Academic literature on the topic 'Exploratory qualitative research'

The purpose of this study was to explore how elderly people in Gävle cope with their life by using of Internet and what are their perceived benefits and barriers of the use of Internet. Qualitative methods were used with face-to-face interviews and email correspondence to gather the data. Six elderly people participated in this study. Coping theory was used to analyse the results. The results were divided into three parts. They were describing the use of Internet, benefits and barriers of using the Internet and reasons behind using the Internet and coping. Benefits include connectedness, gratification, usefulness, and active learning experience. Barriers include limitation, distrust and frustration. This paper used the coping theory to try to describe how these persons adjust the way of thinking and the way of behaving and how they use these strategies to cope with the daily life. It was found that Internet for elderly people is becoming more important nowadays and also it is significant to know how they think about the Internet.

Stroke is the primary cause of adult disability in the UK. Those who have experienced stroke have a higher risk of a subsequent stroke. Stroke recovery has physical, emotional and social dimensions and impacts on family caregivers as well as stroke survivors. Getting the right information at the right time is put forward as instrumental in supporting recovery and preventing further stroke. The research literature demonstrates persistent uncertainty about the best way to provide information to stroke survivors and carers in practice. The aim of this study was to explore the processes, motivations and perceptions of the impact of information exchange between stroke survivors, carers and health professionals. A qualitative case study strategy was utilised for the study as this provided a flexible framework to incorporate multiple perspectives upon information exchange in the practice context. A single setting in, Salford, Greater Manchester, was used to study the phenomenon of information exchange from the perspectives of stroke survivors, carers and health professionals. Data collection included interviews with participants, observations of communication and documentary analysis. Data was analysed using the Framework analysis approach in order to compare and contrast perspectives across the different respondent groups and so develop study propositions to explain the data. There was much common ground amongst respondents in the thematic categories identified from the data, but subtle differences in emphasis on different topics. The key findings from this research are in two areas. Firstly, the challenges of incorporating a self-management philosophy into information exchange post stroke are substantial. This is because patients experience a variable recovery trajectory and have insufficient contact time with the professionals who they perceive as valid information providers. Second, the research raises questions of what is meant by tailored information in practice: the timing of information was a critical issue for survivors and carers along with the desire for appropriate support to utilise information effectively. These findings suggest a need to shift the focus of research from information provision to information exchange post stroke; to examine not the best way of providing information, but rather the best way of assessing individual need, and pacing provision tailored to these specific needs. This would require debate and consensus among the stroke community about the core underlying principles of information exchange, a reassessment of key time-points for sharing information and a re-examination of professionals ongoing development needs in communication skills to underpin this.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)<br>This study is about the way in which men, specifically in the local context of Cape Town, dominate the rap music culture. Globally, rapping is associated with poetic lyrics that express the rappers' environment or worldview. Historically women's worldviews were kept silent and it is within this context that this investigation explored why women are not represented well in the rap culture. The significance of the study lies in the possibility of identifying ways in which women interested in becoming rap artists could overcome the barriers that currently inhibit their participation. This project represents an interdisciplinary study that falls within the realms of social psychology, music, feminism and social constructionism. Specifically, this thesis employed feminist psychology and social constructionism to construe and interpret the roles of women in rap music. Working within a qualitative feminist framework, the data was gathered through focus groups and in-depth telephonic individual interviews with participants. The discussions held with the participants were transcribed and the data was analyzed thematically. The results reflect that women feel that they are being discriminated against in rap culture on the basis of their gender. Despite the key finding that women are being discriminated against in the rap culture, it was also found that when the two sexes came together and spoke about the gender inequalities in the culture, a strong awareness of gender sensitivity was created. This study therefore suggests that one powerful way of challenging gender inequality in rap culture may be through raising awareness by way of discussions of gender bias and discrimination at rap forums, radio talk shows and workshops aimed at unifying the South African rap culture.

The considerable failure rate of information technology (IT) projects remains a problem for many organisations and impacts their ability to successfully participate in the digital economy. Previous root cause analysis identified project complexity as one of the key factors in and of IT project failure. The purpose of this research was therefore to critically examine complexity in IT projects. In contrast to earlier positivist research on complexity, this study was built on a critical realist perspective to better understand the underlying structures and mechanisms behind what individuals within IT projects perceive as being "complex".A qualitative research design was chosen with a series of semistructured in-depth interviews with IT project practitioners as the data collection method. The research identified four internal variables (experience, stress, frustration, and motivation) and three external variables (communication, expectations, and support) which interact with perceived complexity. These findings were synthesised into a conceptual model of perceived complexity in IT projects. In addition, the findings indicated that the role of an individual (project sponsor, project manager, project team member) influences perceived complexity. Through the identification of previously hidden mechanisms within IT projects, the study extends the body of knowledge about IT project complexity. In addition, the identified mechanisms were combined with typical situations in IT projects. The outcome, which represents the study's contribution to practice, are practice-orientated guidelines for handling complexity in IT projects which aims to support IT project professionals and organisations to better manage complexity. The study therefore provides valuable contributions to the theory and practice of IT project complexity.

<p> Major hurricane landfalls are the most dangerous natural hazard threats experienced in the U.S. Television news is a primary sources of hurricane hazard information and has the ability to influence what viewers understand about and how they respond to these events. While it is understood that media plays a central role in communicating weather, it is unknown whether or not news media content communicates the recommended hurricane hazard adjustments that are needed for preparedness and protection. Thus this study supports prior research calling for a closer examination of the role and effects of visual information in media documents. Using the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, the present research employs qualitative media analysis to explore the framing of hurricane preparedness through television newscasts covering Hurricane Katrina from August 23-29, 2005. Key findings from this study suggest that there are five common frames through which hurricane information is presented to viewers of the national news broadcasts surveyed in this study. Preparedness information was found to be mainly represented through visual content but sparsely mentioned in reporting. The study also found that more often visuals were used to aid story development instead of provide educational or instructional messages that model the adoption of hazard adjustments and have the potential to motivate protective actions and behaviors by helping to increase self-efficacy. The present study concludes by discussing underlying aspects of conflict present within the media frames and offering recommendations for better integration of media content into risk communication campaigns for severe weather.</p>