CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH DESIGN
4.4 RESEARCH DESIGN
As already indicated, this study used multiple, interactive qualitative research methods.
Itattempted to utilise critical elements of case study research and ethnography to pursue the research agenda. One of the limitations of case study research is the issue of
generalization. However, this mode of inquiry enabled me to generate an in depth account of contextually relevant issues and principles related to Wenger's theory.
4.4.1 The TEMS community as the empirical field
The TEMS community was a dynamic and constantly changing grouping of EMS
teachers. Invitations to the TEMS workshop sessions were sent out to nineteen schools in the region. These stressed that attendance at the TEMS workshops was voluntary.
Research participants received a formal letter (see Appendix 1) indicating the conditions of their participation (one of the conditions being regular attendance at workshop
sessions).
Eleven teachers initially committed themselves to the research project as research participants. However, the actual number ofTEMS research participants eventually constituted a core group of seven teachers. The four teachers that dropped off cited work pressures and personal reasons for their withdrawal. Four other teachers were regular attendees at workshop sessions but elected not to be part of the research project as research participants. Six teachers attended alternate sessions. These teachers came from schools that had a policy of alternating their representatives.
The arrival of new teachers was a feature of every session. The non-appearance of previous attendees was also a phenomenon of the TEMS community. Three teachers made a regular habit of arriving for a session, signing the register, waiting for fifteen minutes, then quietly exiting the venue. The existence of a community of practice does not depend on fixed membership (Wenger 1988). Participants fit into several categories and assume various roles within the communities of practice, such as a coordinator, who
organised events and linked community members; a core group of active participants who assumed leadership roles; an active group of frequent but not regular participants; and peripheral participants, members who occasionally took part, and 'lurkers' who learned from observation (Wenger, McDermott and Snyder 2002).
The table below provides a list of schools and research participants: I
Table 4.1: Schools and Research participants
Name of Participant Name of School Gender Teaching Experience
(years)
Beth Pecan Primary F 6
Kim Eden Primary F 25
Debbie Eden Primary F 15
Shirley Eden Primary F 8
Mary Galley Primary F 25
John Neon Primary M 21
Ben Pecan Primary M 19
The TEMS community can be represented as follows:
Table 4.2: TEMS community membership
Membership Description Number
Organised events, sent out invitations;
Co-ordinator administrative responsibilities; active member
but not a research participant I
Active research participants involved in all
Core group aspects of the study. Also assumed leadership 7
roles
Non-research participants, but active members
Active members in the TEMS community 4
Attended every alternate session - varied
Alternates levels of participation 6
Peripherals/lurkers
Infrequent attendance - limited participation
4 Present at sessions for short duration to record
Impressed volunteers their presence on the register - minimal 3 oarticipation
New members
First time appearance at a workshop session - At least one participation levels and subsequent attendance new teacher
varied per session
I Note: Pseudonyms are used for schools and teachers.
4.4.2 Data collection
The following table provides a summary of the data collection with regard to the core group of seven participating teachers:
Table 4.3: Summary of data collection
Type of data Nature of data collection instrument
Researcher's reflective journal Regular (weekly), informal writings documenting interactions with teachers and principals, school visits and workshop observations
Initial Interview Semi-structured interview (approximately 25 - 30 minutes)
Interviews were tape-recorded and interview notes were taken.
All interviews fully transcribed (January - March 2003)
First Classroom Practice A semi-structured observation schedule was used Observation to guide lesson observations.
Critical incidents identified and discussed with Reflection on observation teachers
reports (Duration of lessons:
±
60 minutes)(February - May 2003)
Second Classroom Practice A semi-structured observation schedule was used Observation to guide lesson observations.
Critical incidents identified and discussed with Reflection on observation teachers
reports Two consecutive lessons observed
(Duration of lessons:
±
100 minutes in total) Video footage capturing classroom interactions (One video taped lesson of one and activitiesconsenting teacher) October - November 2003
End of project interview Semi-structured interview (approximately 30 - 40 minutes)
Interviews were tape-recorded and interview notes were taken.
All interviews fully transcribed (December 2003 - January 2004)
Workshop Observation Reports Observation and transcription of video data (Monthly)
Independent Observer Reports Observation reports of 6 independent observers
(workshops) plus supervisor (October 2004)
Other data sources Worksheets and workbooks compiled by teachers, teachers' lesson preparation files, pupils' books, tests and examinations
In keeping with ethnographic principles, data were collected in a natural setting. This entailed a close study of a culture in context (Walford 2001). Interviews were conducted on site at schools (see Interview Schedule in Appendix 2). I religiously kept my research journal (see extract in Appendix 3), which included observations about each research
context (each school and the site for the TEMS workshops). For every interview, I made a point of arriving at the school at least forty-five minutes to an hour earlier than the scheduled interview. I would position myself in an unobtrusive position, sometimes simply sitting in my car ifit provided a suitable vantage point. The purpose of this practice was to get a 'feel' of each school context and its operation. The energy and sounds emanating from different classrooms and playing fields provide a 'lived context' during the data analysis" ... for the researcher to remember and theorise with greater intuition" (Jessop 1977:52). Geertz (1973) refers to this as the 'scientific imagination' required for effective theorising.
The observations and fieldnotes in each school context were different. Pecan Primary School serviced a very poor community. Almost all the pupils came from impoverished homes. Most families in the area struggled to meet their most basic requirements in terms of food. For this reason, the school had succeeded in securing sponsorship that enabled it to provide a daily meal to its pupils. Teachers were elected to a committee that was responsible for ensuring that the meal for each day was ready on time. Just before the school interval, class monitors would proceed to the school's kitchen (a classroom with a stove) to collect buckets of soup and loaves of bread for each class. Each class had its own bucket and cardboard box for this purpose. The meal was not a sit-down meal.
Pupils were happy to hold their slices of bread and cups of soup in their hands while playing around in the school. The principal cited the provision of this daily meal as the main reason for excellent attendance by pupils.
On arrival at Neon Primary School, one gained the distinct impression that this school was well managed. During teaching time it was rare to find a teacher in the staffroom or children out of their classrooms. All classes were always manned. As I walked through the school I could see teachers and pupils busily engaged in their classrooms.
The school buildings, being only eight years old, were in excellent condition. The school was surrounded by a high fence with razor wire attached to the top of the fence.
Electronic gates led into a spacious car park. Gardens were immaculately maintained, with a just-watered look. Flowerbeds were freshly tilled. The school campus was in immaculate condition.Ithad a well-maintained sports field.
On entering the foyer of the administration, one was greeted with an appealing display of well-positioned posters, school achievement boards, and staff photographs. The foyer was spotless with shiny floors and a shiny staircase. The school secretary was ideally positioned with a view of the school gate, which she could open electronically from where she was seated. The sight of the principal moving around the school, visiting teachers in their classrooms, speaking to the gardeners as they tended the flowerbeds and engaging with parents was not uncommon.
Field notes of this type create a fuller picture of the research context and afford a more substantial basis from which to interpret the data. While data collection in a natural setting alone does not necessarily make the research more rigorous, it does place the research in context and provides the researcher with a greater opportunity to explore meanings that are not evident from verbal data. "Interpretation is likely to stand up better to the critics where time has been spent watching, talking, waiting and observing what happens in the context and indeed, the culture under study" (JessopI997:53).