scholarly journals Teaching Online during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study of Physical Therapist Faculty in Brazil, Cyprus, and The United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Laura Plummer ◽  
Beliz Belgen Kaygısız ◽  
Cymara Pessoa Kuehner ◽  
Shweta Gore ◽  
Rebecca Mercuro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a global transition from in-person to online instruction leaving many higher education faculty with little time or training for this responsibility. Physical therapist education programs were especially impacted since a large part of the development of skills rely on face-to-face onsite practice. This phenomenological study explored the perceptions of physical therapist educators in three countries—Brazil, Cyprus, and the United States, who transitioned to an entirely virtual medium of teaching during the pandemic. Sixteen faculty participated in 1:1 semi-structured interviews. Trustworthiness of qualitative inquiry was ascertained using triangulation, thick descriptions, and peer reviews. Four major themes emerged from analysis of participants’ interview data: adapting pedagogy in real-time, expected excellence, limitations of the medium, and informing future teaching practice. All participants described teaching during the pandemic as one of the most challenging experiences of their professional careers. Despite available resources, faculty noted challenges in making authentic connections with students, adapting to technological interruptions, assessment of student understanding of content, and managing work-life balance. Despite the challenges, faculty worked collaboratively with peers to innovate new approaches of creating social, cognitive, and teaching presence. Unique opportunities arose from the pandemic to enhance future teaching practice.

African-Born Female Academics in the U.S.

2019 ◽  
pp. 427-440
Author(s):  
Rosaire Ifedi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
United States ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Immigrant Status ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Gender And Migration ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The U.S

This paper was based, in part, on some findings related to the intersection of identity and career outcomes for some African-born female academics located in the United States. In the phenomenological study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and revealed accounts of race and gendered challenges in their experiences. However, even though they faced similar kinds of marginalization as other Black and foreign women, these participants were confronted with unique questions of identification and experiences of double discrimination. Nonetheless, the findings also suggest a persistence that was reflected in their stories of access, inclusion, and exclusion as well as their perceived role as coalition-builders. An implication for immigrant female professors in the U.S. is that their immigrant status could both facilitate as well as challenge their career paths and economic outcomes, a point equally corroborated by research on gender and migration in higher education in Europe and elsewhere.

Psychosocial Impacts of Immigration on Nigerian Immigrants in the United States: A Phenomenological Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-283
Author(s):  
Chukwudi C. Ekwemalor ◽  
Ifeoma E. Ezeobele
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Psychosocial Experiences ◽  
Nigerian Immigrants ◽  
Psychosocial Impacts ◽  
Sub Saharan

Introduction. Nigerian immigrants constitute a major proportion of the increasing immigration trend from sub-Saharan Africa to the United States. However, limited studies exist on the psychosocial impacts of their immigration experiences. This phenomenological study, based on Husserlian philosophy, explored the perceptions of Nigerian immigrants about the psychosocial impacts of immigration to the United States. Method. Twenty Nigerian immigrants in Houston, Texas, constituting a purposive sample were interviewed face-to-face using semistructured guided questions and probes. Results. A thematic analysis using Giorgi’s approach revealed both positive and negative themes but mostly negative psychosocial experiences of migration to the United States. Discussion. The participants associated the most negative experiences with the lack of adequate preparation prior to migration and the cultural differences between the two countries. Notwithstanding that the findings of this study have health and immigration policy implications and increased awareness for potential immigrants, further studies are needed.

scholarly journals Gender and the Grandfather Caregiver Experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 510-510
Author(s):  
AviElle Raymore
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Telephone Interview ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Life Story ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Grandparent Caregivers ◽  
Physical Play

