CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.3. Data collection Plan
3.3.2. Instruments
3.3.2.2 Qualitative Instruments
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3.3.2.2.1. Interviews
An interview tool as a qualitative research method is an instrument used to describe the major topic of the content and to acquire more precise information from participants. The highest crucial objective in an interview is to realize the definition of what the interviewee assume.
(Kvale, 1996).
Further, interview has several pros. It is applicable and useful to any person, child, adult, literate, illiterate, or handicapped, that allow to explore the extent of the study that the researcher considers suitable (Denzin, & Lincoln, 2011a). Therefore, interview attempts to involve both a real and an important stage. An interview is efficient for carrying on the details of an interviewee’s reflection. The researcher can get into depth in getting the data about the topic and it may be further supportive compared to questionnaires for more investigation of the partakers’
responses. (McNamara, 1999).
Semi-structured Interviews with 8 English teachers were conducted in two private schools in Abu Dhabi after validating the questions of the semi-structured interview by the researcher’s director of studies Professor Solomon David. This method was carried out to grant more in- depth, accurate, and detailed data from the participants and to capture their own experiences, point of views and interpretations of collaborative learning among high school students. Through this process, the researcher can illustrate the objective of the research and clearly determine the needed data, and ensure better responses in case of misinterpretation of the question in addition to influence the success of the research. In order to provide a check on the accuracy of the partakers’ answers, interview offers similar data in different ways at different levels (Kvale &
Brinkmann, 2009).
The semi-structured interview questions (see Appendix F) cover the main research questions and they are divided overall into 20 questions that reflect on the interviewees’ perceptions and that would help the researcher later in transcribing and analyzing their answers. Actually, there are various kinds of research approaches that can be employed in qualitative research methods to address the research plan. Therefore, the diversity of these processes have recognized the effects on the research. The researcher thinks that a qualitative study approach is mostly helpful in this
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research to depict the impact of applying critical thinking skills in debating and working collaboratively in activities in English classroom particularly at high school that would enhance students’ thinking level and abilities.
The researcher planned the semi-structured interview questions based on the surveys’ data analysis. Purposive technique was employed in the semi-structured interview questions to select eight partakers. They have been suggested as powerful qualitative method to obtain the lived experience of the subjects studied. According to Kvale & Brinkmann (2009), interview is an exchangeable process of opinions between two or more people on a topic of similar interest for knowledge production, and confirmation of social relativeness of research information. On the other hand, McMillan (2004) think that interview is sometimes referred to a purposeful or judgmental population sample that the researcher chooses specifically to represent or inform about the study.
The researcher communicated with the principals of both schools to arrange for the interviews in their schools of their day preference and time convenience. Four English teachers in each of the two schools were chosen purposefully according to their active participation in having collaborative learning classes. As the qualitative data collection instrument “the semi-structured interview questions” were development by the researcher, it was required to validate the instrument. The researcher validated the semi-structured interview questions through an expert view by sending the draft of the semi-structured interview questions to her director of studies Professor Solomon David whose recommendations were relevant to improve and finalize the interview questions.
Finally, the researcher’s notes of the partakers were transcribed. The transcripts were read carefully to look for emerging themes, which were used for deeper analysis. Then interviews were analysed by checking similar and different answers among the interviewees. The interview analysis was conducted following the Kvale’s (2009) six steps in analysis:
1. Interviewee explain their lived world during the interview
2. Interviewee themselves explore novel relationship during the interview 3. Interviewer defines and explains the meaning during the interview
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4. Transcribed interview is described by the interviewer (three parts: structuring, clarifying and analysing, five approaches: condensation (defining the main theme), categorization (explain main and sub-categories), narrative structuring (analysis in the form of narration), interpretation (researcher’s point of view), and ad hoc approaches (diverse approaches for general meaning) 5. Re-interview
6. Involve actionby creating an overall opinion and acquiring integrated material for more analysis.
3.3.2.2.2. Lesson Observations
Lesson observation is a data collection instrument used by the researcher to explore and identify students-students’ or students-teachers’ interaction in class (Fraenkel and Wallen 2006). Lesson observations’ goal is studying the interaction between students and teachers in the classroom, and answering questions linked to students’ reflections and experiences. Also, it explains to what extent students develop their critical thinking level and which teaching activities can be utilized to promote students to employ their skills and improve their critical thinking capabilities. To complete the objective of this plan, the researcher’s role was only an observer, which means that the researcher observed objectively without interacting with the students, or the teacher in the classroom (See Appendix H).
The researcher used the notes on an observation form, which involves a checklist to record clear points linked to critical thinking in the English classroom, as well as to the comments that the observer implied about the discussions, unprepared practices and nonverbal communications that happened and were helpful to interpret other outcomes of the study (Meriam 2009). So, to be efficient facilitators of teaching, teachers need structured chances to engage in conversation with one another and in shared professional development practices (Henk & Moore, 1992). Half of the observed lessons (4 lessons) were following the Arabic teaching system in Abu Dhabi and the other half were following the American system (4 lessons). All students in both schools showed good rapport with their teachers. Everyone seemed enjoying collaborative learning especially when teachers allowed debatable topics and each student seemed learning from others’
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experiences. Again, the lesson observation check list covered the main research questions and it was divided into 25 check list statements that helped the researcher later in transcribing and analyzing the outcomes after each lesson observation was conducted.