This thesis argues that changes in the 'idea' of the university can be identified through an analysis of the textual identities of institutions utilising Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS). The historical review at the beginning of the work identifies four key, perennial aspects of university identity and function: (i) transmitting knowledge and producing cultured students; (ii) research; (iii) training for employment; and (iv) a wider duty to society. The thesis rests upon the premise that the relative prominence of each of these four aspects in university publications gives a university a certain textual identity at a given time. The thesis further suggests that certain specific forces - State intervention, economic pressures, industry, and competition - affect the priority given to these aspects. The University of Surrey is examined as a case study and changes in the relative prominence of these aspects are observed in the textual presentation of this institution over time. These findings, when compared with an analysis of the public documents of a cross-sector sample of other institutions, revealed different textual identities and this has implications regarding university mission and performance. The thesis shows that external factors do have an influence upon textual identity. CAQDAS was also able to reveal that university textual identity is not monolithic and varies over time and depending on the intended audience. The remit of the study extends to January 2002, and is therefore timely in light of the 2001 review of the structure and funding of higher education (Newby, 2001), particularly because a key aspect of the Newby review is the increasingly explicit linking of funding to mission. This analysis contributes to debates in higher education concerning institutional identity, the usefulness of existing institutional typologies, mission, and possible futures for the sector. The study also makes a methodological contribution to educational research in its innovative employment of the CAQDAS tool.

No / There is a common assumption that a postal questionnaire is an inappropriate research instrument for collecting rich qualitative data. In this article we challenge this and argue that in some circumstances such instruments can be used to yield rich thick descriptions of the kind normally associated with interviewing. We give the example of research into lesbian identities. Our experience led us to question what we call the epistemology of presence and the assumption that presence guarantees authenticity. We also suggest that the ethics of the face-to-face encounter may be different from those occurring at a distance. We conclude by arguing that researchers should be more open to the possibilities that postal questionnaires may be capable of generating authentic qualitative data, and that interviewing should be an explicit choice not the default position in qualitative research.

The aim of this research is to explore how Öland could attract Chinese tourists to sustain its development. This study is conducted on the basis of group interviews among 20 respondents selected from Chinese tourists. This research reveals that learning and experiencing, building a social relationship and enjoying natural landscape are the major reason for Chinese tourists traveling abroad, among which, the main motivations for Chinese tourists visiting Öland is the attractive spot. The research finds that not many Chinese tourists have been to Öland before. However, among those who have been, they said that Borgholm Castle was the most attractive tourist spot. The major approaches for Chinese tourists accessing information of Öland are travel agencies, travel apps, TV shows, movies and the internet , whereas little marketing strategies such as advertising (in Chinese) and cooperating with local travel agencies has been utilized by the government. An analysis of the key motivations of Chinese tourist reveals one challenge in attracting Chinese tourists facing the government: Öland is not well recognized as a World Heritage among Chinese tourists compared to other popular travel destinations. The strength and weakness of Öland tourism indicates that Öland need to take more active marketing strategies to brand their tourism targeting Chinese tourists.

