method of constructing and conveying grounded theory. Construction of a theory that is grounded in the data and not influenced by external concepts is possible through the use of storyline. In presenting grounded theory in the form of a storyline, the nurse researcher is able to explain and describe the theoretical contribution in the context of nursing knowledge. Theoretical precedence, variation, limited gaps, the use of evidence and appropriate style are characteristics of an effective storyline. As both a means and an end in itself, storyline enhances the development, presentation and comprehension of the outcomes of grounded theory research in nursing.

The struggle for contested boundaries in the move to collaborative care teams in Australian maternity care

BACKGROUND the maternity services reforms announced by the Australian government herald a process of major change. The primary maternity care reforms requires maternity care professionals to work collaboratively as equals in contrast to the current system which is characterised by unequal relationships. AIM critical discourse analysis (CDA) using neoliberalism as an interpretive lens was employed to determine the positions of the respective maternity care professionals on the proposed reform and what purpose was served by their representations to the national review of maternity services. METHOD a CDA framework informed by Fairclough, linking textual and sociological analysis in a way that foregrounds issues of power and resistance, was undertaken. Data were collected from selected written submissions to the 2008 national review of maternity services representing the position of midwifery, obstetrics, general practitioners including rural doctors and maternity service managers. FINDINGS maternity care professionals yielded several discourses that were specific to the discipline with a number that were shared across disciplines. The rise in consumerism has changed historical positions of influence in maternity services policy. The once powerful obstetric position in determining the direction of policy has come under siege, isolated in the presence of a powerful alliance involving consumers, midwives, sympathetic maternity service managers and some medical professions. The midwifery voice has been heard, a historical first, supported by its presence as a member of the alliance. CONCLUSION the struggle for contested boundaries is entering a new phase as maternity care professionals struggle with different perceptions of what multidisciplinary collaboration means in the delivery of primary maternity care.

The methodological dynamism of grounded theory

Variations in grounded theory (GT) interpretation are the subject of ongoing debate. Divergences of opinion, genres, approaches, methodologies, and methods exist, resulting in disagreement on what GT methodology is and how it comes to be. From the postpositivism of Glaser and Strauss, to the symbolic interactionist roots of Strauss and Corbin, through to the constructivism of Charmaz, the field of GT methodology is distinctive in the sense that those using it offer new ontological, epistemological, and methodological perspectives at specific moments in time. We explore the unusual dynamism attached to GT’s underpinnings. Our view is that through a process of symbolic interactionism, in which generations of researchers interact with their context, moments are formed and philosophical perspectives are interpreted in a manner congruent with GT’s essential methods. We call this methodological dynamism, a process characterized by contextual awareness and moment formation, contemporaneous translation, generational methodology, and methodological consumerism.

Doctoral Dissertations by Publication: Building Scholarly Capacity Whilst Advancing New Knowledge in the Discipline of Nursing

Internationally universities are increasingly challenged by government and industry to boost their research profile. Undertaking successful research studies is a means of generating income while enhancing the credibility of both institutions and individual academic staff. Research training therefore is an important strategy to support this endeavour. Traditionally, the process of research training culminates in the completion of a doctoral qualification. Undertaking doctoral studies requires candidates to commit to an extensive period of indenture during which they develop their knowledge about a particular methodology, refine skills in using research methods, and produce research findings in the form of a dissertation. A key part of this process is developing skills in writing for publication and the dissemination of their doctoral research findings. We argue that using a traditional approach to the production of a doctoral dissertation develops student’s knowledge and skills in conducting an independent piece of research. However, the production of a traditional thesis does not focus strongly enough on developing the important skills of writing for publication and knowing how to effectively and strategically disseminate research findings. Choosing to submit a doctoral dissertation by publication or partial publication provides candidates with the opportunity to complete research training and produce an authoritative research report, while at the same time developing skills in publishing journal articles and other manifests. Producing a dissertation by partial or full publication also opens the work up to independent scrutiny at various points during the candidate’s research training which strengthens the final results.