Underlying thematic analysis are a few fundamental human cognitive processes, such as categorizing, prototyping and metaphorical mapping. By unpacking these basic processes of human cognition, this paper hopes to provide a cognitive basis for thematic analysis as a foundational method in data analysis for qualitative research. In particular, it…

Courses: Communication Research Methods, Qualitative Research Methods. Communication Research Methods, Qualitative Research Methods. Objectives: This activity provides students with an experiential understanding of conducting reflexive thematic analysis in six steps: (1) understanding the data, (2) generating codes, (3) bringing codes into themes,…

This paper explores reflexivity in qualitative research, challenging conventional perspectives that revolve around the binary of 'insider' and 'outsider' positioning. While traditionally reflexivity has been understood through the lens of a researcher's socio-historical positionality, we argue for a more dynamic understanding, emphasizing that…

In this article, we think-with nots, knots, and (k)nots in the interstices of theory, methodology, pedagogy, and art. We define the (k)not as a bringing together of nots--openings toward creativity, mapping, and disruption--and knots--openings toward connection, entanglement, and speculative futures. Playing (k)nots within our own relations,…

This article aims to provide a record of how the use of the method of photovoice facilitated an enriched teaching and learning experience for graduate students in a Theories of Social Justice in Health class. The course required students from multiple disciplines to learn about social justice theories and then apply them to a health issue/concern.…

This article explains and illustrates an approach to the design of qualitative inquiry in education using a conceptual methodology informed by a realist ontology. It is written with research novices in mind, based on two observations we have made while supervising postgraduate students. The first is that the methodology literature education…

Background: As calls for evidence-based policymaking become increasingly common, qualitative research has much to offer the policy community. However, policymakers frequently evidence a preference for quantitative research. By discounting the importance of qualitative research in the policymaking process, resulting policies and their target…

Purpose: This article explores challenges faced by doctoral candidates using grounded theory (GT) in their theses, focusing on coding, theory development and time constraints. It also examines the impact of doctoral committees on GT dissertations, addressing epistemological clashes and the desire for familiarity over novelty.…

Critical thinking (CT) skills are essential to academic and professional success. Instruments to assess CT often rely on multiple-choice formats with inherent problems. This research presents two instruments for assessing CT, an essay and open-ended group-discussion format, which were implemented in an undergraduate business course at a large…

Assessing student knowledge based on their writing using traditional qualitative methods is time-consuming. To improve speed and consistency of text analysis, we present our mixed methods development of a machine learning predictive model to analyze student writing. Our approach involves two stages: first an exploratory sequential design, and…

Using a content analysis methodology, we examined 15 peer-reviewed articles published between 2009 and 2019 that used qualitative and mixed methods approaches to explore how college and university students experience food insecurity. Concerningly, there was limited variety in the methods employed across these articles and more discussion of…

Outside of education, many academic disciplines developed and promulgated checklists to evaluate the quality of qualitative studies. This article used an embedded mixed methods approach in three stages: development of a conceptual framework reviewing 62 guidelines; a content analysis of key areas of the guidelines; and review of dissertations to…

Purpose: This research aims to investigate the use of conversational artificial intelligence (CAI) in academic practice through the lens of activity theory, which emphasises the mediation of human actions by tools within a social context. Additionally, it seeks to determine if and how the results of qualitative analysis differ when using…

When students graduate, they cannot rely on educators telling them if their work is good enough. To do so, they need well-developed evaluative judgement, the capability to make decisions about the quality of their own and the work of others. There is little evidence about the specific approaches that can develop evaluative judgement--or how to…

The study aims to reveal the thoughts of the researchers about the data collection process in the studies whose data were provided by the participants' views. The case study approach, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. The study group of the research consists of a total of 12 experienced researchers, 9 women, and 3…