Search results for "Semi-structured interview"
showing 10 items of 40 documents
Lessons learned from a community engagement initiative within Irish higher education
2018
This paper focuses on a community–university partnership built around a programme of study co-created by residents of a disadvantaged community and situated, for the most part, within that community. The aim of this paper is to share lessons learned from this community engagement initiative, as identified through a research study which ran concurrent to the programme. The study involved 41 interviews (18 individual interviews and 23 focus groups) over a two-year period with 28 participants. Participants included students, lecturers and community and university stakeholders. The finding section focuses on the characteristics of the initiative which allowed it to positively impact those invol…
Peers as Teachers in Physical Education Hip Hop Classes in Finnish High School
2015
In this case study, theoretically rooted in peer-assisted learning (PAL), ten female high school students, acting as peer teachers, taught hip hop dance in a voluntary physical education course. The data, derived from questionnaires and interviews with the peer teachers, were analysed using content analysis. The results showed that the peer teachers considered dance an important subject in the weekly curriculum. On the one hand, peer teachers enjoyed the freedom of making the class look like their own, the fast learning of their students, and the increased self-confidence acquired over the course. On the other hand, most of them were self-critical and felt ashamed when making mistakes. They…
Marte Meo as a port of entry to parental sensitivity - a three–case study
2019
Abstract Background Early parent- child relations play an important role in children’s development. Therapeutic intervention towards infants and toddlers at high-risk intends to prevent mental health problems. In this work, the parent-child-dyad is crucial. The video interaction guidance method, Marte Meo, is one among different methods used in attachment-based treatment in an outpatient infant mental health clinic. Parental sensitivity towards infants and toddlers needs is considered significant in developing secure attachment. Secure attachment is further considered decisive for mental health and the extent to which children are at risk of developing mental health problems. Different trea…
Exploring socio-ecological factors influencing active and inactive Spanish students in years 12 and 13
2013
This paper explores socio-ecological factors and their interplay that emerge from a qualitative study and influence adolescents' physical activity and sport participation. A total of 13 boys and 7 girls active and inactive adolescents, from years 12 and 13 and different types of school (state and private), participated in semi-structured interviews. It followed a purposeful sampling selection from participants who participated in a previous larger study on physical activity levels. Findings highlight the influence of personal and social interplay, such as perceived competence, obesity and teasing from peers, and new social demands and personal preferences in adolescents' (dis)engagement in …
Empirically based analysis of methodological and ethical challenges in research with children as participants: the case of bullying in kindergarten
2015
ABSTRACTWhen conducting research with children it is essential to consider not only the data, which have been produced as a result of the research, but also the research process itself. This article represents an attempt to contribute the accumulation of knowledge regarding methodological and ethical issues concerning research with children. The data in this article are based on individual and focus-group interviews with children where ethical and methodical challenges related to dealing with children's experiences in the context of bullying in kindergarten are discussed. The topics that will be discussed related to methodical issues are (1) the nature of interaction between the researcher …
Sense of Belonging and Life Transitions for Two Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Finland
2015
AbstractSense of belonging refers to the degree to which individuals feel included, accepted, and supported by others in a variety of social settings. This study, based on the narratives of two females (ages 26 and 29) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), examines sense of belonging and various life transition issues that may appear throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in the absence of appropriate social supports. Hearing the voices of females with autism is important, because the number of girls diagnosed with ASD has grown. Women on the spectrum can potentially provide significant insights into the services required to feel a sense of belonging to society. Qualitative analysi…
Learning Environment in Light of Positional, Institutional, and Cultural Interpretations: An Empirically-Based Conceptual Analysis
2016
This study explores the possibility that the concept of learning environment (LE) is understood and interpreted differently by various users, depending on their relative positions in the educational system, institutional affiliation, and cultural heritage. The study employs a qualitative approach and is based on 14 semistructured separate interviews with professionals in the field of education. The participants in the study have been chosen from 3 different levels in the educational system (assistants, kindergarten and school teachers, and principals/county government representatives) and across different institutions (kindergartens and schools). The data reveal a clear pattern in which the…
Threats to validity when using open-ended items in international achievement studies : Coding responses to the PISA 2012 problem-solving test in Finl…
2015
Open-ended (OE) items are widely used to gather data on student performance in international achievement studies. However, several factors may threaten validity when using such items. This study examined Finnish coders’ opinions about threats to validity when coding responses to OE items in the PISA 2012 problem-solving test. A total of 6 discussions during 6 coder practice sessions (on 6 OE items) and an interview between 5 coders were audiorecorded and analyzed by means of content analysis, and 3 main threats to validity were found: (1) unclear and complex questions; (2) arbitrary and illogical coding rubrics; and (3) unclear and ambiguous responses. Suggestions are given as to how to res…
Frame analysis of psychotherapists’ perspectives on the development of psychological disorders
2021
AbstractThe development of psychological disorders has been explained by several psychological theories and remains under debate. Psychotherapists, however, have insights into the emergence and development of psychological disorders that stem from both theory and practice. The constantly evolving field of psychotherapy prompts reconsideration, specifically when psychotherapists’ views on the development of disorders impacts their treatment approach. In addition, theoretical orientation and years of clinical experience, while known to influence psychotherapists’ viewpoints also merit further study. Applying Erving Goffman’s frame analysis, semi structured interviews with psychotherapists wer…
Participants’ home as an interview context when studying sensitive family issues
2013
This article considers the meaning of the participants’ home as an interview context when studying sensitive family issues. The article is based on two qualitative family studies by the authors on foster children’s perspectives on their home and their family relations and client families’ experiences of preventive family support. Both studies address sensitive family issues, in particular Finnish child welfare. The first author’s interview data consist of interviews with foster children, social network maps and diaries and the second author’s data of interviews with six client families. Most of the interviews were conducted at the participants’ homes, but in the second author's study two in…