Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Metaphors are used to conceptualize one thing in terms of another that is more familiar or concrete. The use of metaphors in patient-provider communication has helped providers generate empathy and explain concepts effectively, improving patient satisfaction and understanding of health-related concepts. With advances in technology, concepts related to health monitoring have become increasingly complex, making the potential for using metaphors in health communication at its highest relevancy. With the increase in health data there is a need to improve tools to help people understand complex information. Ethical considerations, such as possible misinterpretation of health data, as well as the potential to widen disparities because of factors such as health literacy, must be addressed. Metaphors are powerful tools that can make explanation of information accessible, accurate, and effective for people who are monitoring their data. The current research aims to contribute design recommendations for using metaphors in communication between clinicians and patients for monitoring biventricular (BiV) pacing, a complex device data element used in the monitoring of patients with heart failure (HF) who have cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices. The overarching goal is to understand this process such that it can be applied to broader communication needs in health informatics. The study addresses the following aims: Aim 1: Identify metaphors clinicians use to conceptualize BiV pacing for CRT devices using semi-structured interviews with clinician experts. Aim 2: Identify metaphors that help patients conceptualize BiV pacing for CRT devices using semi-structured interviews with patients, and exploring the metaphors identified in Aim 1. Aim 3: Develop design recommendations for health informatics interventions using an understanding of metaphors that help patients understand BiV pacing for CRT devices. Themes from analysis of Aims 1 and 2 contribute to recommendations for the use of metaphors in health informatics interventions. The purpose of this work is to contribute to an in-depth understanding of metaphors in a specific health informatics context. Importantly, this research applies methods and principles from the field of health communication to address a communication-related issue in health informatics. / 2022-12-28

Thesis advisor: Michael G. Pratt / Evidence is mounting that recognition from others may play a critical role in shaping an individual’s experience of meaningful work; so how do workers find meaningfulness when their work is “invisible”? I examine this tension through a qualitative, inductive study of the occupation of linemen—the women and men who construct and repair power lines. By examining this invisible occupation, my research explains the conditions that foster the “recognition gap”—a disparity between the recognition linemen believe they deserve and the recognition they actually receive. This recognition gap ultimately produces meaningfulness insecurity—feelings of uncertainty or doubt about the meaningfulness of their work. Moreover, this research also explains how linemen overcome this meaningfulness insecurity through intuitive feelings of pride in beautiful completed work. Through a process motivated by a desire to avoid criticism for ugly work, linemen develop “expert schemas” that allow for intuitive—rapid, nonconscious, and affectively charged—reactions to the appearance of a completed job. When positive, these intuitive judgements foster experiences of meaningfulness. By explaining these processes, this dissertation re-casts meaningfulness from an individual accomplishment to one that is deeply dependent on social cues; and from a process requiring thoughtful reflection to one driven by intuitive judgements. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Management and Organization.

The Boko Haram terror group has utilized more women as suicide bombers than any other group in history. While prior research has examined why this phenomenon is occurring, and what makes Boko Haram a unique terror group, the present study examines how these attacks are being perpetrated, or enacted, by the female bombers. Utilizing the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), which is the largest terrorism incident database available, the study examined the incidents of female suicide bombings perpetrated by Boko Haram. The open-sourced citations provided by the GTD were compiled and turned into a complementary qualitative dataset. Overall, there were 151 incidents of female suicide bombings by Boko Haram between 2014 and 2017, of which 102 were included in the final sample for the study. Results of content analysis indicate that there are similarities between the perpetration of suicide bombings by females and other acts of crime, violence, and terrorist acts committed by other women, but there are also distinct differences. The cultural and social constructs of the region create a unique situation for Boko Haram compared to other terrorist groups that have deployed the female suicide bombing tactic; however, these features also make it difficult to flesh out the overarching issues of coercion, victimization, and kidnapping that the group heavily relies on. Though the ways in which the suicide attacks are enacted can be examined, at this point, it is still unclear whether the young women and girls perpetrating the attacks are acting out of their own volition, high levels of coercion, or a blend of the two.

The overall aim of this dissertation was to better understand the learning and teaching of NBPA in PHE experiences for teachers and adolescent students. A secondary aim was to better understand the learning and teaching cycle for NBPA reform in PHE. To achieve these aims, I conducted three interrelated studies that explored: (a) how pre-service teachers learn to teach NBPA in PHE, (b) in-service educators’ perspectives on learning and teaching NBPA, and (c) adolescent student experiences with NBPAs in and beyond PHE. These three studies explored the learning cycle from pre-service instruction, to in-service professional development, to, finally, the impact on the students’ learning. Individual findings are discussed in each of the three studies, and two overarching themes are discussed as findings for the overall body of research: (a) NBPA as a conduit for place- and land-based education; and (b) NBPA as an effective form of PHE reform. / Graduate / 2023-07-07

