CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.9 Methodology of the study
A qualitative approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) is selected for this study to enable the analysis of how teachers describe activities, interactions and their learning. This methodology was selected since it will provide me with the prospects of doing verbal descriptive analysis and the interpretation of the phenomenon of teacher learning in a subject cluster (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). A qualitative interpretive approach will be used to establish the experiences of the teachers participating in a subject cluster in Skhomo Circuit. (Terre Blanche, Durrheim and Kelly, 2006)
Patton (2002) also asserts that using a qualitative approach will help the researcher gather data which will carry a description detailing the events that took place, the details of the situation where it took place and how respondents participated. What is expected of a researcher is to employ means and techniques that are nearer to the study context so that the findings reflect the ordinary life situation. Babbie and Moutton (2002) argue that the emphasis of qualitative research is for the researcher to attempt to study how humans perceive themselves as actors.
Since the purpose of the study is to understand professional development activities taking place in the cluster meetings, a case study design will allow me to explore these activities. I would like to have an advanced grasp of the operations of the cluster. Bell (1998) states that a case study presents an occasion for one feature of a problem to be studied in some complexity within a brief period of time. According to Babbie and Moutton (2001, p.281) case studies take “multiple perspectives into account and attempt to understand the influences of multilevel social systems on subjects’ perspectives and behaviours”. Stake (1995) contends that the individual
20 principle for choosing cases for a case study should be the occasion to learn. I situated this instance within its greater perspective but the emphasis remains on either the case or a topic that is demonstrated by the case (Creswell, 1998). The greatest advantage of the case study, according to Bell (1993), is that through the case study it is possible to study one aspect of the problem extensively within a limited space of time. One subject cluster was selected as a case in this study in an endeavour to comprehend the PD activities taking place in their meetings and how these activities supported teacher learning. “The exploration and the description of the case takes place through detailed, in-depth data collection methods, involving multiple sources of information that are rich in context, which may include interviews, document reviews, observations or archival records” (De Vos et al, 2005, p.272).
In line with the protocol of a case study design, this study used a combination of the following methods: interviews and observation.
1.9.1 Interviews
The intention of qualitative interviews is to establish the worldview of the partaker as a prized starting point of knowledge on condition that they are used correctly. The aim is to at all times attain substantial illustrative data that will help you to comprehend the participant’s creation of expertise and social authenticity (Nieuwenhuis, 2007). Seidman (2006) states that a researcher uses interviews as a basic mode of inquiry into a story that is of interest to them. Stories are a strategy to make people aware of or to get a better understanding of the phenomenon. All interviews are interactional events between the interviewer and the interviewees.
I interviewed one departmental official at provincial level, one district subject advisor and eleven teachers belonging to the cluster and the cluster leader. The teachers come from four secondary schools in the circuit. This cluster has been selected because it is one of the active Life Sciences clusters. The teachers are a mix of novices and experienced people. To get to the respondents’ experiences and reflections I used semi-structured depth interviews (Fontana & Frey, 1998) as a data collection strategy. Semi-structured depth interviews are meant to elicit information from the respondents’ thought process on issues involved (Bryman et al., 1988). I was also open to participants raising aspects that I would not have thought of. The
21 interviews focused on how teachers learn in the Life Sciences cluster from the respondents’ point of view, as well as exploring other resources used while learning, e.g., manuals, presentations, tasks, etc. I assumed that learning does take place in the clusters and, therefore, there could be resources that would serve as evidence that learning indeed does happen with the help of those resources.
The interviews were held first with the office-based staff, which enabled me to have contextual background on how learning is expected to happen in the cluster. This was followed by the teachers who are actually at implementation level, to get an improved grasp of how exactly learning occurs and an interview with the key respondents, to dig deeper on issues that will assist me in answering my research questions. Questions were open-ended to allow the respondents enough latitude when they responded to the content of the interview (Weiss, 1997) and to encourage responses that will give a true reflection of what takes place through the teachers (Seidman, 1998). There was a need to go back to some of the teachers, in view of the fact that I found responses that required more probing.
1.9.2 Observation
Gorman et al. (2005, p.40) define observation studies as involving “the systematic recording of observable phenomena or behaviour in a natural setting”. Davies (2007) identifies three types of observation:
• “Participant observation, which entails the researcher actively participating and living with the subjects that are being studied. The recording of the study happens in its natural setting;
• Covert observation, which does not reveal the observer’s identity and the purpose of the study;
• Non- participant observation, in which the researcher remains an outsider but watches and records all the activities, verbal and non-verbal, including the consequences” (Davies, 2007, p.30).
I opted for participant observation. I was present in all the activities so as to comprehend what is occurring in the cluster meetings from the teachers’ perspective.
22 The benefit of being a participant observer is the fact that relationships are built between the researcher and the participants and this may result in “them being friends” (Baker, 2006, p.177) One of the limitations linked to this type of observation is the fact that I may be unable to seek clarity and to ask participants follow-up questions to “qualify what they have said” (Gold, 1998, p.222) or probing questions brought about by what I would have observed which is linked to the information that I would have gathered through interviews. Another limitation, as noted by Baker (2006, p.178), that is linked to observational studies is ethics. This method has an element of intruding into the domestic affairs of the chosen population and can be abusive to an individual’s privacy (Adler & Adler, 1994).
1.9.3 Sampling
Creswell describes purposeful sampling as “a method of intentionally selecting
participants based on their experience with the topic under study: the inquirer selects individuals and sites for study because they can purposefully inform an
understanding of the research problem and central phenomenon in the study”
(Creswell, 2007, p.125). According to Bertram and Christiansen (2014), sampling entails deciding on which people to interview or involve in a study, the settings the researcher is going to utilise to conduct their study including the behaviour that may be of assistance to the study. I chose purposive sampling to obtain detailed
information on the phenomenon that I am studying. The circuit that I chose has a total of twelve Secondary Schools; divided into six private schools and six public schools. The total number of the Life Sciences (grade 10-12) teachers is 21. I selected 11 teachers (one of which is a cluster leader). The sample comprised both novice and experienced teachers; some of these teachers teach all the grades (grades 10-12). In addition, I also interviewed one subject advisor (based in the district), as he is responsible for the coordination of all the clusters and their activities in the district, and lastly I included the subject head (based at the head office) as the person responsible for the implementation of the subject and who must ensure that learners are properly taught. In total, I had a sample of 13 participants. Information would be sought from the respondents that participate in the cluster and are from Sangxa district about the interactions and activities taking place in the Life Sciences cluster. The participants in this study are experienced and novice Life Sciences
23 teachers, teaching from Grades 10-12 and members of the LS Cluster. Two office- based officials, the subject head and the subject advisor were selected from the Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) Directorate. The teachers would be able to give insight on how professional development is coordinated and managed at their sessions. The departmental officials were chosen so that they give the
perspective of the Department regarding the subject committees.