Data Collection Instruments

I used two sources for data collection: in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews and a questionnaire in order to gain deep understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. Proponents of qualitative research methods emphasize using a range of methods in order to get deep insight into the phenomenon (Grix, 2004:125, Cresswell, 2009).

Additionally, field notes were taken while conducting data collection. Gorard and Taylor (2004:5) consider field notes as a source of ‘fascinating’ and ‘useful’ information that may help the researcher in developing a better understanding of the topic being studied.

A researcher would, presumably, not dream of claiming that [field notes], or the penciled comments on the margins of a form, were of no use… Similarly, in conducting interviews with head teachers one would not refuse to accept a school brochure of exam results offered during the interview, or some school statistics sent on after an interview. … Once on the road to conduct research, everything is potentially informative and the researcher becomes a ‘Hoover’ of data, as far as possible.

(Gorard and Taylor, 2004:5) Gorard and Taylor, believe that it would be unwise to ignore any extra information that the respondents offer while interacting with the researcher. Once the process of a research study starts every piece of information that could help in answering the research questions is to be considered important. Gorard (2004:5) finds it “difficult to imagine why anyone would do anything very different”.

6.7.1. Questionnaire

The questionnaire was designed especially for this study (See: Appendix A). It was an important part of the research process to articulate the questionnaire items that could help in collecting the kind of data that was desired. The rigour of the questions was checked for their ability to elicit answers to the research questions in an unbiased way. Moreover, peers who were conducting research in similar topics were also consulted. P iloting of the questionnaire (Discussed in Section 6.8) also helped in establishing the trustworthiness of the study.

6.7.1.1. Design of the Questionnaire

The final version of the questionnaire, which was used for this study, consists of three parts. The first section consists of 8 items to collect personal details of the respondents about age, gender, level of education and academic rank by asking closed questions. The second part comprises 19 open-ended items deigned to collect the responses of the participants. The t hird section comprised 7 closed items. The responses of the participants about these items were collected on a five points Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (SD) to strongly agree (SA).

Using a questionnaire while conducting social research might improve efficiency (Dunne et al., 2005:43). “First, they are seen as time and cost effective as they provide the potential to include many more respondents than would be possible through interviews” (p.43).

6.7.1.2. Themes covered by the questionnaire

The following areas are covered in the questionnaires.

The levels and extent of teachers’ involvement in the process of implementing changes.

Channels used to communicate instructions/suggestio ns for new practices Teachers’ perceptions about the changes being implemented

Teacher Satisfaction: Workload, Environment and Profession

Availability of opportunities for professional development of the teachers Types of training available to the teachers

Teachers’ perceptions about the effectiveness of the available training opportunities Types of trainings that teachers desire

6.7.2. Inte rvie ws

Interviews for research purposes could be conducted in different ways. Dunne et al(2005:28) identify five continua that may guide the researcher in deciding the kind of interview process appropriate for her/his particular situation. These are:

6.7.2.1. Formal – Informal

Formal interviews are planned interviews conducted to get information from the informant which are usually recorded for in-depth analysis. In this type of interviews both the researcher and the respondents are willingly participating in the interview to generate data (Hatch, 2002a:94). According to Dunne et al (2005:28) interviews may not always be strictly formal or strictly informal depending on their purpose. The interviews conducted for this current study are considered formal because they were preplanned with certain leading questions in mind before going for the interviews. Moreover, they were mostly conducted in educational institutes in the offices of the respondents. However, a frank and friendly tone was deliberately set for the interviews to make sure that the respondents feel at ease and share their views openly. Informal interviews are unstructured interviews mostly used as a strategy in observational research (Hatch, 2002a:92) while formal interviews could be in-depth structured as well as semi-structured interviews (:94).

6.7.2.2. Structured - Unstructure d

The interviews in which the researcher has a predefined structure that is strictly followed throughout the interview are considered structured interviews. In semi-structured interviews although the research has guiding questions before coming to the interview, follow up questions that arise while conducting the interview are also discussed (Hatch, 2002a:94). Semi-structured interviews “are designed ahead of time but are modified as appropriate for each participant”(Adler and Clark, 2011:268). Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data for this study because it provided the opportunity to collect subjective opinions, interpretations, and experiences of the English language teachers relating to the recent changes at higher education level in Pakistani universities. Using semi- structured interviews for my study was considered suitable because it (1) enabled the interviewees to express their feelings and experiences freely without having to follow a set pattern of items and (2) it also allowed me to ask questions in a flexible fashion adding more depth to the information already collected through questionnaires. This compensates the possible shortcomings of the questionnaire if any.

6.7.2.3. Individual - Group

Hatch (2002a:131) recommends group interviews for collecting supplementary data in cases where other qualitative data collecting tools are used as primary source of data. These are used to enrich the data already acquired through other means. Interviews were used as one of the main tools for collecting data for this study, therefore, participants were interviewed individually to allow uninterrupted follow-up questions about the emerging themes that were considered useful.

