Data Analysis

As Creswell (2012) states, “There is no single, accepted approach to analysing qualitative data… it is an eclectic process” (p.238). The process of data analysis within this study involved a combination of a general inductive approach to analysis of data, and a template analysis approach. King (2004) suggests, and this researcher concurs, that “the discipline of producing the template forces the researcher to take a well-structured approach to handling the data, which can be a great help in producing a clear, organised, final account of the study” (p.268)

3.6.1 Phase One data analysis

In Phase One during the evaluation of the initial online environment design, transcriptions of participant interviews were annotated to highlight units of data which provided insights into the participant view of the intervention. These insights were developed into initial analysis codes inductively from the researcher’s immersion in the interview data. The codes were then grouped into categories within three themes arising from the data itself and the analytical perspectives employed in the research, namely environment design and development, communities of practice, and legitimate peripheral participation.

A template analysis approach was then applied to both the developer’s design narrative and the interview transcripts. The template included redeveloped initial codes, with codes relating to the theoretical lenses of legitimate peripheral participation and communities of practice. This

highlighted data which evidenced these constructs, and identified any of the elements which were not present in the data. All the template codes were defined and included descriptions and examples (see Appendix B: Phase One coding template).

These template documents, along with selected passages of interview transcripts, were shared with doctoral candidate colleagues to check for the reliability of the researcher’s coding through inter- rater reliability (King, 2004). Applying this peer reviewed template to analyse the data helped to ensure consistent coding. Coded data was entered into the NVivo qualitative analysis software package (QSR International Pty Ltd) for the organisation of units of data by code. Data within each code was analysed further and re-coded into between two and six sub-codes for each code. Quantitative data such as the logs of participants’ activities within the online environment were drawn upon to verify, or otherwise, the findings from the interview and design narrative data analyses. The themes drawn from the data ran across the coding categories and provided a framework within which the findings of this first phase of the research could be reported.

3.6.2 Phase Two and Three data analysis

In Phase Two meso-cycle one the interview data was again initially coded inductively to develop codes and themes which arose from the context and the experiences of the participants. A total of twenty four codes were drawn together under the six categories; simplicity, relevance, connection, value added, leadership and earthquakes.

Crabtree and Miller (1992) explain that “a preliminary codebook often is based on an initial conceptual model and / or a literature review” (p.99). The categories drawn from the data of this phase of the research were similar to those uncovered by Barbara Stuckey (2007) in her doctoral thesis on online communities. The basis of the template for the analysis of the data from this phase of the research was formed by the meta analysis framework of guidelines and principles within Stuckey’s (2004) paper on ‘good advice’. The codes which had been developed from the interview data were combined with codes drawn from Stuckey’s framework to create the template for the re- analysis of the data from interviews and the design narrative. King (2004) points out that “in qualitative template analysis, the initial template is applied in order to analyse text through the process of coding, but is itself revised in the light of the ongoing analysis” (p.259). In this phase of the research, the data helped to refine the template and the template supported the development of a matrix of strategies. The findings of this analysis and the matrix of strategies are reported in section 8.1.

In Phase Two meso-cycle two and Phase Three, data analysis was focussed on uncovering

information about the ways in which the online environment had supported the tutors’ professional development as they developed online classrooms for their clients. Crabtree and Miller (1992) indicated that “deciding on a particular analytical approach depends on the goals of the analysis and the stage of the research” (p.93), and the goals here were different. Analysis of the data began with sorting through the raw data to find a coherent way in which to tell the story of each participant’s experience in engaging with the online environment at this level of use. The quantitative data drawn from the environment itself was used more extensively to both support and verify the participants’ stories. These descriptions are reported in sections 5.2 and 5.3. Following the creation of clear descriptions of the participants’ experiences, further analysis was conducted using a template analysis approach. The template for analysis at this stage was developed from major ideas in the guiding theoretical text, Lave and Wenger’s (1991) Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral

participation (see Appendix C: Phase Three coding template). Data was coded using this template to investigate the extent to which this theoretical perspective was indicated within the ALEC context.

Crabtree and Miller (1992) emphasise that “while this process seems linear, the analyst must recall that constructivist inquiry is an iterative process, requiring continual interaction between collection and analysis of data” (p.97). In line with this iterative process, the coded data fed into the refining of the template, and the template led to the development of a model. The findings of this analysis and the model are reported in section 8.2.