The first limitation of this study is that this study has a small number of participants and therefore there can be no generalisation to the greater population. However, this is a qualitative study so quality rather than quantity is the priority of the study. Furthermore, the geographical location of the study limits the study as participants were located in a small area in South Africa rather than from different parts of the country. Choosing participants from a small geographical location was done because of easy accessibility to participants for research purposes.
The problem of withdrawal of participants did occur. I had initially chosen six participants but one of the participants had withdrawn from the study so the sample was give. However, having five was fine as I had started with more participants than was required. The focus group had therefore five participants which worked well as the number was small and everyone had an
177 equal chance to be heard and the group was big enough to raise any challenges and contradictions that may have risen.
Another limitation was getting the participants together for the focus-group interview. It took me a few weeks to arrange as I had to find an adequate time and venue to accommodate participants. Mathematics teachers were very busy and trying to get them together was a mammoth task. However, this was achieved and the focus group interview was conducted successfully and produced the data used in this study.
One of the limitations of the study was that of getting an appropriate venue to conduct the individual semi-structured interviews. The participants, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, were always busy so I could not conduct interviews in the weekend. Interviews had to be conducted in the contexts that teachers worked in, at appropriate times, convenient to the participant. However, venues were a problem as schools are places of learning and there were only a few quiet areas we could use. There were constant disturbances which resulted in the interviews taking longer to complete.
The intrusive impact of audio-taping can inhibit the relaxed collection of data (Kleiber, 2004) so the voice recorder was put in an area that is not easily noticeable to participants. There was also the use of a video camera for the focus group interview so I would be able to identify participants effectively and would also allow me to have a conversation with the participants without having to take notes. This did prove a bit uncomfortable for participants who were reluctant to speak at first, although I did ask permission to use the device. The video camera was therefore placed at a convenient place that was not readily noticeable by the participants and the conversation resumed.
Ethically, power issues between participant and researcher can arise (Kleiber, 2004) and this can be avoided by making participants as comfortable as possible in a neutral location that is beneficial to all. I also informed participants that I was a primary school teacher and this made the interview run smoothly as they did not see me as being superior to them.
178 The final limitation was a methodological one. With the limited data available it was difficult to make conclusive judgements on the habituses of participants. However, using the information provided I was able to make reasonably informed judgements on their habituses.
Conclusion
Teacher’s work is indeed challenging and there an excessive work burden incumbent on teachers when new curriculum policies are introduced. With each policy change, new challenges and additional work burdens confront the already over-worked teacher. Sisyphus in Greek mythology continues carrying the burden of the boulder on his back which rolls down again and he has to pick it up and carry it up the hill again (Schrijver & Herman, 2005). So as the teacher carries the heavy burden of the new policy to the top of the hill and finally feels that she/he has accomplished something, then a new policy is introduced and the teacher has to start all over again. There are not only the work burdens that the teacher has to work through when implementing new curriculum policies but there are many other challenges that teachers face every day in the contexts that they work in. These teachers continue to persevere and work hard to cater to curriculum demands even though they may not be meeting the needs of all the students in the classroom and their own needs as well. In conclusion of this thesis, what must be noted is that there are many challenges ahead for teachers and the paradoxical nature of policies demands and democratic governance needs to be seriously looked at in order to ease the burden of teachers’ work, Perhaps it will be apt to end this thesis with the image of the burden of the boulder on Sisyphus’s back to show how this burden will continue for an eternity if something is not done about easing the burden.
179
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) (c. 1487/90–1576) Sisyphus (1548–1549) (detail) Oil on canvas (237 cm x 216 cm) Copyright Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain. http://www.museodelprado.es/en/
Figure 8 – Painting of Sisyphus
180