Glossary
Chapter 4 Mapping Out the Methodology
4.1 Introduction
In this chapter the research method and design receive attention. A detailed description of the mode of inquiry, paradigmatic assumptions, selection of the sample and sampling procedures, as well an elaboration of the instruments used in the study, are offered. The procedure for data collection and methods employed in the analysis of data are presented next. Finally, attempts to address the methodological constraints of the study and ethical issues form the concluding segments of the chapter.
4.2 Research Design
According to Denzin and Lincoln (2000), research design refers to the plan and structure of the investigation used to obtain evidence to answer research questions. In this section of the chapter the research design is presented within the lens as articulated by Denzin and Lincoln (2000). This design will include a description of the methodological choices made in this study and the rationale supporting these choices. In summary, the design includes a qualitative research approach which seeks to establish how teachers make sense of their learning activities within an interpretivist framework, located within a case study methodology.
4.2.1 A Qualitative mode of enquiry
In this study the issue under investigation is teacher learning. Due to its complex nature this phenomenon needs to be comprehended on a detailed level. According to Bowen (2005) and Tavallaei and Talib (2010), it is through the mode of qualitative research that such a
possibility (exploring a complex issue on a detailed level) can be realised. These sentiments are echoed by Hoepfl (1997), who adds qualitative inquiry to teacher learning through his acknowledgment of the complex and dynamic nature of the social world.
Employing a holistic approach with a view to understanding teacher learning through the lens of assessment was what this study set out to do. Consequently the author chooses to adopt a qualitative mode of inquiry. This preference enabled the author to illuminate and explore complex issues surrounding the scholarship of teacher learning, while simultaneously acknowledging the dynamic nature of these issues.
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In an attempt to understand the problem from the participants‟ perspective, an essential goal of qualitative research (McMillan & Schumacher, 2001), the author made use of intense interviewing sessions. In these sessions participants were probed to detail their notions on assessment and learning, enabling the author in her capacity as researcher to explore their angle or slant on the issues at hand. In this way the author was able to build a complex, holistic picture of teacher learning through reporting and analysing detailed views of the participants, which forms a critical component of qualitative research (Creswell, 2007).
If we accept Higgs and Cherry‟s (2009) assertion that qualitative research assumes that there are multiple construed realities (that is, different people have different perceptions of reality through their attribution of meaning to events, meaning being part of the event, not separate from it), the issue of the context in which the data were generated needs to be borne in mind.
In an attempt to gain a deep sense of where participants were coming from, the author presents a detailed account of the context in which the data were collected and analysed by way of introduction to the data analysis chapters. Furthermore, since the emphasis is on studying and understanding phenomena in their natural settings in qualitative research (Creswell, 2007), the author also presents a detailed description of the research site at which the study was undertaken.
In the research conducted, initial themes that were apparent and recurring through the extensive study of the literature in the area of assessment served as a basis for the pre- observation interview questions. Upon entering the research field, and as data collection commenced, the themes that began to emerge were supplemented, refined and revisited for clarity and understanding. This took place subsequent to the interviews and observations as new insights were unearthed. Hence, the manifestation of an emergent design, which is characteristic of qualitative research (Trochim, 2001), was such that as themes became apparent in the data collection and analysis processes, these were explored to the extent that they held significance for the study.
Since I was primarily concerned with how teachers acquire learning, an interpretivist paradigm proved most compatible with the scope of this study due to its emphasis on the ability of the individual to construct meaning, as becomes evident in the following discussion.
71 4.2.2 An Interpretivist Paradigm
Essentially the researcher working within an interpretivist paradigm seeks to understand, explain and demystify the phenomenon under study through the eyes of the participants, as this is seen as critical to obtaining an insider perspective on key issues pertaining to the area of study (Cohen et al., 2007). This study sought to explore how teachers learn about
assessment through attempting to unpack and understand the experiences and insights that they bring to the learning experience.
Furthermore, interpretivism acknowledges that individuals bring different perspectives to an event and consequently ascribe their own meaning to that event (Punch, 2009). Hence the possibility of the existence of multiple meanings becomes an important consideration when working within an interpretivist paradigm. This study sought to explore the various
perspectives of the participants with regard to the assessment practices they employed and through the deep insights revealed during the data collection process.
Interpretivists acknowledge that meaning is constructed based on individual interpretation and is therefore subjective (Mack, 2010). By contextualising the study through a detailed depiction of the research site and participants, it was envisaged that a holistic picture of the study would be presented. A case study would offer the avenue to achieving this, as discussed in the following section.
4.2.3 A Case Study Methodology Case studies are:
“detailed investigations of individuals, groups, institutions or social units, with the focus being on understanding the particulars of that case in its complexity” (Bachor, 2000)
Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2000) believe that the intention of a case study is to portray, analyse and interpret the uniqueness of real individuals and situations through accessible accounts and to present and represent reality. A case study is anchored in real-life situations and results in a rich and holistic account of phenomena and thus offers insights and
illuminates meanings that expand the reader's experience (Stake, 2005). Teacher learning is a multifaceted area and since a case study offers a means of investigating complex social units
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consisting of multiple variables of potential importance in understanding the phenomenon under study (Yin, 2009), it would afford an avenue to explore these various facets.
A case study focuses on a bounded system, usually under natural conditions so that the system can be understood in its own habitat (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). The context of a teacher‟s work is the school, and in particular the classroom. This is the site where the study was conducted. Finally, through case studies and educational processes, problems and
programmes can be examined to bring about understanding that in turn can affect and perhaps even improve practice (Willig, 2001) The theoretical framework employed in this study examined the various issues surrounding the scholarship of teacher learning and therefore necessitated an in-depth understanding of these issues. A case study would facilitate this process. The school under study was purposively chosen to provide for a richness of
exploration. The procedure used for selecting the research site and the participants will now be detailed.