Conclusion drawing/verification Initial conclusions will be verified and

the validity will be examined through reference to existing field notes or further data collection or even critical discussions with colleagues at the institute.

At the first step of the above process, as described by Miles and Huberman (1994, cited in Mutch, 2003), the researcher transcribed the interviews leaving a column in the transcript for writing comments and tentative emerging themes (Bogdan & Biklen, 2003; Miles & Huberman,1994, cited in Mutch, 2003). A sample of interview transcript is in Appendix XIII. First the researcher began the analysis by familiarising herself with data and made notes about preliminary thoughts and ideas (Coffey & Atkinson, 1996; Kervin et al., 2006, cited in Jules, 2009). Then the researcher perused the document analysis over and over again and developed coding categories in order to organise the data collected through the interviews of particular university teacher educators who were teaching in this science and technology course. Then she was able to organise the data by developing sub categories by the comparing of the analysis of the course materials of the above science and technology course. As the next step, the important key points were identified through the themes and subcategories. Then the student responses from the questionnaire were summarised according to the data collection themes and the direct quotations were identified and highlighted under each category of above data collection themes. The interview data analysis was completed concurrently with the data analysis of student responses in order to draw conclusions. Samples of student responses are given in the Appendix XIV as the evidence for student responses.

3.11 Validity and Reliability

The notions of validity and reliability originate from the positivistic approach to research and traditionally these terms have been used in quantitative research. Strauss and Corbin wrote:

“.. the definitions of reliability and validity in quantitative research reveal Two strands: Firstly with regards to reliability whether the research is replicable. Secondly with regards to validity whether the means of measurement are accurate and whether they are actually measuring what they are intended to measure. However concept of Reliability and Validity are viewed differently by qualitative researchers who strongly consider concepts defined in quantitative terms as inadequate.” (p. 37)

Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2000) describe validity as a requirement for both quantitative and qualitative research and relate the idea of fitness of the purpose, which means whether the study will answer the research questions. Within qualitative designs the concepts of validity and reliability become modified or adapted to emphasise what is relevant and possible within such designs.

Harrison, Macgibbon and Morton (2001) have explored the trustworthiness of qualitative research in terms of “criteria of validity, credibility and

believability” (p. 334).

3.11.1 Trustworthiness and credibility

In respect of validity, trustworthiness is the key qualitative idea. It focuses on an overall assessment of whether the results can be trusted and understand to readers. Therefore in a qualitative paradigm , judgements about the quality of work are based on criteria such as credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). According to them the credibility and trustworthiness in qualitative research are established through data collection, analysis and reporting.

It is necessary to identify how credibility and trustworthiness are considered within this research. The credibility and trustworthiness of this research were established by:

 Data source triangulation.

 Giving voice to the participants when reporting findings (the use of quotations).

 Conducting the research in a systematic procedure.

3.11.1.1 Data Source triangulation

Triangulation, as it commonly understood and used, is the practice of multiple information of data collection. In other words, the use of multiple data sources to gain understanding of a phenomenon (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). In this research the data were obtained from three different sources. These sources were:

 Curriculum and policy documents which are available in New Zealand and Sri Lanka;

 Interviews with lecturers/teacher educators who were responsible for design and delivery of this particular course; and

 The questionnaire for the students who were taking the Science and Technology primary teacher education course.

3.11.1.2 Giving voice to the participants

According to Lincoln and Guba (1985), giving voice to the research participants when reporting findings is a way of establishing credibility of the research. In the data analysis the researcher used direct quotations from the interviews and the questionnaires and these quotations are included in Chapter 4 sections 4.3.2.1, 4.3.2.2, 4.3.2.3, 4.3.2.4, 4.3.2.5 and 4.3.3.

3.11.2.3 Conducting the research in a systematic way.

The Literature review provides an analysis of the underlying theory and identifies the theoretical framework for undertaking the research process. In addition to that, selecting the most appropriate methodology, developing valid and reliable instruments, conducting interviews and the other data gathering procedures in a systematic way and ethical consideration all impact on the judgment of credibility. Chapter 2 of this research provides the literature review

of the study and the sections 3.1 to 3.11 in this chapter describes step by step how the research has undertaken systematically.

3.12 Chapter summary

This chapter has outlined the research methods and procedures used in this study. Three different data collection sources and all the steps including ethical consideration are also described in this chapter. Then, the method of data analysis is discussed. In addition, trustworthiness and the credibility of this research are described.