The data that were audio-recorded were first transcribed using the “verbatim principle” (Stringer, 2008:99). This principle encourages the use of the exact words that the respondents actually said in the conversations. The data were then coded and analysed in relation to the teachers’ use of the curriculum materials -mathematics textbooks in this case (Remillard, 2005).
Unit of analysis
In qualitative data analysis it is necessary to do content analysis in order to reduce the amount of text arising from responses to open-ended questions. To begin with, the researcher identified an appropriate unit of analysis, which is the smallest block of text to examine. He chose “individual teacher” as the unit of analysis. The data were then arranged in such a way that each teacher’s responses to each interview question were put together, but each teacher’s responses were kept separate.
The first stage of the interview and the analysis of the lesson observation data were data- reduction and management, and it involved sorting the data into categories. The categories were
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developed prior to the gathering of all the data, and were based on the research questions, as follows:
the extent of use of the mathematics textbook;
the ways the teachers used the mathematics textbook; why the teachers used the textbook like that;
problems experienced in the use of the textbook;
the teachers’ use of resources other than the Step in New Primary Mathematics Grade 7 textbooks;
why some teachers did not use this mathematics textbook; and
how these textbooks impacted on the teaching and learning of mathematics.
The units were classified into categories (for example, assigning homework, the frequency of textbook use, textbook errors) in such a way that each unit belonged to a single category. These categories formed the basis for coding, using terms that expressed the nature of the information in a category, and descriptive accounts to give meaning to the data.
The responses from the open-ended questions on the questionnaire and the lesson observation data were treated in the same manner as the interview data. The closed-ended questions on the questionnaire were coded and analysed, using the SPSS computer programme. SPSS was used to determine the levels of teachers’ agreement on the questionnaire items, on a 6-point Likert scale (see section 3.3.1). Chireshe (2006) used Babbie’s (1992) definition of coding as the process of transforming raw data into a standardised and quantitative form. The collected data were converted into numerical codes, and each point on the Likert scale was assigned a score. The descriptive statistical analysis included the use of tabulations, graphs, and the computation of frequencies and percentages.
Data analysis for an evaluative study involves description, explanation and judgement (Chikuya, 2007). In concurrent mixed methods the data collected from the different methods have to be reported in an integrated manner. Creswell and Plano Clark (2011) recommended the merging of data, a process of integration which combines the qualitative data in the form of texts, with the
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quantitative data in the form of numeric information. In this study integration was achieved by reporting the results together, first the quantitative, statistical results were reported in tabular form, qualified by descriptions based on the interviews and lesson observations. The data were interpreted in the context of the theories, models and findings from recent studies on textbook use, as discussed in chapter 2.
3.9 SUMMARY
The research methodology was described in this chapter. In order to answer the research question, lesson observations, semi-structured teacher interviews and questionnaires were deemed suitable tools to gather the necessary data. The pilot study helped to refine the research instruments and to enhance the process of data collection for the main study. Stratified sampling was used in order to ensure equal representation of rural, peri-urban and urban participants from Mashonaland East Province. Concurrent collection of the quantitative and qualitative data was done, and this helped to maximise on the use of the researcher’s limited time. There was full compliance with research ethics at all stages of the study.
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THE ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
4.1 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this chapter is to present, analyse and discuss the findings from the study that sought to evaluate the use of the Step in New Primary Mathematics Grade 7 textbooks by teachers in the Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
In this chapter, the researcher reports on the findings from the questionnaires, the interviews with the teachers and lesson observations. The lesson observations were done for triangulation purposes. The teachers’ demographic information is presented first, in Table 4.2. The rest of the findings are reported in section 4.3, under the 3 research questions.
The study was guided by the following research questions:
1. In what ways do grade 7 teachers use the Step in New Primary Mathematics Grade 7 textbooks in their teaching?
2. What factors influence how the grade 7 teachers use the mathematics textbooks?
3. What impact has the use of the Step in New Primary Mathematics Grade 7 textbooks had on the teaching and learning of mathematics?