The thematic core of the thesis is about how to manage modeling procedures in real settings. The view taken in this thesis is that modeling is a heuristic tool to outline a problem, often conducted in a context of a larger development process. Examples of applications, in which modeling are used, include development of software and business solutions, design of experiments etc. As modeling often is used in the initial phase of such processes, then there is every possibility of failure, if initial models are false or inaccurate. Modeling often calls for eliciting knowledge from experts. Access to relevant expertise is limited, and consequently, efficient use of time and sampling of experts is crucial. The process is highly interactive, and data are often of qualitative nature rather than quantitative. Data from different experts often vary, even if the task is to describe the same phenomenon. As with quantitative data, this variation between data sources can be treated as a source of error as well as a source of information. Irrespective of specific modeling technique, variation and interaction during the model development process should be possible to characterize in order to estimate the elicited knowledge in terms of correctness and comprehensiveness. The aim of the thesis is to explore a methodological approach on how to manage such variations and interactions. Analytical methods tailored for this purpose have the potential to impact on the quality of modeling in the fields of application. Three studies have been conducted, in which principles for eliciting, controlling, and judging the modeling procedures were explored. The first one addressed the problem of how to characterize and handle qualitative variations between different experts, describing the same modeling object. The judgment approach, based on a subjective comparison between different expert descriptions, was contrasted with a criterion-based approach, using a predefined structure to explicitly estimate the degree of agreement. The results showed that much of the basis for the amalgamation of models used in the judgment-approach was concealed, even if a structured method was used to elicit the criteria for the independent experts’ judgment. In contrast, by using the criterion-based approach the nature of the variation was possible to characterize explicitly. In the second study, the same approach was used to characterize variation between, as well as within, different modeling objects, analogical to a one-way statistical analysis of variance. The results of the criterion-based approach indicated a substantial difference between the two modeling subjects. Variances within each of the modeling tasks were about the same and lower than the variance between modeling tasks. The result supports the findings from the first study and indicates that the approach can be generalized as a way of comparing modeling tasks. The third study addressed the problem of how to manage the interaction between experts in team modeling. The aim was to explore the usability of an analytical method with on-line monitoring of the team communication. Could the basic factors of task, participants, knowledge domains, communication form, and time be used to characterize and manipulate team modeling? Two contrasting case studies of team modeling were conducted. The results indicated that the taxonomy of the suggested analytical method was sensitive enough to capture the distinctive communication patterns for the given task conditions. The results also indicate that an analytical approach can be based on the relatively straightforward task of counting occurrences, instead of the relatively more complex task of establish sequences of occurrence.

No description available.

Sharing and reusing data can help researchers answer new questions and approach data from different analytical perspectives. The extant literature on data sharing has focused almost exclusively on qualitative data specifically, such as interviews and focus groups. Observational and video data capturing family interactions are a common data collection method in family science research. While quantitative analytic approaches are common, observational and video data can lend itself well to qualitative analysis. This paper introduces a secondary data analysis approach, referred to as methodological expansion, which involves the process of qualitatively analyzing pre-existing data that were collected for quantitative research purposes.

This thesis focuses on the use of interpreters in Swedish healthcare. The overall aim was to explore how individuals, healthcare professionals and family members experience and perceive the use of interpreters in healthcare. The study design was explorative and descriptive. The thesis included Serbo-Croatian(Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian)speaking individuals(n=17), healthcare professionals(n=24), official documents(n=60)and family members(n=10)of individuals using interpreters in healthcare. Individual interviews, written descriptions, review of official documents in the form of incident reports from a single case study and focus group interviews were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using phenomenography, qualitative content analysis and qualitative data analysis of focus group interviews. The overall finding from all perspectives was the wish to have a qualified interpreter whose role was as a communication aid but also as a practical and informative guide in healthcare. The perception of a qualified interpreter was someone highly skilled in medical terminology, Swedish and individuals’ native language with ability to adapt to different dialects, wearing non-provocative and neutral clothes, of the same gender, with a professional attitude and preferably in personal contact through face-to-face interaction. Besides being a communication aid, the interpreter was perceived as having an important role in helping individuals to find the right way to and within the healthcare system because foreign-born individuals were unable to understand information in healthcare. Another aspect was to have a well-developed organization with good cooperation between the parties involved in the interpretation situation, such as patients, interpreter, interpreter agency, family members and healthcare professionals to offer a good interpretation situation. In conclusion, the use of an interpreter was determined by individual and healthcare situational factors. Individualized holistic healthcare can be achieved by offering and using high-quality interpreters and cooperation within a well-developed interpreter organization.   Keywords: communication, healthcare service, patient-safe quality care, qualitative data collection, qualitative data analysis, users’ perceptions/experiences, utilization of interpreters.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:36:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1893673 bytes, checksum: 55063213a7764403cd19557f2628cb42 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The importance of collaborative environments in a globalized world to enable the sharing of information or make the interaction among people from different locations possible is undeniable. It is also fact, in today s society, the need of carrying out tasks and solving problems in a collaborative way. As an example, one can cite the qualitative research which, when performed with the aid of computers, can make use of CAQDAS (Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software) applications. Although it is possible to perform qualitative analysis within CAQDAS applications in isolation, the study/work performed by a group has the differential to enable the interaction among members of a team and provide the expression of different points of view and opinions, besides being more likely to comments and criticisms that help improve the quality of the work. Thus, this document presents WebQDA, a collaborative tool that uses the basic features of qualitative data analysis with the aim of illustrating how Web 2.0 new concepts can affect productivity in qualitative research by working in a cooperative way. / É inegável a importância dos ambientes colaborativos no mundo globalizado, seja para possibilitar o compartilhamento de informações ou tornar possível a interação entre pessoas distantes. Também é fato, na sociedade atual, a necessidade de realização de tarefas e solução de problemas de forma colaborativa. Como exemplo, pode-se citar a pesquisa qualitativa que, quando realizada com o auxílio do computador, pode fazer uso dos aplicativos CAQDAS (Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software). Apesar de ser possível realizar análises qualitativas em aplicativos CAQDAS de forma isolada, o estudo/trabalho realizado por um grupo possui o diferencial de permitir a interação entre os membros de uma equipe, possibilitando a expressão de pontos de vista e opiniões diferentes, além de ser mais propenso a comentários e críticas que contribuem para a melhoria e qualidade do trabalho. Desse modo, este documento apresenta o WebQDA, uma ferramenta colaborativa que utiliza as funcionalidades básicas da análise qualitativa de dados, visando ilustrar como os novos conceitos da Web 2.0, como redes sociais, podem afetar a produtividade na pesquisa qualitativa ao se trabalhar de forma cooperativa.

