Matthew B. Miles

Bio: Matthew B. Miles is an academic researcher from University at Albany, SUNY. The author has contributed to research in topics: Qualitative research & Work (electrical). The author has an hindex of 22, co-authored 37 publications receiving 61679 citations.

Research news and Comment: Recasting the Annual Meeting: Reflections on a Change Process:

Abstract: T he United States has upwards of 76,000 associations, speaking to every possible interest (International Academy of Accredited Twirling Teachers, Dog Writers Association of America, Trilateral Commission, Titanic Historical Society, etc.). Most of them, alas, have an­ nual meetings. If the association is, say, the Virginia Woolf Society, with about 300 members, the meeting is probably focused, comfortable, reaffirming, and productive. But if the association is larger, like the Twirling Teachers (9,000), woes are likely to begin. The problems of force-fitting hundreds of sessions into a few days seem to lead to fractionalization, scheduling conflicts, superficial discussion, overload, and anomie (see, e.g., Whyte's 1981 discussion of the American Sociological Association's annual meeting, or ProhΓs, 1990, of the Society for the Study of Social Problems). Large an­ nual meetings often seem to be self-defeating social systems that discourage the collegial learning they were set up to provide. AERA's Annual Meeting (AM) is not exempt from these ills. And changing the dynamics is not an easy task. After President Ann Lieberman created an Ad Hoc Committee in 1991 to study and recommend improvements in the AM, the committee found that there had been three prior such committees (in 1971, 1975, and 1985). Those committees had collected data, worked hard, faced the problems, and made recommendations: elimination of all paper sessions in favor of interactive sessions, and setting priorities for session allocation (1971); a 2-year planning period for the Meeting, papers to be sent to chairs a month in advance, and regular evaluation (1975); regular evalua­ tion, availability of papers, provision of time for discussion in sessions, a less-pressured planning schedule (1985). But in 1991 the problems were still there. The AM had 833 sessions, with over 3,000 presentations, many of them papers read hastily to audiences reduced to a passive listen­ ing role. There was the usual irony: With their colleagues as learners, researchers on teaching and learning were us­ ing educational methods well known to be ineffective. No formal evaluation occurred. The planning schedule had been as hectic as ever, with session slots allocated hastily in a legendary 1-hour session of newly appointed program chairs determined to protect their turf. The question remained: Can a large association (we had 20,252 members as of August 31) learn to recast its Annual Meeting to be more effective? That's a complex problem in the management of organizational change, presenting many issues. Who needs to be involved? How to understand prob­ lems at a deeper level; how to go beyond palliative response to more-structural change; how to mobilize and sustain en­ ergy for change; how to build successful changes into orga­ nizational routines; how to balance the need for organiza­ tional stability with the need to redesign key functions? This article summarizes and reflects on the efforts at AM improvement over the past 21⁄2 years, spearheaded by the Ad Hoc Committee appointed by Ann Lieberman, and by a new Standing Committee on the Annual Meeting, created by Council in 1992. The aim of this article is to encourage further reflective dialogue among members and continued work toward AM improvement. Action is especially critical at this juncture in AERA's life.

Letters: Concepts and Methods in Qualitative Research: A Reply to Donmoyer

Abstract: Koestler, A. (1972). Ethical issues involved in influencing the mind. In The ethics of change. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Learning Systems. Land (Lock-Land), G.T. (1973). Grow or die: The unifying principle of transformation. New York: Random House. Maruyama, M. (1976). Toward cultural symbiosis. In E. Jantsch & C.H. Waddington (Eds.). Evolution and consciousness: Human systems in transition. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Metzner, R. (1980). Ten classical metaphors of self-transformation. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 12(1), 47-62. Prigogine, I. (1980). The aquarian conspiracy: Personal and social transformation in the 1980s. Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher. Russell, P. (1982). The awakening earth: Our next evolutionary leap. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Sawada, D., & Caley, M. (1985). Dissipative structures: New metaphors for becoming in education. Educational Researcher, 1-4(3), 13-19. von Bertalanffy, L. (1980). General system theory. New York: George Braziller.

