scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship between Writing Apprehension and Writing Performance: A Qualitative Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamal J. I. Badrasawi ◽  
Ainol Zubairi ◽  
Faizah Idrus

<p class="apa">Writing skill is seen as a cornerstone of university students’ success in both academic and career life. This qualitative study was conducted to further explore the teachers’ and students’ perceptions on the relationship between writing apprehension and writing performance, contributing factors of writing apprehension, and strategies to reduce writing apprehension. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to get more in-depth information from two respondents: one experienced instructor of teaching writing at the Centre for Languages and Pre-University Academic Development (CELPAD), International Islamic University Malaysia, and another, a graduate student who was reported to having a high level of writing apprehension using Daly and Miller’s (1975) questionnaire on writing apprehension. Thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. Both respondents were convinced that writing apprehension has a negative influence on students’ writing performance; the sources of contributing factors could be students, instructors, and teaching learning setting; and writing apprehension could be reduced through suggested strategies. It is recommended that instructors should be more aware of students’ problems in the writing skill.</p>

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Altahtooh ◽  
Thamir Alaskar

Despite the importance of milestone as a key knowledge in project management, there has been lack of research to understand the relationship between milestones and decision-making. This paper presents a pragmatic research context that aims understanding the nature of milestones and their relationship with different decision-making structures and responsibilities across projects. Data were collected through 14 semi-structured interviews with project managers and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings explore the concepts of project milestones among project managers in Saudi Arabia. The paper finds that there is a relationship between milestones and the impact on decision-making.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1127-1144
Author(s):  
Zeinab Lalegani ◽  
Ali Nasr Isfahani ◽  
Arash Shahin ◽  
Ali Safari

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and analyze a model of factors influencing interpersonal conflicts. Design/methodology/approach This research was conducted using a mixed method approach. In the qualitative study, the conceptual model of the factors affecting interpersonal conflicts was extracted from semi-structured interviews with 17 relevant experts using a theme analysis technique. Then, three hypotheses were developed based on the model and relevant theoretical evidence. Using a researcher-made questionnaire which was developed earlier based on the qualitative results, a quantitative-based survey was performed to assess the interpersonal conflicts and also the standard scale of the level of interpersonal conflicts (Jehn, 1997). The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 160 employees of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province Gas Company (CBPGC). Findings The results of the qualitative study indicated that individual factors including personality dimensions and individual differences; organizational factors including five dimensions of organizational culture, organizational structure, management characteristics, intra-organization factors and human resource systems; and environmental factors influenced the creation of interpersonal conflicts. The results of the quantitative study indicated that organizational factors with an effect size of 0.502 were identified as the most important factor influencing interpersonal conflicts. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study can provide a roadmap to managers of the CBPGC to be aware of the contributing factors to conflict within their organization. Originality/value The use of mixed method to identify the causes and factors of interpersonal conflict and analyzing a context different from previous studies can be considered as the innovations of this study.


2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemeri Siqueira Pedroso ◽  
Félix Kessler ◽  
Flavio Pechansky

OBJECTIVE: To map treatment trajectories in a sample of male and female crack users through their narratives about the course of treatment seeking and their attempts to access health care services in Brazil. METHODS: Qualitative study of a purposive sample (five female and nine male hospitalized crack users) using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were transcribed and data explored using content analysis. RESULTS: Respondents reported difficulties getting access to hospitalization, relapse after discharge, and abandonment of treatment. There seems to be a peculiar model of behavior for women and men while dealing with craving for crack: while women got involved with prostitution and consequently became infected with HIV, every men of the sample reported criminal involvement. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between relapse and a social environment conducive to consumption, associated with belief or disbelief in spiritual support, prostitution, and the legal complications arising from the use of crack, are relevant issues and should be taken into consideration in the development of preventive actions aimed at this specific population.


