The International Journal of Qualitative Methods, May 3, 2016
While the importance of collaborative research and collaborative discovery cannot be understated,... more While the importance of collaborative research and collaborative discovery cannot be understated, what accompanies such work can be a myriad of difficulties for the researcher and a number of barriers for ''the researched.'' What are the rich possibilities of discovery that can be achieved by doing collaborative research? What are some inherent barriers in collaborative research work? How can an ethical review process become an institutionalized political process? How do institutional political interests trump those of discovery, knowledge production, and progress? In this presentation, I offer some answers to these questions and pose further ones for critical thought. I report on a current research project-an institutional ethnography-which involves several educational institutions (and at one point, a hospital). The very obstacles-the institutional ''red tape''-and its implications for doing collaborative research are the focus of this presentation.
This is a post-graduate honours degree research project supervised by Prof Susan Crowther and Dr ... more This is a post-graduate honours degree research project supervised by Prof Susan Crowther and Dr Nimisha Waller at AUT University. Problem: Women's autonomous choices in childbirth are sometimes limited by the midwife's willingness to support those choices, particularly when those choices are contrary to recommendations or outside of guidelines. Background: Women's reasons for making such choices has received some research attention, however there is a paucity of research examining this phenomenon from the perspective of midwives in any practice setting. Aim: To synthesize qualitative research which includes the 'voices' of midwives working in a continuity of carer model who perceive any kind of risk to themselves when caring for women who decline current established recommendations. Methods: Systematic literature search and meta-synthesis informed by Noblit and Hare. Studies will be assessed for quality using JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Data extraction will be assisted by JBI QARI Data Extraction Tool for Qualitative Research.
The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions, 2019
Spirituality and healthcare is predominantly focussed on end of life care, the central concern of... more Spirituality and healthcare is predominantly focussed on end of life care, the central concern of this chapter is spirituality at the start of life. Although there is emergent literature gesturing towards spirituality and healthcare (Puchalski et al. 2014, de Souza, Bone, and Watson 2016) there remains a paucity of literature that solely focusses on spirituality at the beginning of life
International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2020
Hermeneutic phenomenology (HP) as research method is increasingly used in health and social scien... more Hermeneutic phenomenology (HP) as research method is increasingly used in health and social science studies to collect and analyze lived experiential descriptions (LEDs) of a phenomenon. However, currently there is little guidance in how to apply philosophical notions to interpret LEDs in HP studies and this approach has faced critique in how meaning is attributed. In this paper, we offer clarity about what “we do” in HP studies. It does not present a comparative analysis of qualitative approaches or claim to present an inflexible “how to” menu. The purpose is to provide guidance to those new to this methodology or/and for less experienced supervisors of postgraduate research students using this approach for the first time. The focus is specifically on conducting HP research and how philosophical notions are used to inform methodological decisions. Drawing upon data from our empirical projects we illuminate how meaning is surfaced, demonstrating a key feature of HP studies in the us...
Spirituality at the end of life is often explored in the literature and in research yet despite t... more Spirituality at the end of life is often explored in the literature and in research yet despite the shared experience of childbirth within society there has been little spirituality focus on the start of life. However, interest in this area is slowly gathering momentum. This article shows how childbirth is overflowing with spiritual and existential meaningfulness for all. The impact of this major event in human life and our shared natality warrants closer examination. Using the framework “ecology of birth” the significance of “how” we do things is shown to matter as much as what we do, or not do, in and round childbirth. Drawing on research and practice this article asks us to collectively think about childbirth in ways that honour childbirth’s spiritual and existential meaningfulness and significance. Further multidisciplinary research to inform an art of practice in and around childbirth is suggested. By moving from the prevalent calculative mode of thinking in contemporary maternity care systems to a more contemplative mode of thinking we can be enabled to think afresh about the ways we “do things” and how we “are there” around childbirth without adopting polemic positions.
This article reports a service evaluation of “antenatal education on physiology of childbirth and... more This article reports a service evaluation of “antenatal education on physiology of childbirth and relaxation.” A service evaluation was carried out during group class discussion, immediately after the workshops, and following birth. Identified themes in the collected data were (a) my own relaxation, (b) confident, and not afraid, (c) proud of myself, (d) unexpected and feeling in control, and (e) support. Overall, women creatively customized the learned skills and reported feelings of pride and confidence. They reported feeling able to apply relaxation techniques when unexpected situations arise. Support and encouragement from partners and midwives were also valued by women. The evaluation demonstrates the efficacy of designing antenatal education that includes education on physiology of normal birth and relaxation training.
Birth and death are both fundamental human experiences. The end of life has been a major topic in... more Birth and death are both fundamental human experiences. The end of life has been a major topic in philosophical, psychological and sociological debates. Meanwhile, the beginning of life seems to be ignored in discussions around existential meanings and spirituality. Recently a growing number of empirical studies are emerging that focus more on birth as lived experience, revealing existential and spiritual issues around childbirth. In this article, we bring together insights from different discipline perspectives, such as philosophy, spirituality studies and midwifery, to open the dialogue for studying meaning making and spirituality at the start of life. In order to bring these insights into relief, end of life literature is used as a comparative perspective. This existential and spiritual analysis on start of life reveals the need to focus more on an embodied and relational spirituality in and around birth. In this age of fast past technological and medical innovation research from multi-perspectives needs to be done to explore existential and spiritual understandings at the start of life.