Using thematic analysis in psychology

Abstract: Thematic analysis is a poorly demarcated, rarely acknowledged, yet widely used qualitative analytic method within psychology. In this paper, we argue that it offers an accessible and theoretically flexible approach to analysing qualitative data. We outline what thematic analysis is, locating it in relation to other qualitative analytic methods that search for themes or patterns, and in relation to different epistemological and ontological positions. We then provide clear guidelines to those wanting to start thematic analysis, or conduct it in a more deliberate and rigorous way, and consider potential pitfalls in conducting thematic analysis. Finally, we outline the disadvantages and advantages of thematic analysis. We conclude by advocating thematic analysis as a useful and flexible method for qualitative research in and beyond psychology.

Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis

Abstract: Content analysis is a widely used qualitative research technique. Rather than being a single method, current applications of content analysis show three distinct approaches: conventional, directed, or summative. All three approaches are used to interpret meaning from the content of text data and, hence, adhere to the naturalistic paradigm. The major differences among the approaches are coding schemes, origins of codes, and threats to trustworthiness. In conventional content analysis, coding categories are derived directly from the text data. With a directed approach, analysis starts with a theory or relevant research findings as guidance for initial codes. A summative content analysis involves counting and comparisons, usually of keywords or content, followed by the interpretation of the underlying context. The authors delineate analytic procedures specific to each approach and techniques addressing trustworthiness with hypothetical examples drawn from the area of end-of-life care.

The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.

Abstract: A hypothesized need to form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal relationships is evaluated in light of the empirical literature. The need is for frequent, nonaversive interactions within an ongoing relational bond. Consistent with the belongingness hypothesis, people form social attachments readily under most conditions and resist the dissolution of existing bonds. Belongingness appears to have multiple and strong effects on emotional patterns and on cognitive processes. Lack of attachments is linked to a variety of ill effects on health, adjustment, and well-being. Other evidence, such as that concerning satiation, substitution, and behavioral consequences, is likewise consistent with the hypothesized motivation. Several seeming counterexamples turned out not to disconfirm the hypothesis. Existing evidence supports the hypothesis that the need to belong is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive motivation.

The New Meaning of Educational Change

Abstract: Part I Understanding Educational Change 1. A Brief History of Educational Change 2. Sources of Educational Change 3. The Meaning of Educational Change 4. The Causes and Problems of Initiation 5. The Causes and Problems of Implementation and Continuation 6. Planning Doing and Coping with Change Part II Educational Change at the Local Level 7. The Teacher 8. The Principal 9. The Student 10. The District Administrator 11. The Consultant 12. The Parent and the Community Part III Educational Change at Regional and National Levels 13. Governments 14. Professional Preparation of Teachers 15. Professional Development of Educators 16. The Future of Educational Change

Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects

Abstract: Although many critics are reluctant to accept the trustworthiness of qualitative research, frameworks for ensuring rigour in this form of work have been in existence for many years. Guba’s constructs, in particular, have won considerable favour and form the focus of this paper. Here researchers seek to satisfy four criteria. In addressing credibility, investigators attempt to demonstrate that a true picture of the phenomenon under scrutiny is being presented. To allow transferability, they provide sufficient detail of the context of the fieldwork for a reader to be able to decide whether the prevailing environment is similar to another situation with which he or she is familiar and whether the findings can justifiably be applied to the other setting. The meeting of the dependability criterion is difficult in qualitative work, although researchers should at least strive to enable a future investigator to repeat the study. Finally, to achieve confirmability, researchers must take steps to demonstrate that findings emerge from the data and not their own predispositions. The paper concludes by suggesting that it is the responsibility of research methods teachers to ensure that this or a comparable model for ensuring trustworthiness is followed by students undertaking a qualitative inquiry.