Online ethnography: a study of software developers and software development

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Rodrigo Cordoba-Pachon ◽  
Cecilia Loureiro-Koechlin
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Software Developers ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Ethnography ◽  
Area Of Interest

Purpose – Qualitative research has made important contributions to social science by enabling researchers to engage with people and get an in-depth understanding of their views, beliefs and perceptions about social phenomena. With new and electronically mediated forms of human interaction (e.g. the online world), there are new opportunities for researchers to gather data and participate with or observe people in online groups. The purpose of this paper is to present features, challenges and possibilities for online ethnography as an innovative form of qualitative research. Design/methodology/approach – Ethnography is about telling a story about what happens in a particular setting or settings. In order to do this online, it is important to revisit, adopt and adapt some ideas about traditional (offline) ethnography. The paper distinguishes online ethnography from other types of research. It draws some generic features of online ethnography and identifies challenges for it. With these ideas in mind the paper presents and provides a reflection of an online ethnography of software developers. Findings – Online ethnography can provide valuable insights about social phenomena. The paper identifies generic features of this approach and a number of challenges related to its practice. These challenges have to do with to the choice of settings, use of online data for research, representation of people and generation of valuable and useful knowledge. The paper also highlights issues for future consideration in research and practice. Practical implications – The ethnography helped the researcher to identify and address a number of methodological challenges in practice and position herself in relation to relevant audiences she wanted to speak to. The paper also suggests different orientations to online ethnography. Lessons learned highlight potential contributions as well as further possibilities for qualitative research in the online world. Originality/value – Online ethnography offers possibilities to engage with a global audience of research subjects. For academics and practitioners the paper opens up possibilities to use online tools for research and it shows that the use of these tools can help overcome difficulties in access and interaction with people and to study a diversity of research topics, not only those that exist online. The paper offers guidance for researchers about where to start and how to proceed if they want to conduct online ethnography and generate useful and valuable knowledge in their area of interest.

Causality in qualitative market and social research

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-413
Author(s):  
Clive Roland Boddy
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Pragmatic Approach ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Academic qualitative researchers have been criticized for rejecting the idea that their research can establish causality while market and social researchers, with their realist and pragmatic approach to research, take for granted that it can. This paper aims to explore the ability of qualitative research to determine cause and effect in terms of market and social phenomena. Design/methodology/approach The literature on causality in qualitative research is reviewed and discussed. The discussion is further informed by the author’s own experience of undertaking commercial and academic market and social qualitative research over the past 33 years. Findings In qualitative market and social research, the determination of causality is often needed but rarely discussed. This paper explores this occurrence and brings to the fore, via discussion and the use of example, the ways in which causality can be determined by qualitative research. Practical implications A determination of what events bring about predictable changes in social and market environments can be established via qualitative research particularly at a probabilistic level of causality. This implies that policymakers should give a greater emphasis to qualitative findings than then sometimes do at the moment. Originality/value Causality in market and social research is rarely discussed by practitioners but is nevertheless a premise of much of the qualitative research that is undertaken. This paper is therefore distinctive in that it examines whether this premise is justifiable.

scholarly journals Qualitative entrepreneurship authorship: antecedents, processes and consequences

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Smith ◽  
Gerard McElwee ◽  
Seonaidh McDonald ◽  
Sarah Drakopoulou Dodd
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Research Writing ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Explicit Discussion ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on a review of the writing practices and experiences of scholars who have published qualitative papers in the field of entrepreneurship. It evaluates existing knowledge about how “well‐published” entrepreneurship scholars go about writing up qualitative research. It identifies the antecedents, processes, and consequences of qualitative research authorship as self‐described by authors.Design/methodology/approachScholars who had published qualitative papers in the five top‐ranked entrepreneurship journals over a 20‐year period were asked to complete a qualitative survey about their writing practices. A qualitative analysis of 37 usable replies was undertaken.FindingsEntrepreneurship scholars perceive their qualitative research writing to be more enriching and philosophical than quantitative research. Although they feel strong connections with their research subjects, they find qualitative research difficult and time consuming to write up. It is hard to bridge the gap between working with large amounts of transcribed data and the editorial requirements of journals, without losing the vitality of data. Qualitative research and subsequent writing skills have often been learned by trial and error. Many are inspired by specific texts, which may include novels, poems or plays.Practical implicationsThis work shows how useful it is to discuss qualitative writing processes so that we may learn from the “blood, toil, tears and sweat” of those who have already successfully navigated both the writing and publishing of qualitative research.Originality/valueAlthough there is a vigorous debate within the entrepreneurship literature about the prevalence and suitability of different methods and methodological approaches, there is no explicit discussion of how researchers engage with writing up qualitative research for publication. The paper addresses this gap and shares insights and guidance from our community of practice.

