Barbara Kawulich

University of West Georgia · Department of Leadership, Research, and School Improvement

AbstractSince the 1950s, 3-dimensional virtual environments (3DVEs) have been developed to simulate real-world experiences. These virtual worlds have evolved with realistic graphics and large numbers of users with whom to engage in virtual representa-tions of real-life situations. This study investigated how students perceived the usefulness of Sec...

This article surveys the literature from 1999 to 2013 on teaching qualitative research methods. One hundred thirteen articles fitted the inclusion criteria; 79 of these were by academics in the United States and Canada. Only 39 of the 113 were based on empirical research: from these, seven descriptive themes were distilled, of which the dominant on...

Since the 1950s, multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have been developed to simulate real world experiences. These virtual worlds have evolved with realistic graphics and large numbers of users with whom to engage in virtual representations of real life situations. This study investigated the usefulness of Second Life (SL) as a tool for teachin...

This was a presentation on a panel sponsored by Sage Publishers.

Some universities utilize student cohorts to facilitate learning. Benefits include increased critical thinking skills, greater individual development, and increased motivation, among others. Challenges also exist, including lack of flexibility in group membership and norms, groupthink, and even mob mentality. An inductive phenomenological approach...

Background: Georgia has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the US. Obesity and inactivity contribute to the onset of this disease. Tanner Health System addressed the obesity epidemic in three rural counties of Georgia through a 16-week diabetes prevention program (DPP) for 176 residents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the DPP. Metho...

Collaborating at two universities to improve teaching and learning in undergraduate engineering, an interdisciplinary team of researchers, instructors, and evaluators planned and implemented the use of multimedia case studies with students enrolled in an introductory engineering course. This qualitative action evaluation study focuses on results fr...

Objective: In 2013-2014, Tanner Health System (THS) and community partners engaged in several initiatives addressing childhood wellness in rural west Georgia to decrease body mass index (BMI) and increase the percentage of youth in Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) as measured by FitnessGram. Methods: Initiatives addressing nutrition and physical activit...

An avatar video explaining trustworthiness of qualitative data.

This is an overview of different qualitative approaches, illustrated in an avatar video I created as an introduction to qualitative research.

It has been suggested that changes in the classroom environment and nature of instruction may positively affect student learning of introductory engineering concepts. In response to recent calls to improve engineering instruction, , an interdisciplinary team of researchers worked together over a three-year period to improve the introductory enginee...

Observation is used in the social sciences as a method for collecting data about people, processes, and cultures. Observation, particularly participant observation, has been the hallmark of much of the research conducted in anthropological and sociological studies and is a typical methodological approach of ethnography. It is also a tool used regul...

Gatekeeping is an integral but sometimes difficult part of the research process, particularly for researchers who want to conduct research in indigenous cultures. The author discusses how she gained access into the Muscogee (Creek) culture to conduct several research studies. Establishing trusting, long-term relationships through social networking,...

No formal pedagogical culture for research methods in the social sciences seems to exist and, as part of the authors' endeavour to establish such a culture, this article reviews current literature about teaching research methods and identifies the gaps in the research. Articles in academic journals spanning a 10‐year period were collected by search...

How knowledge of students' conceptions of social research can influence the pedagogy of research methods is the focus of this article. This study explains how students' conceptions of social research changed over the course of a two-semester research programme. Twenty-nine graduate students participated in focus groups, interviews, and open-ended s...

This book is intended as a preliminary step towards the development of a pedagogical culture in research methodology. It contains chapters from a range of authors who are involved in the teaching of research methods in different countries and within a variety of disciplines. Their aim is to establish the extent to which there are common concerns an...

In Muscogee (Creek) culture, leadership positions traditionally have been held by men in the community. Over the last thirty or so years, however, Creek women increasingly have taken on the mantle of leadership in a variety of ways. In this study, thirteen purposefully selected Muscogee (Creek) women who presently hold or who, in the past, have hel...

Observation, particularly participant observation, has been used in a variety of disciplines as a tool for collecting data about people, processes, and cultures in qualitative research. This paper provides a look at various definitions of participant observation, the history of its use, the purposes for which it is used, the stances of the observer...

The explanation of how one carries out the data analysis process is an area that is sadly neglected by many researchers. This paper presents a variety of data analysis techniques described by various qualitative researchers, such as LeCompte and Schensul, Wolcott, and Miles and Huberman. It further shares several activities used to teach qualitativ...

The influence of skills and education on work choices of Muscogee (Creek) women was examined in an ethnographic study during which 16 Muscogee women with educational levels ranging from an eighth grade boarding school education to a master's degree participated in multiple personal guided interviews. Only two of the women were not high school gradu...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 1998. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-231). Photocopy.