Methodology is an on-going procedure carried out by the researcher to understand the phenomenon which is under study (Hesse-Biber & Leavy, 2011; Wertz, Charmaz, McMullen,
Josselson, Anderson & McSpadden, 2011). Corbin and Strauss (2008) define methodology as means and ways used by researchers to critically study social phenomena. From these writers I understand that methodology is about the various ways in which a phenomenon is understood. Methodology specifies how one gets the answers for the research questions.
Usually methodology, chosen for a study, is guided by the research questions. Naidoo (2012) asserts that, in qualitative research, questions like „why‟ and „how‟ are generally used.
However, Wertz et al. (2011) assert that in qualitative research, the researcher has the task to expose what happened, how it happened and most importantly, why it happens the way it does. This is to say I needed to register that my first research question tries to elicit responses from participants on how the remote rural ECD schools in Zimbabwe respond to resource demand; the second question focuses on the extent to which the responses address effective teaching and learning in ECD classes and the third one focuses on how the existing resource demand influences the remote rural ECD schools management. These research questions pertinent to the choice of the case study, proved to be the most appropriate methodology in getting answers.
Firstly, case studies are time-based, geographic, structural, organised and have other settings with confinements like boundaries drawn around the case; they can be described with reference to physical characteristics defined at personal and groups levels; and they can be defined by the roles that are played by people who participate in the study (Stake, 2006;
Merriam, 2009; Yin, 2014). From the same ideology Yin (2014) observes the case study method as a practical and first-hand investigation that explores an existing phenomenon within its real-life context.
These definitions express that case study research emphasises the investigation of an issue with clear parameters or boundaries around the problem. Case studies consider well established groups or organisations and time framework as integral characters in research processes. Through case study the research process is conducted in a structured organisation or institution where individuals have distinct roles and responsibilities to play. For instance, these cases are set in Zimbabwe, Masvingo province in Chiredzi and Zaka districts. This is further taken down to selected ECD schools in remote rural areas. In the schools, there are distinctive individuals who are playing specific roles, like the school heads, deputy heads and the TICs. Case studies give a clear line of operation, which allows for generalisation. Beyond reasonable doubt, case studies prove to be the most appropriate methodology for my study.
Secondly, case studies explore, present and give reports on the complex and vibrant events;
describing exchanges of words, human activities and other factors (Cohen, et al., 2011). This entails that, case study research carefully defines and clearly specifies what elements of the case are studied. Case studies clearly pinpoint the portion of the programme or other phenomenon which should be focused on by the investigation. For instance, in this study, it was the case of resource demand in remote rural ECD schools. This study was carried out directly in its actual life context by getting into the remote rural ECD schools to enquire how these schools respond to resource demand. This inquiry was targeted on the individuals and groups that are directly involved in leadership like the school heads, deputies and the TICs.
These school leadership teams are facing the upshots of resource demand in their leadership roles. They form the shielding team that are in positions to respond to resource demand;
hence could tell their life stories, their experiences and how they interpreted these experiences.
Thirdly, these case studies deal with typical situations of people in the natural settings, providing readers with an understanding of the ideas in a more clear way than presentations of theories or principles done in abstract terms (Cohen, et al., 2011). These case study contexts are distinctive and they can be different from one environment to the other; hence they explore, present and report the complicated vibrant and on-going events, human contacts and other factors in an exceptional way. For instance, each case was treated uniquely involving the participants concerned in the real situation, by way of talking to them, observing them while in the schools. Readers can get a clear picture on how remote rural ECD schools are responding to the demand for resources from this study.
4.4.1 Multiple case studies
As for this case of resource demand in remote rural ECD schools of Zimbabwe, it needed to be carried out in several of these schools. Hence, I decided to make use of a multiple case study as it is capable of providing insight and exploration into varied responses by school heads, deputy heads and the TICs. This helped me to get a representative sample that spoke for all stakeholders in remote rural ECD schools of Zimbabwe. The study was conducted at several sites with multiple cases considered to be examples of the same type of case sharing common characteristics (Hesse-Biber & Leavy, 2011; Lapan, Quartaroli & Riemer, 2012).