Abstract In the United States, 2.7 million grandparents are responsible for a grandchild in their home. Grandfathers are present in the majority of grandparent caregiver households, but their contributions and voices are often overlooked. The aim of this study was to explore how grandfathers experience caregiving as men. Twelve grandfathers from the age of 50-76 years participated in the study. Two face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven grandfather caregivers while a telephone interview was conducted with one grandfather. Interviews focused on their life story, experiences as grandfather caregivers, and views on male caregiving. Data were analyzed using coding and thematic analysis. Gender was important throughout grandfather’s caregiving experiences. Grandfathers discussed their attitudes towards caregiving using language that reflected traditional gender norms. To them, women were nurturing caregivers while men were supposed to provide for their families as caregivers. Grandfathers appeared to stay connected to notions of traditional masculinities through participation in sports and physical play with their grandchildren and through their emphasis on men as responsible and providers. Grandfathers were aware that others may view them as incompetent caregivers, but they did not allow these stereotypes to affect how they viewed themselves as caregivers. These findings can improve the understanding of this population for service providers who work with grandparent caregivers. Providing better outreach for grandfather caregivers, strengthening programs and supports for them, and confronting attitudes or views towards male caregiving are important practice implications.

scholarly journals "I'm Not the Only Writer in The Room": A Framework for Co-Creating Confident Writing Classrooms

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 66-84
Author(s):  
Jen McConnel ◽  
Pamela Beach
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Writing Instruction ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Classroom Culture ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers And Students

This study is rooted in social cognitive theory, specifically Bandura's work on self-and collective efficacy. The authors explore self reported confidence levels with writing instruction from secondary teachers across subjects in Canada and the United States by pairing a self-efficacy scale developed by Locke and Johnston (2016) with semi-structured interviews conducted via Skype. 60 teachers participated in the survey, with 25 from Canada and 35 from the United States. Although teachers report relatively strong levels of self efficacy in writing instruction, the responses of participants regarding collective efficacy are more mixed. Based on these results, coupled with six interviews (split evenly between teachers in Canada and the United States), the authors propose a framework to help teachers of all subject areas increase their confidence in writing instruction while also helping students develop their own confidence as writers. This three-pronged framework of identity, context, and authority, relies on co-creating community with students. The potential of this framework is creative, offering teachers (and students) multiple ways into a conversation about writing that will not only enhance confidence, but will create a classroom culture in which diverse writing strategies and perspectives are valued.

Looking for Pura Vida

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Lisa Lynn Porter
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Community School ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
La Paz ◽  
Educational Alternatives ◽  
K 12

Using a transnational theoretical framework, this study explores U.S. families expatriating to Guanacaste, Costa Rica in search of educational alternatives to U.S. schooling. In order to meet the needs of this influx of U.S. families to the region, schools such as La Paz Community School in Flamingo, Guanacaste have emerged. This qualitative inquiry explores emergent themes from 16 semi-structured interviews conducted with US parents whose children attend La Paz. Findings reveal participants’ desire for a progressive educational alternative for their children that embraces a more collective vision of learning. For interviewees, frustrations with U.S. K-12 schools became symbolic of cultural criticism of US social norms and the desire to recreate a lifestyle removed from daily pressures in the United States.

scholarly journals Mental Health Counselors’ Perceptions of Rural Women Clients

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-101
Author(s):  
Lisbeth A. Leagjeld ◽  
Phillip L. Waalkes ◽  
Maribeth F. Jorgensen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Women Clients ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Structured Interviews

Researchers have frequently described rural women as invisible, yet at 28 million, they represent over half of the rural population in the United States. We conducted a transcendental phenomenological study using semi-structured interviews and artifacts to explore 12 Midwestern rural-based mental health counselors’ experiences counseling rural women through a feminist lens. Overall, we found eight themes organized under two main categories: (a) perceptions of work with rural women (e.g., counselors’ sense of purpose, a rural heritage, a lack of training for work with rural women, and the need for additional research); and (b) perceptions of rural women and mental health (e.g., challenges, resiliency, protective factors, and barriers to mental health services for rural women). We offer specific implications for counselors to address the unique mental health needs of rural women, including hearing their stories through their personal lenses and offering them opportunities for empowerment at their own pace.