The nature of qualitative research design for second language learning has changed considerably with recent technological developments. This workshop introduces participants to how digital tools can be harnessed to create innovative workflows to support the entire research process. This includes becoming networked scholars through a variety of social media platforms; engaging in a paperless literature review process; generating data from online sources and mobile apps; transcribing with artificial intelligence applications; adopting appropriate data analysis software; and representing findings in ways that will reach the intended audience. Not only will participants gain a comprehensive introduction to the most recent digital tool developments as they apply to qualitative research, but, through detailed demonstrations, they will also learn how to analyze the affordances and constraints of such tools as well as the ethical implications of their use. Course materials will be drawn from the instructor’s forthcoming book, Doing Qualitative Research with Digital Tools(Sage, 2020). Topics to be covered will include (with tool examples): Networking through academic social media platforms (Google Scholar profiles, ORCID and ResearchGate) Developing a paperless literature review process using cloud storage (Dropbox), citation management software (Mendeley), annotating apps (GoodReader), and QDAS tools (ATLAS.ti 8) Collecting data through mobile apps (Evernote), social media sites (Twitter), and GeoDocs (Google Earth) Transcribing in ways that synchronize the media file with the text (Youtube), harness the capabilities of artificial intelligence (Otter.ai) and enable “hands-free” transcription (Google Voice) Selecting an appropriate qualitative data analysis software package (e.g. ATLAS.ti) Writing and representing findings in innovative ways (Authorea, Google Docs) The purpose of the workshop is to provide participants with a comprehensive demonstration (rather than a step-by-step tutorial), of how digital tools can support efficient and effective methodological workflows. Laptops will be useful for exploring some of the software applications and online resources, but are not required.

This one-day course introduces participants to how both free and proprietary technologies can be used to create innovative workflows to support the entire qualitative research process. This includes becoming networked scholars through a variety of social media platforms; engaging in a paperless literature review by using cloud storage, citation management software, annotating apps and data analysis software; collecting data with mobile apps; transcribing with state-of-the-art innovations; selecting the right qualitative data analysis software; and representing findings in ways that will reach the intended audience. Not only will participants gain a comprehensive introduction to the most recent digital tool developments as they apply to qualitative research, but, through detailed demonstrations by the instructor, they will also learn how to analyze critically the affordances and constraints of such tools and the ethical implications of their use. Course materials will be drawn from Doing Qualitative Research with Digital Tools (Sage, 2020). Topics and tools will include: Networking through academic social media platforms (Google Scholar profiles, ORCID and ResearchGate) Developing a paperless literature review process using cloud storage (Dropbox), citation management software (Mendeley), annotating apps (GoodReader), and QDAS tools (ATLAS.ti 8) Collecting data through mobile apps (Evernote), social media sites (Twitter), and GeoDocs (Google Earth) Transcribing in ways that synchronize the media file with the text (YouTube), harness the capabilities of artificial intelligence (Otter.ai) and enable “hands-free” transcription (Google Voice) Selecting an appropriate qualitative data analysis software package (e.g. DeDoose, ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA, NVivo, Quirkos) Representing findings in innovative ways (Authorea, Google Docs) The purpose of the workshop is to provide a comprehensive demonstration, rather than a tutorial, of how these digital tools can support efficient, effective, and theoretically-grounded methodological work.

No description available.

African Americans continue to access non-emergency mental health care at a lower rate than White Americans, despite have equal risk for mental health issues. Currently, literature in counseling focuses on this deficit and why African Americans do not attend counseling, as opposed to those African Americans who do choose to go into counseling. The purpose of this heuristic phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of adult African American mental health counseling clients. Two types of purposive sampling, criterion and snowball, were used to identify and recruit participants. Six African American women were selected for inclusion in this study. Data for this study were collected through two face-to-face audio-recorded interviews with each participant, a demographics questionnaire and researcher field notes. Experiences and meanings identified in this study included: Navigating Crisis, Stigma of Counseling, Counselor and Client Relationship and Acceptance of Self and Others. This study adds a counter-narrative to the counselor literature that highlights African Americans who do choose to become counseling clients, their experiences, and the meanings they take away from that experience.

Ensuring that women have timely access to safe, effective and affordable emergency contraception (EC) is of critical importance. There are four primary modalities of EC available in Canada: the levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pill (LNg-ECP), the copper-T intrauterine device (IUD), ulipristal acetate (UPA) and the Yupze method (combined oral contraceptive pills). This is a mixed methods study dedicated to exploring women’s knowledge of, access to and experiences with EC in New Brunswick (NB). This study consisted of a two-part mystery client study, a community-based survey, and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women in NB. The results of the mystery-client study indicate that 180 (87%) pharmacies had at least one brand of LNG-ECPs in stock. Although availability and knowledge of LNG-ECPs among NB pharmacists is relatively high, some are still providing incorrect medical and regulatory information. The findings of this study illustrate where improvement in pharmacy provision of LNG-ECPs in NB is required. Knowledge of EC among women in NB is relatively low, especially with respect to the IUD and UPA. Continuation of education efforts among pharmacists and sexual education teachers concerning ECPs in NB appears warranted. Exploring the barriers that NB women face in obtaining ECPs is not only imperative for improving access, but also yielding better quality reproductive health services in the province.

No description available.