In this section, the research paradigm, research design and the research approach adopted are discussed in detail. The aims and benefits of these research methods have been discussed as well.
1.9.1 Research paradigm
Research paradigms play a significant role in social research and definitions of the term paradigm abound. Neuman (2011:94) defines a research paradigm as “a whole system of thinking”. Kivunja and Kuyini (2017:26) refer to a research paradigm as “a system that influences the action for research thus providing a philosophical framework to establish research traditions in a particular discipline”. In simplistic terms, a research paradigm refers to a set of beliefs that guides action. Taking into account the research design used in this study, an emancipatory paradigm was used. The concept of emancipatory research is an umbrella term that embraces a variety of research streams such as critical theory, race-specific, feminist, transformative, and participatory research (Groat, 2002). The emancipatory research paradigm is mainly concerned with the process of producing knowledge that is beneficial to the disadvantaged group of the community (Noel, 2016). In this research, educators are regarded as being in a disadvantaged position if their wellbeing is not enhanced. Emancipatory research also focuses on changing the system in which the researchers find themselves (Denscombe, 2003).
This research paradigm aims to increase “awareness of contradictions hidden or distorted by everyday understandings”, to direct “attention to the possibilities for social transformation inherent in the present configuration of social processes” (Lather, 1986:259) as well as to empower the subjects of the research (Noel, 2016). The participants in this research were made aware of the conditions of their school environments that affect their wellbeing. They were involved in the processes of transforming these environments as indicated in Chapter 6. According to Danieli and Woodham (2009), the emancipatory research paradigm is characterized by such principles as participation, openness, empowerment, accountability, and reciprocity.
1.9.2 Research design
According to Punch (2011:62), the term research design refers to “all the issues involved in planning and executing a research project from identifying the problem through the reporting and publishing of results”.
It is a plan of action that enables one to communicate the framework of the study (Okeke & van Wyk, 2015). From these definitions, one can argue that a research design is a detailed plan of how the researcher will conduct a research. This study followed a qualitative research design. Ahmad, Wasim, Irfan and Gogoi (2019:1) refer to qualitative research as “a process of naturalistic inquiry that seeks an in-depth understanding of social phenomena within their natural setting”. An in-depth understanding of
the factors that promote and harm educator wellbeing was sought in the natural setting of the participating school. I decided to use this research design to gain in-depth understanding of participants’
perspectives as indicated by McMillan and Schumacher (2010). This research design was also preferred because of its flexibility in the use of data collection methods and its reliance on the direct experiences of human beings as meaning-making agents in their everyday lives.
1.9.3 Research approach
The proposed study used participatory action research (PAR), which is a component of qualitative research. Participatory action research is based on the understanding that people should understand their oppression and thereby decide which action to take that will lead to their emancipation (Okeke &
van Wyk, 2015). Reason and Bradbury (2001:1) refer to PAR as “a participatory, democratic process concerned with developing practical knowledge in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes”. Minkler and Wallerstein (2003) cited in Asaba and Suarez-Balcazar, (2018) denote it as a research tradition of researchers, practitioners, and community members collaborating to address health and social challenges that matter to communities. From the definitions above, it can be concluded that PAR is participatory, collaborative and emancipatory when it is effectively implemented.
Using PAR in this study enabled the participants to share their perspectives on how school environments affect the wellbeing of educators in general and provided them with the opportunity to decide the actions to be taken to emancipate themselves. It also enabled them to share their personal experiences (Asumeng & Osae-Larbi, 2015) on how the school environments affect their wellbeing. Figure 1.3 below illustrates how the research was conducted using PAR.
Figure 1-3: The process of PAR in this research
Figure 1.3 Adapted from Lewin (1948)
Figure 1.3 above shows the actions that were taken in each phase of the PAR process. This PAR cycle focused on the collection of data based on the research questions. In phase 1, the data collection was conducted using cameras. Phase 2 included a focus group interview in which participants were afforded an opportunity to share their views about the photos they had taken in the school environment. In phase
The cyclical process of Participatory Action
Research Phase 1
Fact finding about factors that promote and constrain the wellbeing of educators
Phase 2 (photo voice)
Focus group interview where
participants tell stories about photos
taken
Phase 3 Fact finding about the role of the principal in promoting healthy
environments for wellbeing of educators.
Phase 5 Implementation of change intervention.
Individual
interviews with the principal
Data collection using cameras Phase 6
Evaluation of change intervention
Phase 4 Data analysis and discussion of themes
as well as proposals for action plans and change intervesions
3 an individual interview was conducted with the principal of the case study school to obtain data about his role in promoting healthy school environments that enhance the wellbeing of educators. Phase 4 dealt with data analysis as well as the discussion of themes that emerged from the data collected. These themes informed the actions, action plans and change interventions to be taken to bring about change. In phase 5, the research team engaged in the implementation of the change intervention. Phase 6 was concerned with the evaluation of change interventions to determine the success and failure of the implementation of the intervention. All participants took part in data collection, discussions, implementation, and evaluation of strategies as this is a norm in PAR.
The next section elaborates on how the site for the research was selected, the composition of the research team and how the participants were sampled.