Author(s):  
Megan Ann Yap ◽  
Angelo Miguel Francisco ◽  
Christian Gopez

Ghosting is a popular term in mass media that has continued to baffle many with its ambiguity as a dissolution strategy. Multiple studies in the past have explored ghosting within romantic relationships, examining how this dissolution strategy has impacted the two parties involved: the initiator (ghoster) and the non-initiator (ghostee). However, it has been stated that ghosting can exist outside of romantic relationships as it may also occur within friendships or even if the relationship is questionably nonexistent. The objectives of the paper seek to understand how ghosting happens within these non-romantic relationships, its effects on the initiators and non-initiators, and its possible differences when compared to romantic relationships. Semi-structured interviews were conducted through video communication platforms on thirty respondents ages 18-25 who have experienced ghosting or been ghosted by a friend. Through the use of descriptive phenomenological qualitative study, the results revealed that 1) ghosting in non-romantic relationships occurs on technology-mediated channels, 2) the initiators experienced post-dissolution feelings of regret, 3) the non-initiators experienced feelings of uncertainty, 4) ghosting a friend is more socially acceptable than ghosting a romantic partner, and, 5) ghosting is more frequent in non-romantic relationships due to the lower levels of commitment and expectations. Other recurring themes, such as the common reasons behind ghosting for the initiators and ghosting as a justifiable means of dissolving the relationship, were also found.  


Author(s):  
Estevan Leopoldo de Freitas Coca

Food is an interdisciplinary topic that transverses different areas of knowledge, allowing it to be used as a pedagogical resource in numerous teaching-learning processes and environments. This paper seeks to contribute to early debates on the relationship between public procurement and food pedagogies in schools and universities, a topic that is still little addressed in the literature. I explore the Farm to Cafeteria Canada (F2CC) network in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, which beyond institutional procurement recognises food as a pedagogical resource at schools and on campus. My research is based on 18 site visits and qualitative analysis of documents and 9 semi-structured interviews conducted with institutional administrators associated with F2CC in Metro Vancouver. This paper demonstrates how the F2CC network activities in Metro Vancouver contribute not only to food procurement, but also to the practical development of pedagogical activities from different areas of knowledge and in different educational spaces.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 430-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Heneka ◽  
Priyanka Bhattarai ◽  
Tim Shaw ◽  
Debra Rowett ◽  
Samuel Lapkin ◽  
...  

Background: Opioid errors are a leading cause of patient harm and adversely impact palliative care inpatients’ pain and symptom management. Yet, the factors contributing to opioid errors in palliative care are poorly understood. Identifying and better understanding the individual and system factors contributing to these errors is required to inform targeted strategies. Objectives: To explore palliative care clinicians’ perceptions of the factors contributing to opioid errors in Australian inpatient palliative care services. Design: A qualitative study using focus groups or semi-structured interviews. Settings: Three specialist palliative care inpatient services in New South Wales, Australia. Participants: Inpatient palliative care clinicians who are involved with, and/or have oversight of, the services’ opioid delivery or quality and safety processes. Methods: Deductive thematic content analysis of the qualitative data. The Yorkshire Contributory Factors Framework was applied to identify error-contributing factors. Findings: A total of 58 clinicians participated in eight focus groups and 20 semi-structured interviews. Nine key error contributory factor domains were identified, including: active failures; task characteristics of opioid preparation; clinician inexperience; sub-optimal skill mix; gaps in support from central functions; the drug preparation environment; and sub-optimal clinical communication. Conclusion: This study identified multiple system-level factors contributing to opioid errors in inpatient palliative care services. Any quality and safety initiatives targeting safe opioid delivery in specialist palliative care services needs to consider the full range of contributing factors, from individual to systems/latent factors, which promote error-causing conditions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Charlotte Jacobsen ◽  
Twinkle Choksi ◽  
Katherine Sawyer ◽  
Cassia Maximen ◽  
Emma Harding ◽  
...  

