Browsing by Subject "Interactive qualitative analysis"
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Item Finding a reasonable aquifer yield : support methods for groundwater policy in Texas(2013-05) Petrossian, Rima; Eaton, David J.Managing groundwater can be difficult because there is no common perspective among stakeholders about what they wish for their desired future conditions (DFCs) for Texas' aquifers. Conflicts over how to manage aquifers, whether to mine or sustain groundwater levels are complicated by diverse state and local approaches. This dissertation proposes a decision support method to derive acceptable future aquifer conditions through engaging stakeholders by combining five processes: landowner surveys, stakeholder and decision maker focus groups, contingent valuation, system element identification and scenario-testing. Surveys of water users identified conflicts among water users and decision makers' preferences. For example, how much is groundwater worth in Texas? Responses to two survey questions revealed a willingness to buy groundwater for an average of $2,872 per acre-foot. Most landowners most did not want to sell groundwater at any cost. Those willing to sell revealed an average of $4,069 per acre-foot. A survey of landowners and decision makers indicated that 41 percent of landowners indicated that no new users be issued permits to support stable Trinity Aquifer groundwater levels. Meanwhile, the decision makers chose a DFC of a 30 foot drawdown in the Trinity Aquifer over 50 years. Stakeholder surveys identified the 'best groundwater decision makers' as being the stakeholders or well owners, yet 75 percent of the decision makers preferred the groundwater conservation district board presidents. This suggests that stakeholders would prefer to be the decision makers rather than being asked for their preferences. One decision-maker focus group identified 12 elements representing their understanding of the DFC process. These elements form a system information diagram or preference map. Such a map can help identify alternative pathways for solving problems in the decision process. These complexities remain challenging as Texas moves toward more local regulatory control, more competing interests, and less certainty about Texas' future groundwater supply.Item Pursuing a child : an interactive qualitative analysis of the infertility treatment experience(2015-08) Burton, Rosalinda Strano; Jacobvitz, Deborah; McCoy, Danny; Anderson, Edward; Hazen, Nancy; McNaughton-Cassill, MaryThe purpose of this exploratory study is to examine and compare the infertility experience of individuals who have difficulty bearing children and/or who undergo fertility treatments. Each year, millions of individuals discover they are unable to bear children. Nearly 15% of the US population is diagnosed with infertility (NIH, 2014). Considered as a serious and unexpected condition, infertility has been linked to psychological and physiological distress, including health complaints, depression, anxiety, and complicated bereavement (Berghuis and Stanton, 2002; van den Akker, 2005). However, little is known about how people experience infertility and infertility treatments. This study aims at exploring how infertile individuals process their medical condition and how they cope with the stress of undergoing treatments. To achieve this goal, this study seeks to identify elements that make up the infertility treatment experience. This study uses the Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) grounded framework (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004) to reconcile quantitative and qualitative data collection. Flyers in medical facilities and infertility support groups in Central Texas were used to recruit fifty individuals. Initially, participants attended focus groups to identify common elements surrounding the infertility experience. Using these elements, the research team developed surveys and a semistructured interview. The interviews provided participants’ rich stories while the surveys measured satisfaction of experiences. Analysis of the infertility treatment experience elements, and their interactions, show that the cost of treatments and running out of time correlate with a more negative experience. In addition, knowledge of the topic and receiving support from individuals who are also experiencing infertility are more positively rated. The findings of this study are useful for identifying problematic aspects surrounding this experience, and for providing an opportunity to develop tools aimed at making the process of undergoing treatments easier.