INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
3.4 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
The researcher identified Thekwini FET College for this study because of easy access to the various campuses during his non-teaching time; no excessive loss of time; or having to incur excessive travelling costs. Table 3.2 below shows the number of participants from each of Thekwini FET College's campuses. All campuses offer full-time national Department of Education instructional programmes in both the FET and HE and Training bands. The Sharks Academy is a satellite campus in which young sportsmen are enrolled for a one-, two- or three-year course in Sports Management and Administration (with a rugby focus). Lessons
in Marketing Management at the Academy (ABSA Stadium) are conducted by specialist staff from the Centec Campus. Since the staff members move from one campus to another (i.e.
from Centec campus to ABSA Stadium) and, thus, operate outside government bureaucracy, the researcher wanted to capture staff perceptions on the climate for creativity in this unique set up.
Table 3.2 Research participants of Thekwini FET College Departments
a. Business Studies b. Catering & Hospitality c. Hair & Beauty
d. Business Studies e. Business Studies
Campus Springfield Centec Cato manor Umbilo
Sharks Academy
Participants
1 senior lecturer & 2 staff members 1 senior lecturer and 2 staff members 1 senior lecturer and 2 staff members 1 senior lecturer and 1 staff member 2 staff members
Sampling Rationale
The researcher who conducts a descriptive study wants to determine the nature of how things are. In many cases, the researcher will want to describe one or more characteristics of a fairly large population. In such situations, he/she will usually not study the entire population of interest. Instead, the researcher will select a subset, or sample, of that population. But the results obtained from the sample can only be used to make generalisations about the entire population if the sample is truly representative of the population (Leedy & Ormrod 2001) The sample of this descriptive study comprised mainly lecturers (level 1) and senior lecturers (Level 2) at Thekwini FET College. It was not practical to interview all the College staff- members, therefore sampling of the staff was the only option. Table 3.2 shows the 13 participants who were interviewed for this study. The selection of the participants for this study was critical with regard to their experiences and their capacity to genuinely share their perceptions of the climate for creativity. This served as the primary data source. The sample provided the researcher with a manageable and applicable unit of analysis from which reliable and valid data was produced. A brief description of the respondents is necessary to prevent confusion in this study.
The following informed participants were:
• Senior lecturers (managers)
• Lecturers (non-managers)
Since senior lecturers are effectively Heads of Department and manage staff they are referred to as 'managers' and lecturers 'non-managers'. In some instances in this study, both managers and non-managers are also referred to collectively as 'employees' or 'professionals'. For the purposes of this study, it is necessary to understand the job functions of the senior lecturer and lecturer so that their job roles frame the context of organisational behaviour that prevails in the workplace. By sensitising one's self to the hierarchical context of this organisation, the researcher was able to comprehend participant's perceptions of the climate for creativity at Thekwini FET College. The role functions of the manager (senior lecturer) and non-manager (lecturer) are outlined below:
SENIOR LECTURER Rank: Post level 2
Campus management is the responsibility of the Campus Manager and the Campus Management Team consisting of the Head/s of Division, Senior Lecturer and the Administration Officer. Heads of Division are senior managers of the Academic Branch, assisted by the Senior Lecturers who, effectively, are Heads of Department. The role function of senior lecturers are to engage in lecturing, be responsible for the effective functioning of the department and to organise relevant/related extra-curricular activities so as to ensure that the subject, learning area or phase and the education of learners is promoted in a proper manner.
LECTURER
Rank: Post level 1
The role functions of lecturers are to engage in class teaching, including the academic, administrative, educational and disciplinary aspects and to organise extra and co-curricular activities so as to ensure that the education of the learners is promoted in a proper manner.
The core duties and responsibilities of the lecturers are individual and varied.
Non-probability Sampling
In order to respond to the challenges of a representative sample, non-probability sampling was adopted. Leedy & Ormrod (2001) maintain that in non-probability sampling, the
researcher has no way of forecasting or guaranteeing that each element of the population will
be represented in the sample. Furthermore, some members of the population have little or no chance of being sampled. Johnson (1994:75) concurs that:
a non-probability sample deliberately avoids representing the wider population; it seeks only to represent a particular group, a particular named section of the wider population, for example, a class of students, a group of students who are not taking a particular examination, a group of teachers. In this latter type, the researcher has deliberately, purposely selected a particular section of the wider population to include in or exclude from the sample.
There are three types of non-probability sampling, i.e. convenience sampling, quota sampling and purposive sampling. This study adopted the latter. In purposive sampling, people or other units are chosen, as the name implies, for a particular purpose. For instance, we might choose people who we have decided are 'typical' of a group or those who represent diverse perspectives on an issue (Leedy & Ormrod 2001).
For the purpose of this study, the raw qualitative data of transcripts from interviews with managers and non-managers at Thekwini FET College accentuate the importance of purposive sampling in selecting participants. Participants were systematically selected to heighten differences along the dimensions of the KEYS scale and the CCQ, to exhibit effects of changes and to validate relationships between dimensions. Participants' status within the institution was presented with demographic information in Table 3.3.
Table 3.3 Total Group Demographics
Category Total
Total Group Males Females Age Range Work Experience
13 4 9 3 2 - 5 4 years 6 months - 32years
From this population, all individuals work as professionals within the context of everyday organisational life. In this sample, there are four senior lecturers (three female and one male
participant). Three senior lecturers are 50-years-old and above. These participants have each served the Department of Education for more than 20 years. The fourth senior lecturer is 40- years-old and has worked in this institution for 13 years. All four participants volunteered to participate in this study after understanding the nature of the research topic.
This sample also includes nine lecturers from selected Thekwini FET College' departments and comprises six female and three male lecturers. The youngest lecturer is 32-years-of-age and the oldest lecturer is 54-years-old. It is important to note that all respondents previously worked for other organisations and spoke informally about the respective creative climates.
Participants provided details of their experiences in their former workplaces. Many respondents, therefore, were easily able to identify with the topic.
After a preliminary meeting with all the volunteers, the researcher was able to establish his sample size as a catalyst for his study. All participants met the following criteria:
• Had working knowledge experience and were able to provide a rich description of the creative climate in their work environment;
• Were responsive and amenable to articulate emotions, reflections, insights, thoughts and open-mindedness (impartiality) on their experiences in the workplace;
• Participants stood a better chance of legitimately highlighting salient factors that could either enhance or stifle creativity at Thekwini FET College.
Once the sample size was established the researcher had to take cognisance of ethical issues discussed in the next section.