scholarly journals Students' Perception In Bruno Mars' Song "Versace On The Floor”

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Inayahtullah R Peder ◽  
Santi Prastyowati
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Popular Songs ◽  
Social Debate ◽  
Musical Rhythms

Song is a set of phrases that is accompanied by musical rhythms, contain message in the lyrics and can be sung. These days, there are many popular songs that have negative value for listeners. Conveying message about sex, love or portrayal of women is still a social debate because of cultural differences as well as rules in the environment. “Versace on the Floor” was one of the Bruno Mars’ famous song which contain sexual message in its lyrics. In this case, this study aims at discovering of students’ perception on Bruno Mars song “Versace on the Floor” about different gender regarding language used fin the song and allegedly contain elements of sex. This study used qualitative research methods to provide a detailed perspective of people about social phenomena such as culture or song. The researcher used students of University Muhammadiyah Malang as research subjects. The number of participants consisted of 20 female students and 20 male students. This research used questionnaire, interview guideline and document analysis to get data. The result indicated that most of students agreed that Bruno Mars’ song “Versace on the Floor” conveys sexual message. Both female and male students agreed that the song conveyed sexual message (female scored the greater number). However, several students thought that “Versace on the Floor” did not imply sexual message. They thought that it was a romantic song, which was expressed like having sexual message. Moreover, more than a half of the respondents (female scored greater number) thought that “Versace on the Floor” had a good melody. Moreover, the song should not be banned in Indonesia because the song was only heard as entertainment.

scholarly journals Constraints, Compromises and Choice: Comparing Three Qualitative Research Studies

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Connell ◽  
Colin Lynch ◽  
Peter Waring
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Research Studies

Although a number of texts explore social research strategies and methods, most are limited to a basic discussion of such methods and their associated advantages and disadvantages. Few if any, evaluate and compare methods in the context of actual research experiences. This paper endeavours to bridge that gap by reporting the experiences of three researchers working on three separate qualitative studies. All three studies were concerned with investigating the social milieu within organizations. While the research questions were different in each case, all the researchers shared a common goal - to develop explanations for complex social phenomena manifest both internally and externally to each organization. The research strategies, methods and data analyses employed are assessed through the personal evaluations of the researchers. Thus, a singular opportunity is offered for other researchers to benefit from the practical insights and lessons learned. The collective experiences of all three researchers suggest that the contextual conditions and constraints of each study force certain compromises, but which importantly, do not compromise qualitative research studies.

Deskripsi Kesulitan Belajar Siswa Berdasarkan Karakteristik Lerner dalam Menyelesaikan Soal Geometri

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazom Murio ◽  
Roseli Theis
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Visual Perception ◽  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Visual Objects ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Personality Classification ◽  
The Given ◽  
Classification Test ◽  
Descriptive Qualitative

Geometri adalah bagian matematika yang sangat dekat dari siswa, karena hampir semua objek visual yang ada di sekitar siswa adalah objek geometri, tetapi tidak semua siswa menyukai pembelajaran yang menyertakan gambar, sehingga memungkinkan siswa mengalami kesulitan dalam belajar geometri. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menggambarkan kesulitan belajar siswa berdasarkan karakteristik Lerner dalam menyelesaikan pertanyaan geometri. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Subjek penelitian adalah siswa dengan kepribadian wali yang mengalami kesulitan belajar di kelas IX A SMP N 30 Muaro Jambi. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah penulis sendiri, lembar tes klasifikasi kepribadian, lembar tes kesulitan belajar, dan pedoman wawancara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan siswa dengan kepribadian wali yang mengalami kesulitan belajar, 100% mengalami kelainan persepsi visual, di mana siswa mengalami kesulitan dalam menentukan seperti apa bangun datar pada masalah tersebut. 60% mengalami kesulitan mengenali dan memahami simbol, di mana siswa melihat simbol "//" sebagai simbol untuk kesesuaian. Serta 40% mengalami kesulitan dalam bahasa dan membaca, di mana siswa kesulitan dalam memahami pertanyaan yang diberikan.   Geometry is a very close mathematical part of the student, because almost all visual objects that exist around the students are objects of geometry, but not all students like learning that includes images, thus allowing students to have difficulty in learning geometry. The purpose of this research is to describe students' learning difficulties based on Lerner's characteristic in solving the geometry question. This type of research is descriptive qualitative research. Research subjects were students with guardian personality who had difficulty studying in class IX A SMP N 30 Muaro Jambi. Instruments used in this study are the authors themselves, personality classification test sheets, learning difficulties test sheets, and interview guidelines. The results showed students with guardian personality who experienced learning difficulties, 100% experienced visual perception abnormalities, where students have difficulty in determining what kind of flat wake on the matter. 60% have difficulty recognizing and understanding symbols, where students see the symbol "//" as a symbol for conformity. As well as 40% have difficulty in language and reading, where students difficulty in understanding the given question.

