The methodological integrity of critical qualitative research: Principles to support design and research review.

This article articulates principles and practices that support methodological integrity in relation to critical qualitative research. We begin by describing 2 changes that have occurred in psychological methods over the last 15 years. (a) Building on foundational work advocating for epistemological pluralism, guidelines on how to design, review, and report qualitative and mixed methods have been advanced to support methodological integrity in keeping with a diversity of researchers' aims and approaches. (b) There has been an increased use of critical epistemological perspectives and critical methods. In light of these changes, the current article puts forward principles to support critical qualitative researchers when considering methodological rigor and when formulating rationales to support their methods in the journal article review process. Illustrating the principles with an example of critical research, the article describes common problems and issues in the research design process that can be considered in order to strengthen the returns of critical studies. Recommendations are made for editors and reviewers on how to conduct reviews of critical qualitative research, and pressing concerns for publishing critical qualitative research are detailed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Making intelligible the controversies over femme identities: A functionalist approach to conceptualizing the subversive meanings of femme genders.

Quite a number of heated arguments have been put forth in the controversy about the meanings and appropriate uses of femme identities. In this article, the authors apply a functionalist theoretical framework, developed to explicate the links between gender and gender identities, to reframe the disputes about femme gender. They position two femme identities as responding to distinctive forms of oppression-one that centralizes the affirmation of gender diversity in the face of cisgenderism, and one that centralizes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) femininity to counter femmephobia. They consider the subversive functions of the two identities in terms of unmet needs across four domains. These needs include the need for authenticity in identity (psychological domain); for the prizing of socially devalued characteristics (cultural domain); for security and affiliation (interpersonal domain); and for aesthetic desirability rather than shame (sexual domain). Instead of seeing the two femme identities as at odds, they see them as serving some shared functions, but also distinctive functions in resisting stigma of varied forms. The framework can be applied to other forms of femme-inity (and other genders) to distinguish the varied meanings inherent in gender identities and facilitate research that advances gender theory.

Establishing the phenotypic spectrum of ZTTK syndrome by analysis of 52 individuals with variants in SON.

Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim (ZTTK) syndrome, an intellectual disability syndrome first described in 2016, is caused by heterozygous loss-of-function variants in SON. Its encoded protein promotes pre-mRNA splicing of many genes essential for development. Whereas individual phenotypic traits have previously been linked to erroneous splicing of SON target genes, the phenotypic spectrum and the pathogenicity of missense variants have not been further evaluated. We present the phenotypic abnormalities in 52 individuals, including 17 individuals who have not been reported before. In total, loss-of-function variants were detected in 49 individuals (de novo in 47, inheritance unknown in 2), and in 3, a missense variant was observed (2 de novo, 1 inheritance unknown). Phenotypic abnormalities, systematically collected and analyzed in Human Phenotype Ontology, were found in all organ systems. Significant inter-individual phenotypic variability was observed, even in individuals with the same recurrent variant (n = 13). SON haploinsufficiency was previously shown to lead to downregulation of downstream genes, contributing to specific phenotypic features. Similar functional analysis for one missense variant, however, suggests a different mechanism than for heterozygous loss-of-function. Although small in numbers and while pathogenicity of these variants is not certain, these data allow for speculation whether de novo missense variants cause ZTTK syndrome via another mechanism, or a separate overlapping syndrome. In conclusion, heterozygous loss-of-function variants in SON define a recognizable syndrome, ZTTK, associated with a broad, severe phenotypic spectrum, characterized by a large inter-individual variability. These observations provide essential information for affected individuals, parents, and healthcare professionals to ensure appropriate clinical management.

Peeling Back the Layers: How Expressive Writing about Heterosexist Events Benefits Sexual Minority Adults.

Expressive writing exercises, in which participants self-reflect upon a difficult experience, are widely researched interventions. These exercises have been adapted to address a host of concerns, including trauma, mental distress, physical health, and minority stress. Although several theories exist about the mechanisms through which expressive writing yields psychological benefits, the direct perspectives of those who have completed expressive writing exercise has remained unexplored. This study used grounded theory methods to analyze sexual minority adults' interviews about their experience of engaging in various formats of expressive writing exercises about personal heterosexist events. Participants described both what they found helpful and frustrating about the writing process and reflected on how their perspectives shifted throughout the process. These findings contribute to the literature on how change occurs in expressive writing and provide guidance on how to assist sexual minority adults in healing from heterosexism in their lives.

Reading comprehension among graduate students.

The present purpose was to examine graduate students' reading comprehension and reading vocabulary by comparing their scores on a standardized reading rest with scores obtained by a large normative sample of undergraduates. Participants were 59 graduate students from various disciplines, enrolled in three sections of an introductory educational research course at a southeastern university. These students were administered the Nelson-Denny Reading Test-Form G. Analysis showed these students had higher scores on the reading comprehension portion than did the normative sample of 5,000 undergraduate students from 38 institutions (Cohen d=.71). Also, the graduate students' scores on the reading vocabulary portion were higher (d=.45).

Reading ability and computer-related attitudes among African American graduate students.

This study examined the degree that African American graduate students' reading abilities predict their attitudes toward computers and the educational use of the Internet. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that students with the lowest levels of reading ability tended to report the least computer confidence, least positive attitudes regarding computer liking, and least positive attitudes toward the educational use of the Internet. Findings of the study provide support for the hypothesis that reading ability differentially impacts African American graduate students' computer-related attitudes. The findings also suggest that reading ability may impede African American students' acquisition of computer and Internet skills and may negatively impact their achievement levels in graduate courses requiring computer-based skills.

Investigating the Engagement and Learning of Students With Learning Disabilities in Guided Inquiry Science Teaching.

Contemporary reform efforts pose numerous challenges for students and their teachers, especially in the context of inclusion classrooms that serve students with diverse academic and social profiles. The research reported in this article was conducted for the purpose of closely studying the engagement and learning of students who have learning disabilities as they participate in a particular approach to guided inquiry called Guided Inquiry supporting Multiple Literacies (GIsML). Questions guiding the research included (a) What are the opportunities and challenges that GIsML instruction presents students with special needs? (b) How do students with special needs respond to these opportunities and challenges? and (c) What hypotheses emerge from the data that will usefully guide subsequent research investigating the means of mediating these students' participation in GIsML for the purpose of enhancing their engagement and learning? The research was conducted using an array of ethnographic methods. The findings were summarized in a set of claims concerning the engagement and learning of these students. Finally, cases of individual students were constructed to illustrate these claims. The article concludes with the case of one fourth-grade student as he engaged in a program of study investigating why objects float and sink. The case revealed (a) the ways in which, in the context of guided inquiry, the student achieved a number of positive outcomes; (b) how his learning problems, principally with regard to print literacy, revealed themselves in his activity; and