Ethical Issues in Private Practice: A Phenomenological Investigation of Music Therapy Business Owners

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Wilhelm ◽  
Lindsey Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Private Practice ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Music Therapists

Abstract As a music therapy private practice is both a business and a healthcare service, it should adhere to ethical standards from both disciplines. However, this topic has rarely been examined in the music therapy literature. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore ethical dilemmas experienced by music therapy business owners (MTBOs) in their private practice and how MTBOs avoid or address ethical dilemmas. Utilizing convenience and snowball sampling techniques, 21 MTBOs in the United States were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. To answer the two areas of inquiry, we identified three themes and 12 subthemes: (1) Ethical issues related to client welfare, (2) Ethical issues related to business relationships and operation, and (3) Strategies to address or avoid ethical dilemmas. MTBOs also shared how they ensure ethical behavior in themselves, with their employees or independent contractors, and when interacting with professionals outside the private practice. These findings provide a better understanding of MTBOs’ lived experiences of ethics in their private practice and may benefit other music therapists who are in private practice or are wanting to go into private practice. Limitations and recommendations for further research are provided.

scholarly journals Telling Our Stories: Resilience during Resettlement for African Skilled Migrants in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 3954
Author(s):  
Lillian Mwanri ◽  
Leticia Anderson ◽  
Kathomi Gatwiri
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
African Migrants ◽  
Cultural Expectations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Resilience Factors

Background: Emigration to Australia by people from Africa has grown steadily in the past two decades, with skilled migration an increasingly significant component of migration streams. Challenges to resettlement in Australia by African migrants have been identified, including difficulties securing employment, experiences of racism, discrimination and social isolation. These challenges can negatively impact resettlement outcomes, including health and wellbeing. There has been limited research that has examined protective and resilience factors that help highly skilled African migrants mitigate the aforementioned challenges in Australia. This paper discusses how individual and community resilience factors supported successful resettlement Africans in Australia. The paper is contextualised within a larger study which sought to investigate how belonging and identity inform Afrodiasporic experiences of Africans in Australia. Methods: A qualitative inquiry was conducted with twenty-seven (n = 27) skilled African migrants based in South Australia, using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Participants were not directly questioned about ‘resilience,’ but were encouraged to reflect critically on how they navigated the transition to living in Australia, and to identify factors that facilitated a successful resettlement. Results: The study findings revealed a mixture of settlement experiences for participants. Resettlement challenges were observed as barriers to fully meeting expectations of emigration. However, there were significant protective factors reported that supported resilience, including participants’ capacities for excellence and willingness to work hard; the social capital vested in community and family support networks; and African religious and cultural values and traditions. Many participants emphasised their pride in their contributions to Australian society as well as their desire to contribute to changing narratives of what it means to be African in Australia. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that despite challenges, skilled African migrants’ resilience, ambition and determination were significant enablers to a healthy resettlement in Australia, contributing effectively to social, economic and cultural expectations, and subsequently meeting most of their own migration intentions. These findings suggest that resilience factors identified in the study are key elements of integration.

scholarly journals Balancing race, gender, and responsibility: Conversations with four black women in educational leadership in the United States of America

2021 ◽  
pp. 174114322199183
Author(s):  
Natasha N Johnson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Educational Leadership ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
And Gender

This article focuses on equitable leadership and its intersection with related yet distinct concepts salient to social justice pertinent to women and minorities in educational leadership. This piece is rooted and framed within the context of the United States of America, and the major concepts include identity, equity, and intersectionality—specific to the race-gender dyad—manifested within the realm of educational leadership. The objective is to examine theory and research in this area and to discuss the role they played in this study of the cultures of four Black women, all senior-level leaders within the realm of K-20 education in the United States. This work employed the tenets of hermeneutic phenomenology, focusing on the intersecting factors—race and gender, specifically—that impact these women’s ability and capability to perform within the educational sector. The utilization of in-depth, timed, semi-structured interviews allowed participants to reflect upon their experiences and perceptions as Black women who have navigated and continue to successfully navigate the highest levels of the educational leadership sphere. Contributors’ recounted stories of navigation within spaces in which they are underrepresented revealed the need for more research specific to the intricacies of Black women’s leadership journeys in the context of the United States.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document