Since informal learning occurs outside of formal learning environments, describing informal learning and how it takes place can be a challenge for researchers. Past studies have typically oriented to informal learning as an individual, reflective process that can best be understood through the learners' retrospective accounts about their…

Because both race and gender are important to the development of African American women, student affairs professionals need to understand the unique experiences of African American women within the context of the college environment. In this phenomenological study, we examined African American women's lived experiences as college students at a…

The concept of wellness provides a positive view of life development that can support psychological support and counseling. There is little in the literature about wellness and seniors, especially women. This study describes one senior woman's wellness across the life span by addressing two research questions: (a) What are the experiences of one…

While collaboration is common in qualitative inquiry, few studies examine the collaborative process in detail. In our study, we adopt an interpretive, reflexive stance to explore our process as a collaborative qualitative research team. We analyzed transcripts of eight research meetings for aspects and assumptions underlying our collaboration.…

A dearth of research exists exploring the career and work development of adult men and the influence of family-of-origin on that development. In this qualitative study, the researchers used a phenomenological approach to examine the career and work experiences of men whose parents have no education beyond high school and the influences of family…

School counseling interns are on the boundary of communities of practice. This study explored how school counselors develop competence during internship experiences by analyzing an online dialogue taking place among a small group of interns. Feelings of being on the boundary intensified with unsatisfactory supervisor-intern relationships (lack of…

Collaborative research often refers to collaboration among the researcher and the participants. Few studies investigate the collaborative process among researchers themselves. Assumptions about the qualitative research process, particularly ways to establish rigor and transparency, are pervasive. Our experience conducting three collaborative…

There is a dearth of research exploring the career and work development of adults and the influence of family of origin on that development. In this qualitative study, the authors used a phenomenological approach to examine the career and work experiences of women whose parents have no education beyond high school and the influences of family on…

Case studies as an instructional strategy have been used in many disciplines, including law, teacher education, science, medicine, and business. Among the benefits of this method of instruction are involving students in learning, developing their critical thinking skills, promoting communication, and engaging in critical analysis. Case studies are…

This article describes the conversational interactions of one online learning group whose task was to identify themes of human development from life histories of the group members. The data were analyzed by a research team using the hermeneutic circle, which involves continually looking at parts of the text in light of the meaning of the larger…

Research team conducted 8 phenomenological interviews with prepracticum counseling students at a southeastern research university regarding the students' experiences of learning to be a counselor. Seven themes emerged from analyzing transcripts of the audiotaped individual interviews: the journey, decision making, self-doubt, counseling is,…

A freshman course at the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Tennessee is described that mixes the academic and personal experiences in three areas: career exploration, human development, and the history of universities. (Author/MLW)

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate a microcounseling technique, microtechnology, with regard to its effects on three measures of cooperation in young children. A 3x3x2 factorial analysis of covariance was carried out on two of the three measures, with three grade levels, three levels of teacher involvement with microtechnology, and…

The role of the case manager today is explored through interviews with human-services professionals. Identifies eight themes that describe the case manager's work and skills: multiple roles, organizational abilities, communication skills, setting-specific knowledge, ethical decision making, boundaries, objectivity, and personal qualities.…

Interviews with human service professional across the United States identify selling as a helpful and often necessary skill for effective service delivery. Article introduces selling as a human service skill, explores its benefits to service delivery, and discusses its implications for human service education. (Author/GCP)