6.7.2.4. One-off - Sequential

Research data could be collected by one off interviews with a number of participants or by interviewing the respondents multiple times. Multiple sequential interviews are often conducted in longitudinal studies (Adler and Clark, 2011:268). For this study it was not deemed necessary to conduct sequential interviews because it is a cross-sectional study and interviews are conducted in addition to a questionnaire for rich data collection. Dunne et al (2005:28) asserts that practical aspects like the availability of time, finances, the number of the respondents, may be considered while deciding the interview procedures. Due to workload and the busy schedule of the respondents and the time constraint it was considered impractical to request for multiple interviews. Moreover, I was traveling to Pakistan for data collection while conducting this study with the help of my supervisors in the United Kingdom, which contributed to the decision of one off interviews.

6.7.2.5. Confidential – Unconfidential (Private)

Qualitative researchers often promise confidentiality of the data collected though consent forms. However, due to the nature of a research study, where almost always data is collected for publishing, 100 % confidentiality of the data is not possible(Dunne et al., 2005:34, Seidman, 2006:70). What, according to Seidman, could be achieved is the unanimity of the respondents. For this study, it was conveyed to the respondents multiple times, at different stages, that the recorded interviews would be used for academic purposes. They were also informed that their identities would remain confidential and there would be no reference to their identities at any time while conducting this study.

6.7.2.6. Inte rvie w Procedure

Participants were contacted through emails and phone calls where possible. In other cases they were contacted through their department administration if their emails or telephonic contact details were not available. After receiving verbal/email consents of the respondents who were willing to participate in the study, an envelope was provided to them containing the questionnaire, along with a plain language statement explaining the study (Appendix D), participant consent form (Appendix C), and a request to participate in interviews at a later stage of the study. Upon receiving the completed questionnaires, the candidates who showed willingness to be interviewed were once again contacted.

Before conducting interviews with the participants at the scheduled time, the purpose of the study in both oral and written forms (providing an information sheet) was explained to them again. The interviewees were explicitly informed that their participation in the study was voluntary and they could withdraw from the study at any time. It was also conveyed to them that their identity and responses will be kept confidential and used only for research purposes. This is called external confidentiality and it is one of the core ethical principle for researchers (Tolich, 2004).

It was decided to conduct all interviews in the English language because the participants of this study are teaching English language at a university level and they were assumed to have appropriate skills in English language to be able to express their views. A pilot study that was conducted while designing the questionnaire also strengthened my assumption that the respondents have adequate English language skills to participate in this study using English language. A good level of competence was exhibited by the respondents of the pilot study. In order to remain consistent during all interviews, I used an interview schedule (see Appendix B). The interview schedule included open-ended questions to get the in-depth views of the English language teachers about recent educational changes introduced in their universities and the effects of different factors on the implementation of these changes. This interview protocol was used as a guideline and for the purpose of enriching the data relevant questions arising at the time of the interviews were also asked. The average length of the interviews was approximately 30 minutes.

6.7.2.7. Issues related to interviewing

For conducting interviews, I personally visited the prospective participants in their offices in most cases. Upon personally meeting the respondents who volunteered for interviews, I once

again explained that the aim of the study was to investigate the recent educational changes at Higher Educational level in Pakistan with specific focus on the role of English language teachers and their perceptions and practices. Moreover, I also offered to answer any question that they might have about the research. Within a few minutes they verbally agreed/disagreed to participate in the interview for this study. After getting their permission for audio recording of the interviews I recorded their responses with the help of a digital recorder. Consent of the participants to record the interviews and for their use for academic research was acquired prior to the interviews to meet the ethical requirements of conducting this research. Other ethical issues considered while conducting this study are discussed later in this chapter in further detail.

Keeping the aim of this study in mind, I conducted interview face-to-face because it increases the chances of high response rate for a study (Grix, 2004). It also enables the interviewer to gauge the body language of the interviewees which might be helpful in decoding and interpreting the verbal messages (if any) of the respo ndents. It helped me judge on two occasions that the interviewees were distracted (once by constantly receiving text messages on a phone and once by a visitor). I offered a pause in the interviews and on both the occasions the offer was accepted and a short break was taken. Consequently, it facilitated me in conducting interviews in a relaxed environment and to get a deep insight into their perceptions.

Two of the respondents also offered to volunteer for the interviews if their interviews were not recorded. This shows that they had concerns that the authorities might somehow get access to their interviews and they might have to face the consequences in case the authorities did not agree with their thoughts. It was reminded to the participants both in writing and verbally that this data collection was for academic purposes only and their identities would remain anonymous throughout the research study. However, it seems that in some cases such assurances could not remove the concerns of the respondents. Furthermore, it could also be assumed that some of the respondents were not able to volunteer for the interviews due to workload and lack of time for participating in the interviews.