CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
4.6 Sampling
94
• The multiple case study. This type of study enables the researcher to explore differences within and between cases. The goal is to replicate findings across cases”. (Yin, 2003).
For the purposes of this study, I am going to choose the descriptive case study for this research which will assist me to develop an understanding of a bounded system.
The main purpose of this research is to develop a better understanding of learning that takes place in Life Sciences cluster meetings. ‘Bounded system’ is the term used to define a focal point of study (Stake, 1995). The teachers and the MDoE management may use the results to gain a better sense of what their professional development model looks like from an outsider’s point of view and may even adapt their policies moving forward.
95 by about four households. There is one clinic that services a population of 34,593 (Statistics SA, 2011). It is among the circuits that are generally performing well in the province. There are 655 teachers in the district with 21 Life Sciences teachers, who teach Grades 8-12, in Skhomo circuit. Some of them teach more than one grade, while the fortunate ones only teach Grade 12.The circuit has 22,235 learners, with the highest number of learners in Grade 1 and the lowest number in Grade 12.
I used purposeful sampling to select the kind of people who will be relevant to provide the information I was looking for. Babbie (2007) describes purposeful sampling as a type of a sample based on the researcher’s judgement. According to de Vos et.al (2005), the researcher has to first critically think about the parameters of the population and, then, accordingly choose the sample. The sample may represent diverse contexts on an issue. I argue that the sample that I have selected represents diverse perspectives on teacher learning taking place in subject clusters. They vary from office-based staff to teachers that are my unit of analysis. Using purposeful sampling, I used the following criteria to identify 13 respondents: (a) the provincial official responsible for overseeing the delivery of the curriculum in Life Sciences subject in the province; (b) the district subject advisor, who is an extension of the provincial office and ensures effective curriculum delivery at district level; (c) the cluster leader who is a link between teachers and the province/district and has the major responsibility of coordinating the cluster meetings; and (d) the teachers who are members of the cluster.
I selected a sample of participants from the different categories of those that are responsible for the coordination of teacher clusters and the members of the Life Sciences cluster. The information was gathered through interviewing some members of the cluster from various schools. It was a diverse group of novices and those who have been in the field for a long time. They are teachers of Grades 10-12 learners.
This type of sample is based entirely on my judgment, in that a sample is “composed of elements that contain the most characteristic, representative or typical attributes of the population” (Singleton et al., 1998, p. 153). de Vos (2005, p. 202) observes that in this type of sampling the individual researcher knows the population fairly well and how they manage their performance. Their characteristics are crucial in ensuring that the research questions are answered. In purposive sampling, people or other units
96 are chosen, as the name implies, for a particular purpose. The individuals are believed to be typical of the population being studied and this also includes the individuals from a population deemed to be resembling the characteristics of the whole (Leedy & Ormrod, 2005; Punch, 2005; Daview, 2007).
The sample of this study was 13 departmental employees who included one provincial head, 1 district CI and 11 teachers (which includes the cluster leader). The school-based employees are the teachers from four public Secondary schools and two private Secondary schools in the circuit and are part of the Life Sciences cluster.
The thirteen people are a diverse group with regards to gender, age, position in their workplaces, and teaching experience. However they all teach in Grades 10 – 12.
97 INTERVIEWEE GENDER AGE RACE QUALIFICA-
TION
MAJOR SUBJECT
SUBJECT TEACHING
GRADES EXPERIENCE
Slhoqo Female 45-55 African Postgraduate Degree
Biology Life Sciences 10 & 12 7 years
Makutu Female 45-55 African Postgraduate Degree
Biology Life Sciences 12 20 years
Ziduli Male 25-35 African Higher
Diploma in Education
Biochemistry &
Biology
Life Sciences 12 7 years
Pharara Female 25-35 African B. Ed Life Sciences Life Sciences 10 & 11 2 years
Bume Male 25-35 African Matric N/A Life Sciences &
English
12 3 years
Marhoza Male 25-35 African B. Ed Life Sciences Life Sciences 10 & 11 3 years
Duke Male 25-35 African BSc
Environmental Sciences
Life Sciences Life Sciences 10 & 12 7 years
98
Banonge Female 35-45 Indian BSc & B. Ed Biology Life Sciences 12 17 years
Neo Female 25-35 African B. Ed Life Sciences Life Sciences 10 3 years
Yeye Female 25-35 African BSc
Environmental Studies
Life Sciences Life Sciences - 10 SiSwati - 8 Creative Arts - 8
8, 9 & 10 2 years
Nxonxo Male 25-35 African B. Ed Life Sciences Life Sciences 10 & 12 4 years
Mbinzi Male 55+ African MSc Biology Biology and Life
Sciences
10 - 12 and Teacher
Training College
13 years
Punky Female 45-55 African BA Ed
B. Ed Advanced Diploma in Biology
Biology Biology
&
Life Sciences
10 - 12 and Teacher
Training College
23 years
Figure 6 A profile of the respondents that were interviewed for this study.
99 The Skhomo cluster has predominantly African Life Sciences teachers. It is a mixture of teachers in regard to age, educational background and teaching experience. The curriculum implementer has the longest experience. Some teachers are novices and a few of them are above 45 years old with more than 10 years teaching experience.
Those who have more than 10 years, when they were students did Biology and all those who have less than five years’ experience in the sector majored in Life
Sciences. One of the teachers teaches without a professional certificate. He only has matric and teaches Grade 12 learners. This teacher is based in a private school, as it is a rare situation for a public school to have a mactriculant teaching Grade 12
learners.
According to Babbie and Mouton (2001, p. 28) “we continuously interpret, create and give meaning to, define, justify and rationalise our actions”. The selection of the key people within these communities was decided in terms of the level of their
involvement in particular phases of the teacher professional development coordination
The selection criteria were based on the roles and responsibilities that people play in the coordination of teacher clusters and, therefore, it is crucial to hear what they have to say regarding what obtains in their meetings. In choosing these respondents I did not experience any challenges, because they are my former colleagues and I have worked with them in the area of teacher development.