The International Journal of Qualitative Methods, May 3, 2016
While the importance of collaborative research and collaborative discovery cannot be understated,... more While the importance of collaborative research and collaborative discovery cannot be understated, what accompanies such work can be a myriad of difficulties for the researcher and a number of barriers for ''the researched.'' What are the rich possibilities of discovery that can be achieved by doing collaborative research? What are some inherent barriers in collaborative research work? How can an ethical review process become an institutionalized political process? How do institutional political interests trump those of discovery, knowledge production, and progress? In this presentation, I offer some answers to these questions and pose further ones for critical thought. I report on a current research project-an institutional ethnography-which involves several educational institutions (and at one point, a hospital). The very obstacles-the institutional ''red tape''-and its implications for doing collaborative research are the focus of this presentation.
This is a post-graduate honours degree research project supervised by Prof Susan Crowther and Dr ... more This is a post-graduate honours degree research project supervised by Prof Susan Crowther and Dr Nimisha Waller at AUT University. Problem: Women's autonomous choices in childbirth are sometimes limited by the midwife's willingness to support those choices, particularly when those choices are contrary to recommendations or outside of guidelines. Background: Women's reasons for making such choices has received some research attention, however there is a paucity of research examining this phenomenon from the perspective of midwives in any practice setting. Aim: To synthesize qualitative research which includes the 'voices' of midwives working in a continuity of carer model who perceive any kind of risk to themselves when caring for women who decline current established recommendations. Methods: Systematic literature search and meta-synthesis informed by Noblit and Hare. Studies will be assessed for quality using JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Data extraction will be assisted by JBI QARI Data Extraction Tool for Qualitative Research.
The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions, 2019
Spirituality and healthcare is predominantly focussed on end of life care, the central concern of... more Spirituality and healthcare is predominantly focussed on end of life care, the central concern of this chapter is spirituality at the start of life. Although there is emergent literature gesturing towards spirituality and healthcare (Puchalski et al. 2014, de Souza, Bone, and Watson 2016) there remains a paucity of literature that solely focusses on spirituality at the beginning of life
International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2020
Hermeneutic phenomenology (HP) as research method is increasingly used in health and social scien... more Hermeneutic phenomenology (HP) as research method is increasingly used in health and social science studies to collect and analyze lived experiential descriptions (LEDs) of a phenomenon. However, currently there is little guidance in how to apply philosophical notions to interpret LEDs in HP studies and this approach has faced critique in how meaning is attributed. In this paper, we offer clarity about what “we do” in HP studies. It does not present a comparative analysis of qualitative approaches or claim to present an inflexible “how to” menu. The purpose is to provide guidance to those new to this methodology or/and for less experienced supervisors of postgraduate research students using this approach for the first time. The focus is specifically on conducting HP research and how philosophical notions are used to inform methodological decisions. Drawing upon data from our empirical projects we illuminate how meaning is surfaced, demonstrating a key feature of HP studies in the us...
Spirituality at the end of life is often explored in the literature and in research yet despite t... more Spirituality at the end of life is often explored in the literature and in research yet despite the shared experience of childbirth within society there has been little spirituality focus on the start of life. However, interest in this area is slowly gathering momentum. This article shows how childbirth is overflowing with spiritual and existential meaningfulness for all. The impact of this major event in human life and our shared natality warrants closer examination. Using the framework “ecology of birth” the significance of “how” we do things is shown to matter as much as what we do, or not do, in and round childbirth. Drawing on research and practice this article asks us to collectively think about childbirth in ways that honour childbirth’s spiritual and existential meaningfulness and significance. Further multidisciplinary research to inform an art of practice in and around childbirth is suggested. By moving from the prevalent calculative mode of thinking in contemporary maternity care systems to a more contemplative mode of thinking we can be enabled to think afresh about the ways we “do things” and how we “are there” around childbirth without adopting polemic positions.
This article reports a service evaluation of “antenatal education on physiology of childbirth and... more This article reports a service evaluation of “antenatal education on physiology of childbirth and relaxation.” A service evaluation was carried out during group class discussion, immediately after the workshops, and following birth. Identified themes in the collected data were (a) my own relaxation, (b) confident, and not afraid, (c) proud of myself, (d) unexpected and feeling in control, and (e) support. Overall, women creatively customized the learned skills and reported feelings of pride and confidence. They reported feeling able to apply relaxation techniques when unexpected situations arise. Support and encouragement from partners and midwives were also valued by women. The evaluation demonstrates the efficacy of designing antenatal education that includes education on physiology of normal birth and relaxation training.
Birth and death are both fundamental human experiences. The end of life has been a major topic in... more Birth and death are both fundamental human experiences. The end of life has been a major topic in philosophical, psychological and sociological debates. Meanwhile, the beginning of life seems to be ignored in discussions around existential meanings and spirituality. Recently a growing number of empirical studies are emerging that focus more on birth as lived experience, revealing existential and spiritual issues around childbirth. In this article, we bring together insights from different discipline perspectives, such as philosophy, spirituality studies and midwifery, to open the dialogue for studying meaning making and spirituality at the start of life. In order to bring these insights into relief, end of life literature is used as a comparative perspective. This existential and spiritual analysis on start of life reveals the need to focus more on an embodied and relational spirituality in and around birth. In this age of fast past technological and medical innovation research from multi-perspectives needs to be done to explore existential and spiritual understandings at the start of life.
Uploads
Papers by Susan Crowther