School violence
3.3. The qualitative approach
This study adopted a qualitative methodology because it is concerned about understanding the effects of violence in schools rather than to test variables (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Qualitative methodology allowed me to collect rich and thick data with the aim of uncovering and understanding the dynamics of violence (Nieuwenhuis, 2007). The data generated used multiple sources that included interviews, observation and document reviews (Creswell, 2008).
Fraenkel & Wallen (2007) contend that qualitative research is conducted in a natural setting. In line with that, this study was conducted in two schools namely Alpha Primary School and Omega Primary School that served as the natural contexts where the participants were interviewed and observed. In addition, since qualitative research is dynamic in the sense that the initial plan may change during the process of research (Creswell, 2008) some aspects of the research project could have changed while the focus of this study did not change.
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To further substantiate the researcher’s adoption of engaging in the use of a qualitative research approach, reference is made to Fouche & Delport (2002, p.79) who state that the qualitative research paradigm in its broadest sense refers to research that elicits participants’ accounts of meaning, experience or perceptions.
I as the researcher explored how educators, learners, school governing bodies and support staff were coping with violence in their schools. This study drew on the interpretive paradigm. The reason for this is that the central aspects within the interpretive paradigm are “to capture the lives of the participants in order to understand and to interpret meaning” (Henning et al, 2004, p.19). This means that I tried to access the participants' personal thoughts and feelings about the topic. The researcher was interested in understanding their (participants) experiences, attitudes and behavior in dealing with violence at their schools. Therefore the interpretive paradigm was best suited to the study as the interpretive paradigm “assumes that reality is not objectively determined, but is socially constructed” (Nieuwenhuis, 2007, p.58). The underlying assumption was that by studying the participants in their social contexts, there was a greater opportunity for the researcher to access and understand their own experiences and perceptions. The researcher made an effort to gather as much of the true feelings, beliefs and ideals, experiences, thoughts and actions of the participants as possible, as suggested by McMillan
& Schumacher (2006, p.373).
Qualitative research was considered to be an appropriate approach for this study because it enabled the researcher to gain an understanding and insight into the challenges that educators and learners experience regarding acts of violent issues at school and into how this can be curtailed to foster a safe and conducive learning environment for all.
115 3.4. Research approach: Case study
According to Bromley (1990, p.302), a case study research is a systematic inquiry into an event or a set of related events which aims to describe and explain the phenomenon of interest. Yin (1984, p.23) defines the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident and in which multiple sources of evidence are used. From an interpretive perspective, the typical characteristic of case studies is that they strive towards a holistic understanding of how the participants relate and interact with one another in a specific situation and how they make meaning of a phenomenon under study (Niewenhuis, 2007, p.75).
The case study approach was used to gather the descriptive data that I required since this research study was located within a social and human setting namely the schools with all the stakeholders being people affected by violence. Henning (2004, p.36), states that the methodology used must have a
"goodness of fit". This view is further supported by Cohen et al (2007, p.253) who claims that a distinguishing feature of case studies is that human systems have a wholeness or integrity to them, rather than being a loose connection of traits necessitating an in-depth investigation. The focus was narrowed to a small number of learners, educators and members of the school governing bodies who provided me with data of this nature. Maree (2010, p.75) states that a case study is a bounded system (Merriman, 1988) and that it does not necessarily imply that one site is only studied (Schumacher & McMillan, 1989).
This case study involved an in depth analysis of the status quo of violence in each of the two schools selected.
An advantage of using a case study is that the data is ascertained directly from the source. Cohen & Manion (2008, p.253) state that case studies penetrate
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situations in ways that are not susceptible to numerical analysis. They list the strengths of case studies as:
the results are more easily understood by a wide audience as they are written in non-academic language
they speak for themselves
they catch unique features
they are strong on reality
they provide insights into other cases
they can be undertaken by a single researcher and can embrace and build in unanticipated events and uncontrolled variables.
Nieuwenhuis (2007, p.76) states that the key strength of the case study method is the use of multiple sources and techniques in the data gathering process. The researcher determines in advance what evidence to gather and what analysis techniques to use with the data to answer the research question.
According to Cohen & Manion (2008, p.253) the following weaknesses may prevail when using a case study:
The results generated may not be generalized.
They are not easily open to cross-checking hence they may be selective and subjective and they are prone to problems of observer bias (Cohen &
Manion, 2008, p.253).
As a researcher, I was aware of the limitations of the proposed designs. I intended to prevent these challenges from affecting the quality of the study by eliminating bias views. Cross-checking through triangulation assisted to validate the findings.