D ATA COLLECTION

The emergent design of this study made it circular in nature, with the processes of sampling, data collection and partial analysis being simultaneous and interactive, rather than occurring in discrete sequential steps (Mc Millan & Schumacher, 1993:374; Creswell, 2012:145). As described in the previous section, three different methods of data collection were incorporated in various phases of this study.

Before any data collection may occur, permission from various role players is essential. This involved gaining permission from the Department of Education and from the school itself (Appendix I and Appendix ii). Once the researcher was given access to the

70 research site, research participants were identified and permission from participants gained (Mack et al. 2005:52; Silverman, 2010:416).

3.3.3.1 DEVELOPMENT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE

The research focus of this study “Adolescents’ perspectives of discipline problems at a Secondary School in Gauteng” sparked many subtopics to be investigated. The questionnaire, comprising both structured and unstructured questions (Tuckman & Harper, 2012:254) as described in the previous section, was divided into the following sections:

- Possible reasons for learner misbehaviour.

- Effectiveness of the current discipline system and possible improvements. - Effectiveness of various punitive measures currently employed by the school. - The effect of poor discipline on learners.

Each section comprised of various questions based on research findings of the literature study (Chapter 2) as well as data collected during the entry phase, i.e. internal documents.

3.3.3.2 PROCESS REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRES

It was decided that the Grade 10 learners would be an ideal group to respond to the questionnaire as they have had a deal of exposure to the system in question and still have an invested interest in implementing possible future changes. This made them a rich data source (Mack et al. 2005:27; Bryman, 2012:415). Information sheets, consent forms and assent forms were handed out to all Grade 10 learners (Appendix v; Appendix vi and Appendix vii).

Those learners who returned the consent forms were then grouped together for one session in order to conduct the questionnaire. Again each learner was informed of the purpose, procedure and voluntary nature of the study. They were informed about confidentiality and to avoid intimidation, were instructed to leave their questionnaires on their desks when they had completed them rather than to hand them in to the researcher. Each learner was given a questionnaire which was read through together with the researcher. Any questions that arose were clarified. Learners were thanked

71 again for their participation. Learners were then given an hour to complete the questionnaire and were allowed to leave the venue as soon as they had finished. Questionnaires were collected by the researcher at the end of the session. This data was then recorded, coded and categorised to find common themes and patterns.

3.3.3.3 DEVELOPMENT OF FOCUS GROUP GUIDELINES

Focus groups are especially effective for capturing information about social norms and the variety of opinions or views within a population (Flick, 2014:242). Focus groups as a means of data collection was chosen based on these advantages.

The focus group discussions were intended to shed light on some of the responses given in the questionnaires. As such, the focus group guidelines were designed in much the same manner as the questionnaire and covered the same broad topics; however, the questions put forward were not as direct or structured (Appendix ix). The groups were given broader topics to discuss rather than specific questions and in this manner the importance of the subtopics became evident.

I conducted two sessions which were divided into two main topics. The first session dealt with the overall perception of the current discipline system, as well as possible reasons for learner misbehaviour. The second session dealt with the current discipline system and its weaknesses, as well as the strengths and weakness of certain strategies used to maintain discipline in a classroom. In closing we discussed briefly the improvements that could be made to such a system.

3.3.3.4 PROCESS REGARDING CONDUCTING THE FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS

After gaining permission to conduct research at the secondary school, information sheets, and consent and assent forms were handed out to all the members of the Representative Council of Learners at the secondary school. The researcher then arranged with the RCL coordinator to organise an afternoon during one of the RCLs scheduled meetings to conduct the focus group discussions with those members who had given consent (in this case all RLC members).

At the start of the session the purpose of the research and procedure were explained. Learners were instructed to respect privacy and confidentiality and were asked not to

72 speak outside of the group. In order to protect anonymity, learners were asked not to refer to anyone by name during the discussion. This anonymity extended to participants, other learners and educators. Participants were also instructed to talk one at a time and the process was controlled by the researcher who addressed each participant individually.

The researcher used the focus group guidelines (Appendix ix) to create a power point presentation of topics to be discussed (Appendix xi). This served only as a guide of topics covered in each session. The researcher introduced topics by asking open-ended questions which sparked discussion and debate amongst the participants (Denzin & Lincoln, 2011:545). Brief notes were taken of salient features of the discussion and the sessions were recorded to be transcribed and analysed at a later stage.

Typed transcripts were the most utilised form of focus group data. During the data analysis phase of the research, after data collection, transcripts were coded according to participants’ responses to each question and/or to the most salient themes emerging across the set of focus groups (Mack et al. 2005:54; Silverman, 2010:439).

3.3.3.5 DEVELOPMENT OF OPEN INTERVIEW GUIDELINES

The in-depth interview is a technique designed to elicit a vivid picture of the participant’s perspective on the research topic. The researcher’s interviewing techniques are motivated by the desire to learn everything the participant can share about the research topic. Researchers engage with participants by posing questions in a neutral manner, listening attentively to participants’ responses, and asking follow-up questions and probes based on those responses (Mack et al. 2005:29; Bryman, 2012:468).

The informal conversational and interview guideline approaches were adopted in order to ensure that relevant topics were covered without compromising the natural course of events (Tuckman & Harper, 2012:254). Again guidelines were composed before conducting the interview.

73 These guidelines were the same as the topics and questions posed to the focus groups. The topics of concern included:

- Possible reasons for behavioural problems in learners.

- The effectiveness of the current discipline system and possible improvements. - The effectiveness of strategies used to maintain classroom discipline

3.3.3.6 PROCESS REGARDING THE CONDUCTING OF THE INTERVIEW

After gaining permission to conduct research at the secondary school, the researcher had to identify the “expert” in the research field. The interviewee was chosen based on experience in the field and the quality of the information that could be provided. The principal was identified as a rich source of information as he had been in the role of educator, management and parent. The interview took place at the secondary school in question. During in-depth interviews, the person being interviewed was considered the expert and the interviewer was considered the learner (Mack et al. 2005:29; May 2011:131). The interviewee was informed of the purpose of the research and the procedure to be followed and was then asked to participate. Before the interview could be conducted consent in writing was required and an interview date was set. This gave both the researcher and the interviewee time to prepare.

On the day of the interview the interviewee was again reminded of the nature of the research, voluntary nature of the interview, confidentiality and recording. The interviewer conducted the interview using the interview guidelines discussed above. The interview was approximately one hour in duration. The researcher made use of notes as well as recordings which were transcribed and analysed.