4.5 D ATA C OLLECTION P ROCESS
4.5.6 WhatsApp group discussions
The study implemented WhatsApp video call for focus group discussions. Each group consisted of 3 to 4 teacher participants. For the purpose of this study, this form of communication proved to be the most cost effective and convenient. Even though apps such as Zoom Rooms are designed for group calls, I considered teachers’ limited time, access to individual laptops, and Wi-Fi. Considering these factors, I decided that WhatsApp video call would be the most suitable, as it would be accessible to all the teacher participants; it could accommodate 2 to 8 individuals at a time; and it would use approximately 200 mb for a 45minute group discussion, as made known by my pilot test.
Furthermore, the online group discussions took place during school hours when teachers were able to avail themselves. When the sessions began, the teachers joined the call
individually via their cell phones, thus ensuring social and physical distancing. The venues were suitable for the engagement sessions, as the teachers were on break or having a free period, thereby leaving the rooms noise free. However, only a limited number of participants who contributed to individual interviews were able to attend the group discussions. This was purely due to time availability and work schedules in the school environment, as certain teachers had more free time than others.
In total, nine (9) teachers were able to contribute to the group discussions as they were familiar and comfortable with group video calls. Teachers from Eden Primary and Ale Primary were not mixed; this was done to ensure participant comfort as they would be speaking amongst colleagues. Altogether, 3 WhatsApp video call group discussions were held. Each group consisted of 3 participants. Group 1 was made up of teacher participants from Eden Primary (see Table 6); they were grouped together according to convenience. Groups 2 and 3 were teacher participants from Ale Primary (see Table 7); they were also grouped together according to convenience.
As with the individual interviews, I also attempted to achieve varied representation in the group discussions, but ultimately participation relied heavily on time availability.
Subsequently, there were no male participants in the WhatsApp video call group discussions.
The participants who contributed to the group discussions, together with the duration of the WhatsApp group discussion, are as indicated in the two tables below:
Table 4: Eden Primary WhatsApp video call group discussions
No Teacher participants
(Pseudonyms)
Number of participants
Duration of discussion
1 Sharon, Helen, Brenda 3 00.20.44
Table 5: Ale Primary WhatsApp video call group discussions
No Teacher participants
(Pseudonyms)
Number of participants
Duration of discussion
2 Jessica, Dorothy, Sandra 3 00.30.41
3 Deborah, Cynthia, Natalie 3 00. 26.55
Archibald et al., (2019) highlight the advantages of using communication technologies in qualitative research. The authors claim that online methods of data collection are more efficient, convenient, cost effective, and flexible. I noted these advantages during my study;
however, I also experienced challenges, such as managing and organising times when two or more teachers were available. Due to COVID-19 regulations, schools had implemented strategies such as the skeleton staff system, which means that the school environment had the minimum number of employees required to operate, or in other words, full staffing was not needed. This meant that schools did not have extra staff members (such as student teachers or parental aids) to assist with relief. This restriction made focus group discussions challenging as many teachers were not available to participate. Breen (2006) concurs that one disadvantage of online group discussions is gathering participants at a common time as well as managing them.
I experienced additional challenges with technology itself, in that poor connectivity resulted in participants asking for questions to be repeated. Archibald et al., (2019) concur with this, claiming that despite online methods being intuitive, there will always be some degree of difficulty with connectivity. Technical difficulties, including low Internet reception or outdated software, can pose a problem and cause frustration. There were instances during the WhatsApp group discussions where I had to pause the session to explain to participants how to turn on their cameras, as participants were not familiar with the video call function.
Despite these challenges, when participants were able to avail themselves and successfully connect, the group discussions proved to be valuable. The participants who did contribute to the group discussions were enthusiastic. They openly shared their views and voiced their opinion without any fear. All teacher participants who joined the video call were comfortable and outspoken, and even shared how their colleagues began addressing the topic in the staffroom with each person having their own ideas and beliefs.
The groups comprised three (3) individuals, and because of this, each person had sufficient time to voice their views/understanding. Participants took turns answering each question and used the answers of their colleagues to support their ideas. Ultimately, the interaction during the group calls were presented harmoniously. Since I conducted individual interviews prior to the group discussions, the participants were comfortable communicating with me, and this allowed them to share their viewpoints more openly.
The conversation continued to be relaxed and participants were at ease with me being present, which supressed any power struggles. Even though I was prepared to step in and
mediate, the climate created for the group discussions exhibited respect and patience. There was therefore no need to intervene. The three (3) sets of participants who contributed to the group discussions were put together conveniently, as the grouping was dependent on which teachers were available at a common time. The data collection process, which comprised telephonic semi-structured interviews with photo elicitation, and WhatsApp group discussions with vignettes, allowed for an in-depth exploration of the research phenomenon.
I will now go on to describe the data analysis process of the study.