Data analysis

Data analysis can be described as a process which separates things into ‘their component part\s’. It ‘involves the study of complex things in order to identify their basic elements’ (Denscombe, 2010, p.114). To this Thomas (2011) adds that there are many ways in which data can be analysed. Data analysis can be described as a process which is needed in order to discover useful information whilst Thomas (2011) describes the analysis as the most ‘important and enjoyable part’ of the case study project (p.192). As has been previously explained, data were collected throughout a whole scholastic year. All the data gathered through the focus group interviews and semi-structured interviews were transcribed whilst the classroom observations conducted were recorded through field notes.

Once the necessary data were gathered and presented in a more manageable manner, the first stage of analysis involved the coding and categorizing of the data. This meant that as a researcher I assigned raw data to particular categories and looked for common themes. I planned to store data in a suitable program such as Nvivo however this was not used as the sample size chosen was not large enough and therefore the coding of data was carried out manually.

I initially started by open coding which Denscombe (2010) describes as labelling data in terms of their content. Additionally, I looked for links, similarities, differences and relationships between the codes. Following this step I then focused my attention on just the core codes. Creswell and Plano Clark (2007) present five main stages of data analysis which were used and followed throughout my research. These are presented in Table 3.7.

106

Thematic analysis was the main approach chosen for analysis in this research. The thematic approach is a widely-used qualitative method and it primarily deals with the search for themes or patterns (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Braun and Clarke (2006) describe it as a method for identifying, analysing, and reporting patterns within data. The process through which this was done mirrors that presented by Braun and Clarke (2006) who suggest that in order for a researcher to do thematic analysis the research goes through six phases: 1) familiarising yourself with your data, 2) generating initial codes, 3) searching for themes, 4) reviewing themes, 5) defining and naming themes and 6) producing the report.

It was noted from the very start of the data collection that a number of themes were recurring and kept surfacing throughout the whole process of data collection. The transcripts and the field notes gathered were read a number of times and through this process I searched for meanings and patterns since it is only when data are transformed into written form that thematic analysis can occur (Braun and Clark, 2006). After familiarising myself with the data a list of ideas about what was in the data was listed. Braun and Clark (2006) listed this as the second phase of thematic analysis. Figure 3.8 shows an example of raw data which were taken

Table 3.7: The 5 main stages of data analysis Source: Adapted from Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007

107

directly from the interview conducted with the class teacher. The bottom part of Figure 3.8 shows what this extract was coded for. This process was repeated for all of the data collected.

The coding of the data were carried out manually since the size of the data was not too large and this enabled me to manage the data quite comfortably. Short notes were written at the side of the raw data and coloured highlighters were used to group similar patterns. I felt more comfortable with this method and this has also been preferred by other researchers who argue that a set of highlighters can do the job just as well, ‘if not better’ than packages such as NVivo and Atlas.ti (Thomas, 2011, p. 173) for these also need some manual coding and decision making. Braun and Clarke (2006) stated that the third phase involves the sorting of different codes into themes. Separate sheets of paper were used to organise the data. Each theme was written at the top of the sheet and a brief description and data extracts were listed and organised under each theme. Each theme was then refined, reviewed and afterwards finalised and named. It can be stated that these categories or themes are important ‘building blocks’ of the analysis (Thomas, 2011) and the same themes were eventually used as sub-titles in Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7.

The children’s drawings were analysed in the same way. Each drawing was examined to identify emergent and common themes. One of the key factors in

108

analysing drawings is to consider the features which are given most importance by the children (Bland, 2012) and therefore the most prominent features were noted. Each drawing was coded by its content and it was observed that a number of themes were common in all the drawings. Each theme was further divided into sub-themes whilst listing the most common content first. Amongst the common themes and sub-themes were the following:

 Physical environment (classroom, garden, library, school yard, home)  Participants (teacher, the student himself/herself, friends, family relatives)  Resources drawn (books, copybooks, pencils, pens, interactive whiteboard,

tablet, computer)

 Use of digital technology (interactive whiteboard, tablet, computer)

 Other themes (love for reading/writing, individual reading, leisure reading, educational reading).

These themes, which emerged from the drawings were than integrated into the themes presented in Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 formed a basis for presenting the findings. The following section will discuss ethical issues and how they were addressed. Section 3.8 will describe the process of how consent was gained from all the participants in this study.