Research Methods and Design 4.0 Introduction
4.5. Data Analysis
According to Attride Stirling (2001), if qualitative research is to yield meaningful and useful results, it is imperative that the material under scrutiny is analysed in a methodical manner. In analysing the data, this research uses thematic approach - in particular, on the themes relating to the concept of agencification. Thematic analysis seeks to unearth the salient themes in a text, though at different levels. There are six steps to thematic analysis and this is the approach that has been used in this thesis: (1) coding of material - this has involved the dissecting of the text from the interview into different segments; (2) identifying the themes - for this there are different themes that are important to the understanding of agencification, apart from the three core elements that have been identified above which link to both theories and practice, such as corruption, governance, etc.; (3) constructing of the themes - identifying both internal and exterior histories as they apply to the research questions, aims and objectives; (4) describing the networks and connections between the various themes and
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issues relevant to the research question; (5) summarise the main themes, and, (6) interpret patterns (Attride Stirling, 2001).
According to Cope (2014, p89), common criticisms are that qualitative research is subjective, anecdotal, subject to researcher bias, and lacking generalizability by producing large quantities of detailed information about a single, unique phenomenon or setting. The criteria that are used to develop trustworthiness in qualitative research are credibility, dependability, confirmability and transferability (Lincoln and Guba, 1994). Credibility is defined as the truth associated with the data or participant’s views and the interpretation and representation of them by the researcher (Polit and Beck, 2012). According to Cope (2014), credibility is enhanced by the researcher describing his or her experiences as a researcher and verifying with participants. In addition, to support credibility when reporting a qualitative study, the researcher should demonstrate engagement, methods of observation, and audit trails (Cope, 2014, 89). For this research credibility was established through the process of asking the participants to examine the transcripts of the interview in order to ensure that it captured their views. In addition, the researcher performed two roles: first as a researcher and second as a participant observer, being an employee of the Fund.
Dependability is about the data, that is, the extent at which there are constancy over similar conditions and this can be achieve when another researcher concurs with the decision trails at each state of the research process (Cope, 2014, p89). According to Koch (2006), through the researcher’s process and descriptions, a study would be deemed dependable if the study findings were replicated with similar participant in similar conditions (cited in Cope, 2014, p89). The researcher is of the opinion that the research process and findings have strong elements of dependability. However, the issue of dependability may be questioned further as participants used in research process can either retire or move on to do something else and the setting may change as well. For instance, as TETfund was established through an Act and
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a change in government can alter the operations of the Fund. More profoundly, my position as both a research a participant cannot be easily replicated, as external researchers wouldn’t be participant and other participant will probably not be trained as social science researchers. Conformability refers to the researcher’s ability to demonstrate that the data represent the participants’ responses, not the researcher’s biases or view points, and this can be displayed by the researcher describing how conclusions and interpretations were established and exemplifying that the findings were derived directly from the data (Cope, 2014). In the presentation of the data and findings for this research, the researcher presented the accurate information supported by the anonymised source. Transferability refers to finding that can be applied to other settings or group (Lincoln and Guba, 1994). However, the position on this issue aligns with that of Sandelowski (1986) which states that the criterion of transferability is dependent on the aims of the qualitative study and may only be relevant if the intent of the research is to make generalizations about the subject or phenomenon (cited in Cope, 2014, p89). As stated in section 4.2.2, the researcher did not set out to generate a data that will be generalizable; the purpose of this research is to provide a rich data and findings on a single case, which can serve as a point of research for other researchers to explore, and for generating potentially transferrable knowledge.
4.6. Summary
This Chapter has discussed the data collection techniques and the philosophical underpinnings that guided this research work. Positivism, constructivism and postmodernism have been discussed. Although these paradigms differ, they have been able to add to discussions on research methods and methodology in social sciences. Issues around validity and reliability of data, as well as limitations of the research, are explored in Chapter Six as part of the conclusion to the work. Despite controversies regarding the use of single case
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study, the author considers this method as the most appropriate given the research question. Methodological discussions on the richness and density of data, which are essentially of good value in qualitative research, were also discussed. The field questions (attached) focused on the behaviour of the Fund, drawing on issues raised in Chapter Three in terms of autonomy, performance contracting and structural disaggregation, identified by scholars as the three core elements of agencification. Pollitt and Talbot (2004) note that depending on the reform the three may not be present at all, or may not occur at the same time, or may be in pairs. However, they observed that when this three come together that the full force of the ‘agency’ concept becomes most apparent. In addition, the concept of strategic management is explored in relation to the operations and behaviour of the Fund, as well as how it connects to the contextual issues addressed in Chapter Five. This brings to light the argument made by Ferlie and Ongaro (2015) on the importance of strategic management in understanding contemporary public services organisations in any given context.
On reflection, the researcher is of the opinion that his position falls within the social constructionist paradigm. Being staff of the Fund, my colleagues and I by interacting daily build an interpretation of TETFund as an NPM Agency, at least partly irrespective of whether such claims may be ‘objectively’ appraised. The fact that I work for the agency TETFund (the case study for this research), which is discursively created as an NPM Agency, impacts on my very stance: indeed, I would mentally want it to be an NPM Agency – I am acting to make it be (come) such an organisation – and knowledge generated about it to be potentially transferred for making other Agencies develop in similar ways. This position was negotiated by ensuring that there is validity and reliability in the collection as well as the interpretation of the research data (as described in section 4.4.). Chapter Five presents that findings and the analysis of the field work.
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