In Rojava region, the interplay between sociopolitical factors and educational infrastructures complicates the landscape of English language speaking skills development among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. This qualitative study explores the factors that hinder EFL students from developing their English-speaking skills. It primarily aimed at reporting teachers' voices on the challenges in the context of Northeast Syria (NES) known as Rojava. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven EFL teachers and two English educational supervisors (EES) to explore the challenges facing students in the context of this study. Using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase thematic analysis, the results identified obstacles to speaking skills and the strategies employed to address these challenges in upper-secondary schools. The findings underscored several challenges EFL learners faced, including insufficient linguistic competence and psychological factors, as well as other influential elements such as environmental support, curriculum limitations and EFL teacher lack proficiency in the improvement of speaking skills. Additionally, the study identified key strategies to mitigate these challenges, such as professional development for teachers, offering constructive feedback, addressing instructional constraints, and employing pedagogical approaches tailored to varying levels of fluency. Future research can take a closer look at school students' speaking skills by incorporating mixed methods research approaches to include a more comprehensive picture of the issue.
Authors and researchers have many alternatives to consider when seeking reporting guidance or assessing the thoroughness of reporting in published qualitative research articles. However, widely used reporting guidance and checklist processes such as CASP, COREQ, SRQR, and the American Psychological Association JARS-Qual have few prompts related to researcher use of Qualitative Data Analysis Software (QDAS) for data preparation, processing, or analysis. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of the Qualitative Software Article Data Analysis Checklist (QS-ADAC), a tool developed to provide authors with reporting guidance and to provide students with a consistent process for examining details provided in published research with respect to software-facilitated data analysis. The QS-ADAC also includes sections to guide users to describe processes and outcomes of the use of data analysis software, regardless of the qualitative approach and the nature of the data. In this paper, I compare QS-ADAC with existing checklists, describe the published resources used to inform components of the QS-ADAC, and identify strengths and limitations of the QS-ADAC. The QS-ADAC, now in its second version, is provided as an Appendix for interested readers to use in their research or research instruction.
Exploration of imagined identities and communities has been recognized as critical aspects in learning English as a foreign language. These two aspects perspectives differ as to how learners view themselves with respect to others through narratives and how they practise the language not only face to face but also in virtual interactions. This study aimed to explore how being a participant in virtual communities of practice affect the identity construction among English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) learners coming from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds (Jenkins, 2006). Specifically, we tried to find out how three Turkish ELF learners positioned themselves in their virtual communities of practice through their own retold stories. Based on Wenger's (1998) classification on identity emergence in practice five deductive themes were derived using a constant comparative method. The narratives showed the learner's participation in virtual imagined communities give rise to an imagined identity which highlights the effect of learner's investment in the target language as well as the sense of belonging acquired through an ELF identity.
Diana Garcia Quevedo and Josue Kuri's AI for Qualitative Research: A Hands-On Guide for Management Scholars (2026) offers a timely and accessible introduction to leveraging large language models (LLMs) for qualitative analysis in management research. Organized into two parts-theoretical foundations and hands-on applications-the book equips researchers with both conceptual understanding and practical programming skills to integrate AI tools responsibly into their analytical workflows. Garcia Quevedo, whose research at ESCP Business School centres on gender, entrepreneurship, and AI-driven qualitative methods, and Kuri, a principal scientist with extensive expertise in AI and network systems, provide a unique interdisciplinary perspective. This review examines the book's structure, key contributions, and implications for the future of qualitative inquiry, highlighting its potential to transform how management scholars approach large-scale textual data while preserving the interpretive depth that defines qualitative research.
Many graduate programs in student affairs-related subfields employ just one full-time faculty member, who then also functions as the program coordinator. Program coordinator duties and compensation vary widely, but they are generally the person who ensures all aspects of the program function. Research shows that fulfilling these responsibilities in addition to teaching, research, and service is difficult; however, this study sought to expand on that literature to understand what it was like to coordinate a HESA program as the only full-time faculty member isolated in that subfield at the institution. We utilized the hybrid qualitative methodology of phenomenological polyethnography, wherein each of the authors fills the dual role of researcher-participant and investigates a shared experience through dialogue. We found that our role was best understood in the duality of autonomy and isolation, through a complex professional interface with the institution, and in the context of the challenges created by this administrative model for the students and program itself. We recommend that further research be done in defining the program coordinator/director role and supporting those who fulfill it, especially the only full-time faculty member in that program.
