According to Vaismoradi, Turunen and Bondas (2013), in an event of identifying, analysing and reporting themes gathered from the data, the use of thematic analysis comes in which is a qualitative and descriptive approach. With the data generated from the study at hand, thematic analysis gives allowance to the researcher to be able to draw understandings reliably explains (Alhojailan, 2012). Furthermore, thematic analysis is described as a qualitative analytic method for identifying, analysing and identifying patterns (within) the data. Thematic analysis also helped in analysing some aspects of the data collected. Thematic analysis suited my study as it is qualitative in nature.
The first step during data analysis was to familiarising myself with data and transforming data to written text by transcribing interviews. Therefore, to become familiar with the collected data, I listened to all tapes several times. To make analysis more manageable, all interviews were fully transcribed verbatim. After transcribing and typing up the interviews, I started to read through data to familiarise myself with the data. The second step was to allow the themes to emerge from the data by applying line by line coding. Therefore, a process of open coding was used followed by clustering of specific themes. Open coding is “the process of breaking down, examining, comparing, conceptualising and categorising data” (Strauss & Corbin, 1990, p.61). By engaging with thematic analysis, it allowed for the study to be broken down into simpler themes of text that can be certainly understood. Thereafter, categories of analysis were drawn; data was organised into categories that made it easy to identify any relationship among different aspects and themes that emerged from the participants’ responses. Data was then coded and categorised into themes.
3.8 TRUSTWORTHINESS AND RELIABILITY
The knowledge of how data was collected and how were conclusions reached is a crucial aspect in the trust of data in research. Lincoln, Guba and Schwandt (2007) referred to trustworthiness as whether the findings are worth paying attention to. This transformed to whether the data reported was credible, transferable, dependable and confirmable. Lincoln, Guba and Schwandt (2007) described four strategies to assess the trustworthiness of a particular study. They are:
3.8.1 Credibility
Credibility alludes to confidence in the truth of the data and the interpretation thereof. Activities that enhanced credibility included repeated study, reading and re-reading of text. In my study,
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credibility was assured through the use of face-to-face interviews, which also support by use of audio records made during interviewing.
3.8.2 Dependability (replicability)
Dependability is a further criterion listed by Lincoln, Guba and Schwandt (2007) to establish the trustworthiness of the study. This required an audit. The enquiry auditor usually a peer followed the procedure used by the researcher in the study to determine whether they were acceptable and dependable. The dependability of this study ensured that results were consistent during data collection, analysis and interpretation. My peer educators who have Masters in Education qualifications, determined through auditing whether the processes and procedures I conducted were acceptable. They did so by looking if I had been careless or made minor mistakes in conceptualising the study, collecting the data, interpreting the findings and report writing.
3.8.3 Conformability (objectivity)
Conformability guarantees that the findings, conclusions and recommendations are supported by the data and that there was internal agreement between the investigator’s interpretation and the actual evidence. Conformability was also enhanced by an audit trail which often entailed safe storing of raw data interview tapes, transcripts and field notes. During interviews, I recorded all responses rather than writing notes. I ensured that the interviewees from the face- to-face interviews were comfortable during the interview so that responses to the questions would be accurate as possible. In this study, peer educators were used to audit conformability through reviewing interview transcripts. This ensured that conclusions drawn were supported by relevant data.
3.8.4 Transferability (external validity)
Transferability referred to the ability to apply the findings in other contexts or to other participants. The qualitative researcher is not interested in generalising the findings, but rather in outlining data from face-to-face interviews within the specific contexts in which they occur. This can be addressed by collecting, analysing and cross-checking data from multiple sources in order to address a particular question. The audio-recordings from the interviews were transcribed and consolidated. As the main reason for the interviews with the teacher’s was to get their point of views on the quality of Business Studies textbooks and to probe for other arising concerns associated with textbook quality.
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3.9 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Strydom (1998, p.24) defines ethics as an individual’s or a group’s suggested set of ethical principles and was successively widely accepted, which dealt with rules and developmental expectations about what conduct was most correct towards investigational subjects and defendants. Nonetheless, all ethical considerations required by the University of KwaZulu- Natal regarding this sort of research have been observed.
Permission: A presentation and submission of the research proposal was done to the University
of KwaZulu-Natal (Research and Ethics Committee) prior to data collection to be approved ethical clearance as a researcher. Permission from the gatekeepers of the schools, which were the principals, was also requested and granted; also, a permission letter was given to the district office. As means of gaining participant access, I ensured to pay the principals as the gatekeepers of the schools a visit to enlighten them about my research project with was initially done telephonically. Upon the gatekeepers’ responses, the participants were informed of the details of my study. Permission to conduct research in KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education Pinetown District schools was assessed by myself at the Department of Basic Education head office.
Informed consent: An approval letter to conduct in schools was handed to the principals of
the schools by myself. Business Studies teachers as participants were handed a detailed description of the study. As the main participant, a written and signed approval letter as a form of informed consent was attained. The participants have rights to voluntary participation, confidentiality, anonymity and to decline to participate or to be removed from the study at any time was ensured.
Anonymity: Confidentiality was ensured by using pseudonyms e.g. teachers’ names were
changed to “Nandi, Nelly, Zinhle, Nonhle, and Muhle”. Protection of participants was ensured as the research document did not require any personal details however coding was to be used.
Confidentiality: the use of the data obtained from this study was restricted to the purpose of
this research project and only those access, such as the researcher and the markers (supervisor), were granted this. The accessibility of the data such as transcripts and tape recordings were
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assured of being kept confidential among the above-mentioned individuals. All work taped was saved in memory stick secured with a password. At the end, after the data has been used and the research project has been completed, the interviews recorded were demolished and the transcripts were shredded.