This study sets out to interpret pupils’ and teachers’ perceptions about learning in visual arts in the context of the third year visual art class of one of the three specialist arts schools in Greece. The rationale for the research was to understand how pupils and teachers in this type of specialist arts school perceived the learning process, which could have some transfer value to other contexts of learning in the visual art subject. The research may contribute to the body of knowledge and the practice of art education in Greece, and possibly inform future curriculum development in the subject. In Greece, since 1985, the development of art education and pupils’ aesthetic understanding has been one of the five fundamental aims for secondary and primary education. To improve art education at the primary and secondary level, the Greek Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs has undertaken several initiatives. One such initiative has been the development of specialist arts schools. These alternative specialist schools exist in several European countries. In 2003 the Greek Ministry of Education announced the establishment of the first arts school of the country. The year the research was conducted 2008-2009, three arts schools were operated in Greece. The research endeavoured to understand issues related to the learning process in one of the new specialist arts schools, as perceived by third year pupils (aged fourteen and fifteen years old) and their visual art teachers. The research used the interpretive research paradigm, as it is the most suitable method to explore the socio-cultural reality in which the pupils and teachers are situated. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations, and focus groups. The analysis of findings revealed a learning experience very closely related with the philosophy and the content of the Greece’s national curriculum of visual art. However, according to the findings of this study further attention needs to be given to the issue of developing imaginative thinking, within the framework of the art curriculum. The study proposes an alternative version of the art curriculum, with a view to facilitating imaginative thinking, in the art curriculum of specialist arts schools in Greece as well as the teaching of art in normal secondary schools. It is hoped that the results of the study will offer ground for discussions and oppositions in the area of art education in Greece, in which area not much research has been undertaken. The study’s proposal for the revisions to the existing art curriculum for the specialist arts schools, as they are resulted from evidences embedded in pupils and teachers views, stress on the significance and the originality of the findings and for this reason it is hoped to concern the writing aspect of Greece’s future curriculum writers. This will add to the development of art education in Greece and further will foster relationships between the members of the particular school where the research was carried out.

This work will offer sociological theory about deviance, positing that deviance is part of larger social processes. Specifically, it will examine the illicit arts and antiquities trade, arguing that networks of legitimate status-role positions facilitate illegitimate behaviors. This theoretical framework is developed out of the notion that deviant actions may be the result of a social economy, and not the result of individual or psychological concerns. The work will use an exploratory methodology and attempt to explain or answer several research questions. This is tested by using qualitative, open-source data describing the context and means of participation in the status-role positions. The intent is to highlight specific cases and explain how the alternative theory of deviance may be more suitable to explain this type of phenomena.