In qualitative research there are about five main approaches for data collection, which is questionnaires, interviews, observations, document analysis and audio-visual material usage (Brynard & Hanekom, 2005:30; McMillan & Schumacher, 2010:343).
The researcher decided to use observations, interviews, and document analysis. Each instrument was reviewed separately after the researcher decided which types of instruments to use. Regarding interviews, the researcher pulled up an interview agenda intended for the campus manager and the section heads, and another one for senior and junior lecturers. The division was performed as questions were mostly intended to draw answers from the management involved in preparation and implementation of the lecturers’ professional development. Records about professional development information were requested from the campus management. That is the campus managers and section heads, which clarify the planning of professional development of their lecturers. The data-gathering tools are briefly explained in the below sections.
3.5.1 Interviews
An interview is explained as a cooperative conversation between the participants and presenter where the interviewer asks the participants questions to gather data about the subject being inspected and to understand attitudes, views and actions of participants.
The purpose of using interviews in this study was to see the world through the participants viewpoint (Maree, 2016:94). Interviews as data collecting tool allows the researcher to clarify or explain the questions if there is misunderstanding from the respondents about what is being asked. It permits the researcher to research thoroughly following the response of the participants (Brynard & Hanekom, 2005:32). An interview schedule was used for all the respondents to allow similar question to be presented to each participant.
In support of the above, McNiff, Lomax and Whitehead (2003:124), concur that interviewers must accurately ask the questions as they emerge on the interview agenda.
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The questions in the interview schedule were in line with the objectives of the study and they followed a certain order that had to be followed in throughout the interview process.
Structured, unstructured and semi-structured interviews are different types of interviews that are used in qualitative research.
3.5.2 Semi-structured interviews
Semi-structured interviews are a form of qualitative review unite prearranged questions with searching and explanation of response by participants. It is also recognised as a mixture of both unstructured and structured interviews (Maree, 2016:85). In this study, the researcher decided to use semi-structured interviews.
By contrast, semi-structured interviews use a written guide to focus the interview on a particular topics or issues. The topic guide is prepared prior to the interview and interviewers tend to stay focused on prescribed topics.
3.5.3 Observation
This is another flexible method of data collection where observation schedule form is prepared before data gathering process. The researcher employed qualitative observational research to observe the operational processes in the college. This process helped in the progressive study of the social processes taking place in the college by stipulating accounts that helped in developing a clear understanding of the happenings of the study.
Unstructured method of observation was used. With this method, a researcher does not have a predetermined set of categories of behaviors. Thus, this technique is relatively flexible and extremely useful in exploratory research. In this type of observation, the subject to be studied are the type of behavior, the setting, duration and frequency of the behavior.
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Participant observation was used as one of data collection method. This is the one in which the observer becomes a part of the group under observation. The researcher shared the situation as an attentive listener, recording and interpreting the behaviour of the group. The researcher gets a feel of the activities of the group like any member.
Participant observation has an important role to play in case studies.
The researcher prepared observation checklist to observe the attitude and different behaviour that arises. The flexibility of this data collection method allowed the researcher to record important information.
Based on the above paragraph, below were observed and analysed in Chapter 4:
1. Working relationships amongst managers and lecturers.
2. Working relationships between lecturers and students.
3. Areas that professional development is lacking and necessary.
3.5.6 Document analysis
Documents like registers from the college manager which recorded lecturers’ participation in any form of professional development programmes was requested and analysed by the researcher. Documents used for external communication, containing public consumption were also requested from the manager (McMillan & Schumacher, 2010:361). These documents are very important as they give the researcher an indication on how the college handle and value their lecturers’ professional development and the challenges they are facing about professional development.
The researcher was provided with below written information that will be analysed in data analysis chapter:
1. Programmes attendance register
2. Types of professional development training offered
53 3.5.7 Digital recorder
According to McMillan and Schumacher (2010:360), recordings force the interviewer to be attentive and can assist the pace of the interview and legitimize the inscribing of the research understanding. They also highlight that the recording should not disturb the researcher concentrating his full care on the participant. The audiotapes are a widespread method for recording interviews (Drew et al., 2008:194). They stated that these are precise and unquestionable, but it is noted that they can be very threatening to some of the participants. The participants’ consent was requested before recording could take place just to reduce the level of fear. They were reassured that the recordings will be used during the interview period and demolished after the information had been recorded. The audio-visual materials contain sounds and images that researchers gather to assist them in understanding the dominant prodigy under study (Creswell, 2005:220).