Analisis Penatalaksanaan Fluor Albus Pada Remaja Putri Kelas X Di MA Al-Fatimah Bojonegoro Tahun 2016

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fela Putri Hariastuti ◽  
Andin Ajeng Rahmawati
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Sexual Development ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Hormonal Activity ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Teenage Girls ◽  
The Central Nervous System

ABSTRAK            Masa remaja mengalami perkembangan fisiologis, psikososial, kognitif, moral dan perkembangan seksual. Perubahan fisiologis pada masa remaja merupakan hasil aktivitas hormonal dibawah pengaruh sistem saraf pusat. Menarche pada umumnya menjadi masalah bagi remaja, hal ini terjadi karena remaja masih belum tahu tentang apa itu menstruasi dan bagaimana menanganinya, sehingga kebersihan daerah genetalia tidak terjaga dan dapat menimbulkan terjadinya keputihan (Soetjiningsih, 2007).            Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui penatalaksanaan flour albus pada remaja putri kelas X di SMA AL-Fatimah Bojonegoro tahun 2016. Jenis penelitian ini adalah kualitatif yaitu penelitian expose facto (mengungkap fakta) dengan pendekatan pengukuran secara langsung dengan menggunakan data primer. Subjek penelitian semua remaja putri kelas X yang mengalami keputihan di MA AL- Fatimah Kecamatan Bojonegoro Kabupaten Bojonegoro tahun 2016 yang berjumlah 30 responden.            Hasil penelitian yang didapatkan sebanyak 25 responden remaja putri sudah bisa melaksanakan penatalaksanaan pada flour albus. Kata Kunci : flour albus,  remaja putri ABSTRACT            Adolescence develops physiological, psychosocial, cognitive, moral and sexual development. Physiological changes in adolescence are the result of hormonal activity under the influence of the central nervous system. Menarche is generally a problem for teenagers, this is because teenagers still do not know what menstruation is and how to handle it, so that the cleanliness of the genetalia area is not maintained and can lead to whitish (Soetjiningsih, 2007).This study aims to determine the management of flour albus in adolescent girls of class X in SMA AL-Fatimah Bojonegoro in 2016. The type of this research is qualitative research that is expose facto (revealing fact) with approach of measurement directly by using primary data. Research subjects of all teenage girls of class X who experienced whiteness in MA Al-Fatimah Bojonegoro District Bojonegoro District in 2016, amounting to 30 respondents.The results obtained as many as 25 female teenage respondents have been able to implement management on flour albus. Keywords: flour albus, young women

Using crystallization to understand loneliness in later life: integrating social science and creative narratives in sensitive qualitative research

2021 ◽  
pp. 146879412110059
Author(s):  
Barbara Barbosa Neves ◽  
Josephine Wilson ◽  
Alexandra Sanders ◽  
Renata Kokanović
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Creative Writing ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Older People ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Social Phenomena

This article draws on crystallization, a qualitative framework developed by Laurel Richardson and Laura Ellingson, to show the potential of using sociological narratives and creative writing to better analyze and represent the lived experiences of loneliness among older people living in Australian care homes. Crystallization uses a multi-genre approach to study and present social phenomena. At its core is a concern for the ethics of representation, which is critical when engaging with vulnerable populations. We use two case studies from research on loneliness to illustrate an application of crystallization through different narrative types. To supplement our sociological narratives, we invited author Josephine Wilson to write creative narratives based on the case studies. Josephine was awarded the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2017 for Extinctions, a novel exploring themes such as later life and loneliness. By contrasting the two approaches—sociological and creative narratives—we discuss the implications of crystallization for qualitative research.