Multiple case studies provided me with the chances to cross-case analyse the data (Hesse- Biber & Leavy, 2011; Yin, 2014). This is because each school was taken to be an independent entity, it was treated as a case, hence a multiple case study. The multiple case study approach was applied to harness any features unique to individual schools as they respond to resource demand in order to promote effective teaching and learning in ECD.
Therefore, the case study design was seen as the most appropriate to achieve this goal.
This multiple case study enabled me to explore differences within selected schools and between individual participants. I examined several schools, to understand the similarities and differences between these schools and how they actually respond to resource demand.
Conducting the study at various schools that share common characteristics, the ECD schools in remote rural areas responding to resource demand, gave a clear picture and enough generalisation of the case. Although these site schools are located in remote rural areas, it was assumed that the experiences, beliefs and the responses they give to resource demand might be different/similar in one way or the other. Hence, multiple case studies offered me that leeway to cross examine the cases, within the schools and across schools.
Yin (2014) also asserts that, it is important to use many cases since this will provide some analytical benefits. With the same line of reasoning Yin (2014) continues to say that, studies that are considered convincing and robust by readers are usually conducted using multiple cases. Yin is considering the influence that is given to the findings by the number of cases studied. Data elicited from various cases can convince more than from a single case. This type of a design is associated with some advantages. As Merriam (2009) and Yin (2014) put it, rigorous qualitative case studies provide vast chances to researchers to investigate and explain a topic under study using several of data sources. Case studies allowed me to explore individuals or organisations (Merriam, 2009; Hesse-Biber & Leavy, 2011; Yin, 2014) using some complex interferences, relations, group of people, or software package and provide the deconstruction and the successive reconstruction of different phenomena. Yin (2014) and Merriam (2009) acknowledge another advantage saying that case studies provide its readers with highlights on understanding how ideas and abstract principles can fit together. These advantages add to what has been discussed earlier as benefits offered by the multiple case studies.
The fact that a certain method is considered appropriate is not enough to qualify it as an all- round methodology to use. Multiple case study methodology is also aligned with some demerits. Generally, case studies are extremely time consuming and expensive to conduct (Baxter & Jack, 2008; Merriam, 2009). Baxter and Jack further explain some of the difficulties that are attached to doing multiple case study research, like the need for physical and direct involvement through inter-personal relations between the researcher and the participants; situational costs in terms of time, travelling costs and materials, the need for using a variety of methods, instruments, sources as entities for triangulation; the lack of controls and the complications of different settings and time-based changes.
There is no way I could carry out a multiple case study research without physically visiting sites and talking to the people, which proved to be very costly. I made sacrifices and obtained some funding from my family so that I could visit all the schools sampled. Actually, I visited these schools twice, the first visit involved sampling and seeking consent and the second was for the actual data elicitation process. In this study, I must highlight that there was no compromise on the costs attached to the visits to those remote rural ECD schools. Doing research requires determination on the part of the researcher. This determination helped me get essential knowledge from these schools to answer my research questions.
In most cases, case study researchers become chaotic and permit confusing evidence on biased opinions to influence the course of the findings and conclusions (Yin, 2014). Yin further argues that, case study research is very difficult to conduct, regardless of the fact that most researchers consider it as a „soft‟ approach, the softer the research method, the more complicated it is to conduct. With the same argument, Bertram and Christiansen (2014) assert that, case study research reports are mere simplified descriptions of natural proceedings and the readers are anticipated to interpret and produce their own conclusions. Usually multiple case studies dilute, distort or exaggerate the overall analysis; thus the more the cases studied in a single research project, the greater the chances for misrepresentation of cases (Yin, 2014).
Despite laid out shortfalls of the multiple case study research above; it proved imperative for use in this research study. Though qualitative research is subjective in nature, I tried to guard
against all researcher predispositions. I took no sides in my research work, I accepted all that I heard and experienced. I worked from an inductive point of view. I used a number of data sources and multiple methods in order to corroborate the data. I wanted to ensure that this issue of resource demand was examined through various lenses which allowed for numerous mechanisms of the practices that should be exposed and realised. Data analysis was done ensuring credibility of data so that conclusions could be made by readers from the report and not their own deductions. The following section will provide great detail of the sample and sampling procedures used in this study.