1st Handout- Phenomenology part of online learning.
Reasons given included
Title: A Phenomenological Study of the
Experiences of Higher Education Srudents with
Disabilities
Author: Allen J. Heindel, University of South
Florida, May 2014
Methodology: A phenomenological research
methodology was chosen because, according to
Giorgi (2012), “phenomenology wants to
understand how phenomena present themselves to
consciousness and the elucidation of this process is
a descriptive task”
Research Questions: How do students with various
disabilities assess the quality of their learning
experience in terms of course interaction, structure
and support provided in online learning
environments?
1.How do students with various disabilities
experience online learning?
2.How do students with various disabilities describe
quality in terms of interaction, structure, and
support?
3.What factors are reported by students with various
disabilities that facilitate or inhibit their learning in
an online environment?
4.How do students with disabilities perceive what
instructors do to better facilitate their students’
online learning?
Informants: Students in distance course with
disabilities
Generation of Data:
1.A student survey, and if the student was agreeable,
2. A student interview with each participant to
gather additional data related to accessibility,
interaction, presence, satisfaction, structure, and
support.
Conclusion:
RQ1
Learner Satisfaction:All interview participants
agreed that computers were helpful and useful as
more effective communication and the ability to
access online resources during online classes. All
but one of the interview participants stated that the
availability of online classes had little or no effect
on their choice to continue their education.
RQ2
Interaction: As mentioned, nine of these 12
interview participants self-reported being “satisfied”
with their most recent online course; all three
interview participants who were “less than
satisfied” reported both I-S and S-S to be lacking.
Structure: Regarding structure, a blended course
structure seems preferable to a fully online course
structure. The initial class meeting of a blended
online class, held on campus during the first week
of the semester, can be quite valuable for all
students. All students depend on the information
that is posted in their online classes being correct
and posted in a timely manner, however, not just
those with disabilities. Instructors must take care to
have their online courses fully set up and ready to
go before the first class session.
Support: In chapter two, common characteristics of
an accessible online course for students with
disabilities were cited and might include captions
for media, spoken version of text allowing
course content to be paused, restarted, or repeated,
or providing color images in text format (World
Wide Web Consortium, 2010).
RQ3
Online interaction, facilitated by the use of
discussion boards and emails, and synchronous
meeting software like Elluminate and Skype,
affords students with disabilities an opportunity to
engage with the instructor, classmates, and the
subject matter without necessarily being
identified with their disabling condition. Students
with learning disabilities may have difficulty
processing materials or discussions presented by
their computer. The use of a screen reader, like
those used by blind students, often alleviates such
difficulties.
RQ4
These interview data suggest that more training for
instructors is needed on how to work with students
with disabilities. In my opinion, SDS and
instructors must be encouraged to partner together,
to develop a way to work in concert, rather than
separately, in a proactive rather than reactive
fashion, to better serve the needs of students with
disabilities.
2nd Handout- Ethnography
Title: Cultural Beliefs and Practices of Ethnic
Filipinos: An Ethnographic Study
Author: Evelyn J. Grey, Ph. D. West Visayas State
University Iloilo city, Philippines
Methodology: Partcipants, Sampling and Setting-
Ethnography (Non-Participant observing)
Research Problem
This Study intends to:
A. Determine the cultural Beliefs and Practices
of the ethnic Filipinos
B. Examine the health care benefits and
practices accompanying the life cycles of
Aetas in the rural communities, and
C. Examine the factors affecting their health
care beliefs and practices through time.
Informants: 9 prominent Aetas, 6 of them were
Aeta women who have experienced pregnancy or
pregnant during the time this study was conducted.
Generation of Data:
The reserchers chose Aetas who had met these
critieria to be the informants of this study
Non-Participant observation, interview and
documentary
Conclusion: Not all health care beliefs and
practices of Aetas were retained up to this time. The
beliefs of Aetas regarding conception and
pregnancy have been reversed as time goes by.
Pregnancy among Aetas is the period where most of
health care beliefs and practices were observed.
Some of their beliefs regarding child birth are
changed when they penetrate the downstream. They
do not practice the traditional way of giving birth.
Due to the effects of modernization and information
taken from the sources such as media and
technology, Aetas have lost some of their tribal
practices. One of the practices lost over time was
their traditional way of rite of passage.
The marriage rite was also different now a days for
Aetas. They also followed the Catholic way of
marriage.
Lastly, some Aetas’ health care beliefs and practices
regarding death and burial have been altered. These
are affected by the entry of religious sisters and
priests in their community.
Regardless of the fact that Aetas are still separated
from mainstream to their secluded community,
modernization such as media and technology still
affected their beliefs and practices in general.
3rd Handout- Narrative
Title: A Narrative Research Approach: The
Experiences of Social Media Support in Higher
Education
Author: Alev Elçi and Begüm Çubukçuoğlu Devran
Methodology: Narrative- Storytelling
Research Questions:
• How do social media get used in higher education
to support learning?
• What kinds of problems are faced while using
social media in higher education?
Informants: Two higher education faculty
members who have been using social media as an
educational tool in their teacher education
Generation of Data: Interview- Storytelling
Conclusion: We wanted to share our personal
experience stories with academia with the belief
in storytelling. Having in mind that, as [14] points
out, we can engage and convince
the readers to for experiencing innovative use of
social media in education. Emphasizing that
narrative applications are extended “beyond lived
experience and worlds
‘behind’ the author” moving towards “human
interaction in relationship”

4th Handout- Phenomenology

Title: A qualitative Phenomenological Study of
Employee Pereptions of the Impacts of Layoffs
Author: Linda Carrington Walden University
Methodology: Phenomenology
Research Questions:
RQ1: What are the employee perceptions of effects
on employees as a result of personnel layoffs and
downsizing?
RQ2: What individual effects occur as a result of
layoffs and downsizing?
RQ3: What are the employee perceptions of the
long term implications of layoffs for an
organization?
Informants: Layoff Employees, Surviving Employees,
Layoff Managers
Generation of Data: questionnaires, observation
notes, and documented answers from interview
questions, archived files, and tape recordings of
interviews.
Conclusion: This study focused on the perceptions
of employees and their emotional and physical
health concerns during and after a layoff and
downsizing process, and captured the common
themes of employee concerns by observing these
perceptions and concerns through the lens of the
individuals who experienced them.

5th Handout- Narrative

Title: Bad Kids Gone Good: A Narrative Inquiry
study of Alternative Student Graduates
Author: Michael Watson
Methodology: Narrative-
Research Questions:
1. In what ways do the participants describe their
experiences in a traditional education
setting prior to enrollment into an alternative
education program?
2. In what ways do the participants describe their
experiences in alternative education
contributing to their graduation?