Objectives: Regular home practice is considered a core component of mindfulness groups and may be associated with better treatment outcomes. This study aimed to 1) review the existing evidence on how much home practice people do in Mindfulness for Psychosis groups, and 2) explore participants’ experiences of the barriers and facilitators to completing home practice in a Mindfulness for Psychosis group using a qualitative study.Methods: In study 1, we conducted a systematic review of Mindfulness for Psychosis studies and extracted data on home practice rates. In study 2, we conducted semi-structured interviews with people who had completed a Mindfulness for Psychosis group (N=5) as part of their routine community care, specifically focusing on experiences of home practice.Results: Out of twenty-two studies included in the systematic review, only 4 reported any data on amount of home practice, and none examined the relationship between completion of home practice and treatment outcomes. In the qualitative study, participants described home practice as being difficult but important. Arising themes were similar to findings from previous (non-psychosis) studies suggesting that generic challenges are common, rather than being specific to psychosis.Conclusions: We recommend that future Mindfulness for Psychosis studies record data on home practice rates, in order to investigate any association between home practice and treatment outcome. Our qualitative findings suggest home practice can be a valued part of a Mindfulness for Psychosis group, and a normalising approach could be taken when and if participants encounter common challenges.


Author(s):  
Carla Janaina Figueredo

This article discusses the results of a four-year investigation on the neoliberal challenges faced by socioeconomically underprivileged students in Brazil who were majoring in English teaching. It is a qualitative study that employs the concept of language as a sociocultural and dialogical practice as well as the concepts of responsibility and agency; it also examines the relationship between these students’ experiences and neoliberalism as seen in language education. The data generated by questionnaires, students’ essays, and semi-structured interviews reveal that the participants’ initiatives to engage themselves in outside classroom interactions acted as counter-centralizing forces. By exercising their responsible situated agency towards their English language appropriation process, these participants react against neoliberal challenges viewed here as hierarchical centripetal forces that constrain their access to different kinds of capital. The study participants are also guided by the agency of spaces promoted by discourses marked by decolonial thinking; however, though these students find different ways to negotiate neoliberal challenges, it is still crucial that the faculty in charge of the investigated context build on existing decolonial practices in the classroom. In doing so, more students can become part of “discursive actions” that foster their responsible situated agency towards a more egalitarian society. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Delacanal Lazzari ◽  
Jussara Gue Martini ◽  
Marta Lenise do Prado ◽  
Vânia Marli Schubert Backes ◽  
Jeferson Rodrigues ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the opinions of professors about the relationship between theory and practice in nursing. Method: descriptive analytical, qualitative study. Eighteen professors from two universities (one federal and one private) from the southern region of the country participated. Data collection took place between July and September 2014, through semi-structured interviews. Open and axial coding as proposed by Strauss and Corbin, with the help of Atlas ti® 7 software was used for data collection. Results: the following categories emerged: The centrality of the practice for teaching and The specialist x generalist dichotomy: contrasting discourses. Conclusion: the opinions of professors about theory and practice in nursing are widely conflicting. In areas considered of greater complexity, mastery of content is prefered and considered advantageous. The relationships that nurses and nursing professors maintain with knowledge influence the disconnection between theory and practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Eva Cooney ◽  
David O'Riordan ◽  
Jennifer McSharry

Background: Support for people with diabetes is necessary for optimal self-management. Structured diabetes education programmes fulfil this need, but attendance rates are consistently low. The role of pharmacists has expanded but the profession remains underutilised in chronic disease management. The objective of this study is to explore pharmacists’ perceived role in the support of diabetes education and self-management behaviours. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews of community pharmacists in Ireland was conducted. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Ten pharmacists were interviewed. The four themes identified illustrate the juxtaposition of pharmacists’ potential in diabetes care with the realities of current pharmaceutical practice. One theme outlined the relationship between the person with diabetes and the pharmacist, ‘Patient or customer: the nature of the pharmacist relationship’. Two themes described the pharmacists’ role in supporting diabetes education and self-management, ‘Beyond medication: pharmacists’ current and potential role in diabetes management’ and ‘Need for diabetes education’. The final theme highlighted the barriers to a more engaged role in patient care, ‘Barriers: “all the stuff that gets in the way”’. Conclusion: The relationship between pharmacists and people with diabetes could facilitate pharmacists in supporting diabetes self-management. However, variability across pharmacists’ level of involvement and consistent resource barriers were noted. Pharmacists were poorly informed about structured diabetes education programmes. Further research is needed to explore this variability but there may be potential to enhance the pharmacist role in promoting attendance at structured diabetes education programmes.


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