85 resources as newsprint for charts were not available. There was no telephone service available, thus making communication with the outside world extremely difficult. The teachers used their cell phones to communicate with the outside and the school had no electricity or piped water, relying instead on water from a nearby borehole. A river provided water for gardening and other non-drinking purposes. The walking distance from the main road and other basic facilities, such as telephone, electricity, piped water and accommodation, made this school unattractive for teacher deployment. At the time of my visit, some teachers had left the school to look for employment across the border. The school taught up to Grade Seven and the highest qualified teachers held diplomas in Education. The school head described the level of interaction among teachers as healthy, and this was a motivating factor that boosted their morale, given the limited environment in which they were operating. The discussion above suggests that the school was operating effectively, given the contextual challenges.
86 4.8.1 Observation Schedule
Lacy, cited in Bell (1987) defines an observation schedule as “the transfer of the whole person into an imaginative and emotional experience, whereby the researcher learns to understand the person‟s world” (Bell, p. 157). One of the most important aspects of an observation schedule is that it allows a researcher to gather data from people in a natural situation without having to question or communicate with participants. Here I was drawn into the “phenomenological complexity of the participant‟s world, where situations unfold and connections cause and correlations could be observed as they occur over time”
(Cohen, et al., 2007, p. 397). The observation of the schools and SMTs was essential because I needed to determine the roles played by both the context and participants in regard to the practices of leadership (Appendix 6).
Observations play a vital role in addressing the key questions and it was carried out throughout the research process. Potential data sources in case studies may include, though not be limited to interviews, observations, documentary reviews, archival records, interviews and physical artefacts (Merriam, 2009; Yin, 2014). I observed the manner in which the participants interacted with their colleagues, learners and parents during the staff meetings, classrooms and social gatherings. I also observed the outdoor events, because in most cases this was less formal. The main purpose of the observation was to determine the practices of leadership among the participants in various situations (Spillane, 2006).
Observation took place throughout the data generation period.
4.8.2 Documents and Reports
This study also used documents and reports as sources of data generation methods (Appendix 7). The UCCZ mission schools report to the Synod AGM, which is the highest decision making body of the UCCZ. School documents, reports and archives constitute rich sources of information about the institution. In contemporary society, many entities leave a trail of paper, found in public documents (annual reports, policy statements) with private memos and what the observer actually hears or sees (Patton, 2002). At the beginning of this study, access to important documents and reports had to be negotiated with the relevant people. An ideal situation would be to have access to all routine records, such as end-of-year results, financial and budget records, institutional rules and
87 regulations, and any other official and unofficial documents generated by or for the purpose of the institutions (Patton, 2002). Records, documents and reports guide the researcher in what needs to be pursued further in direct observation and interviewing, however, confidentiality must be respected, as with all information to which the researcher has access. The extent to which actual references to, and quotations from, records, reports and documents will be included in the final reports depends on whether they are considered part of a public record and therefore to be publicised without breach of confidentiality (Patton, 2002). In some cases, with permission and proper safeguards to protect confidentiality, some information from private documents was quoted directly and cited.
4.8.3 Self-Reflective Journaling
Self-reflective journaling was used throughout the research process. Van Manen (1997) sees journals as of help in setting oneself life-goals to work or to strive for. He further states that keeping a journal is helpful as records of insight gained are kept and the reflection on previous reflections easily followed. A journal contains reflective accounts of human experiences that are of phenomenological value (Van Manen, 1997). In line with this view, Smith (1999, p. 3) writes about “harvesting journals, to gain insight into the way people think, to see patterns emerge and to develop theories out of the data”. The main purpose of using a self-reflecting journaling process was to engage the ten participants in a process of reflecting on their current beliefs and practices of leadership. It took place throughout the data generation period, from April 2011 to April 2012 (Appendix 8). I saw it as an opportunity for participants to use the process of writing to describe and explain how they felt about their leadership practice in their sub-case schools. Also, it served as an excellent tool for their own self-reflection and in so doing deepened their understanding of leadership practice. It enabled me to examine the trends that emerged from their journals, thereby sorting them into relevant themes. Further, it helped me to understand how the participants played their role as school leaders during the period 1995 to 2010.
4.8.4 Life History Individual Interviews
Life history interview are a qualitative research method for gathering information on the subjective essence of a person‟s entire life, that he or she chooses to share and which
88 includes life experiences, important events, and feelings (Atkinson, 1998). It points out a particular historical event or aspect of a person‟s life, for instance, work life or a special role that one has played in the community (Atkinson, 1998). In the education sector, life history interviews have been used as a new way of knowing and teaching (Atkinson, 1998). According to Cohen, et al., (2007, p. 249), an interview is a principal means of gathering information in relation to the research question and it is of utmost importance that the individual interview becomes a “conversation with a purpose” (p. 249), whereby individual participant in the interview “defined the situation in a particular way” (p. 350).
Between April 2011 and April 2012 I managed to interview ten participants from the four sub-case mission schools tracing their leadership roles since 1995 to 2010.
Based on this background, I used a semi-structured interview (Appendices 9 and 10) as a primary strategy for data collection as it is a flexible tool that allows the interviewer to use open-ended questions for prompts into respondents‟ initial responses, to clarify views and allow the respondents to express themselves openly and freely. An interview enables one to reveal and explore the nuanced descriptions of the life-worlds of participants and serve as a positive and enriching experience for all the participants (Cohen, et al., 2007). The advantage of using interviews as a data generation technique is that they allow for greater depth than other methods (Yin, 2003). Individual life history interviews were used to supplement data gathered from the journal entries, as each participant gave his/her own understanding about the concept of leadership practice within the UCCZ mission schools. I personally collected all the data because of the importance and passion I attach to the meaning of findings and personal value. Through the above research methods, cross- checking of honesty and seriousness of responses was ensured.