Classroom observations

The purpose of conducting classroom observations was to address the research questions below:

 What were the NQTs’ knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning at the start of their teaching careers?

 How did the NQTs’ knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning change in their first year of teaching?

 What factors influenced the changes in NQTs’ knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning?

The lessons were observed and video recorded. The purpose of the observations and video recordings was to examine the NQTs’ classroom practices and later to identify if there was any evidence of teachers' cognitive evolution during the process of teaching and learning in the classroom. Allwright and Bailey (1991) also agree that one of the main tools for classroom research is using classroom observations and recordings.

I had preliminary classroom observations for a week in the beginning of May 2015 about three or four months after the NQTs had been posted. This was to give them ample time to get used to the school environments. The aim of the consecutive observations and reflection cycles outlined below in Table 4.1 was to identify participants' common/typical practices and to profile their beliefs about teaching and learning that guided their classroom practices at the early stage of their teaching careers. My plan was to observe the participants on consecutive days for one week of instruction. For example, on Day 1, I would observe participants A and B; on Day 2, participants C and D; on Day 3, participants E and A; on Day 4, participants B and C; and on Day 5, participants D and E. The participants were interviewed at the end of each classroom observation session.

Each observation for a participant lasted approximately an hour, which was the standard time length of two English language lesson periods in the Malaysian primary school. The data collected would be beneficial for me to have an overview of their

classroom practices, before I moved on to the next phase of classroom observations. Creswell (2012) recommends the strategy of conducting multiple observations over time to obtain the best understanding of the site and individuals. The next phase of classroom observations took place over three months between May and July 2015. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the plan for classroom observations was altered (see Section 4.9 below, Data collection: challenges and opportunities).

The classroom observations were focused on specific themes. For the first two classroom observations, I used a semi-structured classroom observation schedule that was based on the training programme aims and dimensions, and elements listed in the 'Pedagogy Standards for English Language Teaching' (PSELT) developed by the British Council and the Ministry of Education Malaysia including a few elements taken from the ITE's formal practicum observation checklist, which had been piloted (refer to Appendix E: Classroom observation schedule). However, later on, I was open to unexpected situations and could include them in my data.

I adopted the participant observation approach, and my role was an observer-as- participant. According to Cohen et al. (2011), when the researcher’s role as an observer-as-participant is clear and overt, he/she is not a member of the group but may participate peripherally in the group’s activity. Bailey (as cited in Cohen et al., 2011) highlights several inherent advantages in this participant observation approach, which include “the ability to discern ongoing behaviour as it occurs and make appropriate notes about its prominent features; and researchers can develop more intimate and informal relationships with those they are observing in more natural environments since case study observations take place over an extended period of time” (p.298).

In this study, I video-recorded the teachers’ lessons and took field notes during the observations to cross-check the data as a means of data triangulation. The data were also used as prompts for the post-observation interviews. During the initial stage of classroom observations, the students were very curious and at times excited when they saw ‘strangers’ in their classroom, which was interesting to observe. Although my participants had informed them earlier about me and my role in their classroom, some of them were still curious and eager to know what I was doing at the back of the classroom.

Table 4.1 below shows the initial schedule for classroom observations. Each NQT or

each case is represented by a letter. For example, A refers to NQT A. In total, there would be 20 classroom observations at the end of three months, excluding the preliminary classroom observations, and four classroom observations for each NQT within these three months. The plan would allow me adequate time to observe, interview, and prepare between observations. The NQTs would not be observed too frequently to avoid interfering with their challenging role as new teachers and creating an unnecessary burden for them.

Table 4.1: Classroom observation schedule

TEACHER MONTHS

May (Week 1) May June July

A Preliminary classroom observations (PCO), Days 1 & 3

Week 2 Weeks 2, 4

Week 2

B PCO, Days 1 & 4 Week 2 Weeks 2,

4

Week 3

C PCO, Days 2 & 4 Week 3 Week 2 Weeks 1,

3

D PCO, Days 2 & 5 Week 3 Week 3 Weeks 1,

4

E PCO, Days 3 & 5 Week 3 Week 3 Weeks 2,

4 *School holidays- May (Week 4) & June (Week 1)

However, as mentioned earlier, due to unforeseen circumstances, the initial schedule was revised to include two phases of classroom observations: (i) April-May 2015, and (ii) August-September 2015. Table 4.2 below shows the actual number of classroom observations and the number of observations conducted. The advantage of having to change from my initial planning was that I was able to see and identify how the participants’ beliefs changed. This might have not been possible to see (the change of beliefs) if I were to observe them continuously as suggested initially in the study (i.e. to observe continuously for three consecutive months).

Table 4.2: Classroom observations conducted

April May August Sept Total

Joanna 3 1 2 - 6 Alice 2 1 2 1 6 Salina 1 1 2 2 6 Erni 2 1 3 1 7 *Nur 2 3 2 - 7 10 7 11 4 32

*Nur- Findings not reported in this thesis (see Section 4.5.4)