First steps for a library publisher

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Somaly Kim Wu ◽  
Heather McCullough
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Electronic Publishing ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Journal Publishing ◽  
Digital Scholarship ◽  
Publishing Services ◽  
Communication Policies ◽  
The University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to presents the very recent development of e-journal publishing services at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Charlotte. In 2011, the J. Murrey Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte created a new unit in the library, the Digital Scholarship Lab (DSL), which partners with faculty and graduate students in the use of digital and networked research tools to create, disseminate and store new knowledge. E-journal publishing and hosting are among the suite of services offered by the DSL, and we currently publish three journals (https://journals.uncc.edu/). Design/methodology/approach – This report provides an overview of the context of our library’s decision to begin publishing journals, including a discussion of our university’s becoming more research-intensive, our university system mandating increased efficiencies and sharing research with the state citizens, and the library’s own goals of raising awareness of and supporting open access. Also outlined are the technical and procedural choices made, important activities undertaken to develop, define and publicize the new services, campus response to the service and next steps. Findings – This report provides detailed accounting of how a large academic library implemented an electronic publishing service to support open access scholarship. Important activities such as marketing communication, policies development and technical/procedural activities are defined and results described. The report provides observation and lessons learned for academic libraries in development and support of electronic journals. Originality/value – Library as the publisher is a new concept. This report will be of interest to many libraries who are considering offering publishing services and to libraries that currently offer publishing services.

Encouraging millennials to collaborate and learn on the job

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 118-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Trees
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present enterprise social networking and gamification as two potential tools to help organizations engage Millennial employees in collaboration and learning. Design/methodology/approach – The research provides general descriptions of enterprise social networking and gamification approaches, shares data on adoption of these approaches from APQC’s “2015 Knowledge Management Priorities Data Report” (based on a January 2015 survey of 524 knowledge management professionals) and includes four company examples adapted from APQC’s Connecting People to Content and Transferring and Applying Critical Knowledge best practices studies. The methodology for APQC’s best practices studies involves screening 50 or more organizations with potential best practices in a given research scope area and identifying five or six with proven best practices. APQC then conducts detailed site visits with the selected organizations and publishes case studies based on those site visits. Findings – Enterprise social networking platforms are in place at 50 per cent of organizations, with another 25 per cent planning to implement them by the end of 2015. By providing near-immediate access to information and answers, enterprise social networking helps Millennials learn the ropes at their new workplaces, gives them direct access to more knowledgeable colleagues who can assist and mentor them, and helps them improve their business outcomes by reusing knowledge and lessons learned across projects. Younger workers can also harness the power of social networking to create a sense of belonging and build their reputations in large, dispersed firms, where it is particularly difficult for them to gain visibility. A recent APQC survey indicates that 54 per cent of organizations either currently employ gamification to encourage collaboration or expect to implement it within the next three years. The rush to gamify the enterprise is, at least in part, a reflection of employers’ desire to satisfy Millennials and make them feel connected to a community of co-workers. Although games appeal to a wide range of age groups, Millennials grew up with digital interaction and tend to prefer environments that emphasize teamwork, social learning and frequent feedback – all of which can be delivered through gamification. Originality/value – The value of this paper is to introduce the value of and relationship between enterprise social networking and gamification platforms to human resource (HR) professionals looking to increase engagement and retention rates for Millennial employees.

User categories of mobile travel services

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mobile Services ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Travel Services ◽  
Online Data Collection ◽  
Barriers To Use ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This study aims to identify user categories of mobile travel services and analyze the differences between the categories based on individual characteristics, the individuals' perceived barriers to use internet-/mobile services during a trip and the individuals' preferred channel strategies. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive online survey in Finland was conducted to collect the data and a cluster analysis is used to identify the user categories. Findings – The study indicates that there are four user categories of mobile travel services: “info-seekers”, “checkers”, “bookers” and “all-rounders” and one group of “non-users”. Research limitations/implications – Due to the online data collection method and the self-selective process, the sample may be biased towards respondents finding electronic travel services important. It would be of value to conduct similar studies on a representative sample of the total population of different countries. Practical implications – The identified categories can be seen as consumer segments for which travel service providers can target mobile services. Originality/value – This study contributes with a categorization of mobile travelers and provides insights on the diffusion of mobile travel services.

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