As stated previously, this study used both semi-structured and focus group conversations to gather data. The strategies used for collecting information such
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as interviews provided a naturalistic setting where ideas could be shared safely, by both the participant and researcher (Ussher, 2001).
3.6.1 Interviews
This study used interviews as a strategy for collecting information from the participants because literature (see for example, Kvale, 1996) indicated that it is an integral part of recent developments in educational qualitative research, focusing on interrelations, social construction of reality, knowledge, language, conversation, context and emphasising narratives.
The interview “provides access to what is inside a person’s head, makes it possible to measure what a person knows (knowledge or information), what a person likes or dislikes (value and preferences) and what a person thinks (attitude and beliefs)” (Tuckman, 1972, cited in Cohen et al., 2000, p. 268). Interviews enabled participants to tell their stories of the world in which they live (Cohen et al., 2000)
Interviews range from totally unstructured interactions, through semi structured situations to highly formal interaction with the respondents. Cannell and Kahn (1968, in Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2000, p. 269) defined an interview as “a two person conversation initiated by the interviewer for the specific purpose of obtaining research-relevant information”. Similarly, Bishop (1997) describes interviews as “the development of collaborative storytelling by means of sequential, semi-structured, in depth interviews as conversation, conducted in a dialogic reflective manner that facilitates ongoing collaborative analysis and construction of meaning and explanations about the lived experiences of the research participants” (p. 29)..
In this study, the semi-structured and focus group approach was chosen because of the qualitative nature of the inquiry (Mtaita, 2007). Semi-structured and focus group interview guides were developed for the study (see Appendix E) and were focused on the research objectives of teachers’ perceptions of the value of formative assessment in Solomon Island’s secondary schools.
53 3.6.2 Semi-structured interview
The semi-structured interview is a combination of the structured and unstructured interview (Boubee-Hill, 1998). With this approach, Burns (1997, p. 330) suggested that “an interview guide be developed for some parts of the study in which, without fixed wording or fixed ordering of questions, a direction is given to the interview so that the content focuses on the crucial issues of the study”. Semi-structured interviews seem appropriate for this research project because of the face-to-face nature and emphasis on conversation. In this study, the interview process involved one face-to-face conversation with each participant lasting approximately an hour. All five interviews were conducted using a semi- structured format in Solomon Islands pidgin and were audio recorded. The use of audio recording is considered appropriate for my research project, as the raw data remains for later reference. The audio recording of interviews was referred to in the initial letter of invitation sent out to prospective participants as a condition of participation (see Appendix C).
The semi-structured interviews were guided by a schedule that listed key questions to be covered (Ussher, 2001). From the interview guide (see Appendix
E), the researcher may ask both closed and open questions. Closed questions in
this context denote questions, specific and restricted the options available to the respondent. Open questions on the other hand, refer to questions asking for broad or general information. Using open ended question was important because it allowed me to probe and go into more depth when I chose. Moreover, through open ended questions, I felt I may be in a better position to clear up any misunderstandings, whilst at the same time test the limits of the respondent's knowledge and help establish rapport with them, hence enabling me to make a truer assessment of what the respondent really perceives (Cohen et al., 2000; O'Leary 2004).
In other words, semi-structured interviews are “neither fully fixed nor fully free” (O’Leary, 2004), but best seen as flexible. This flexibility, as Scott and Usher (1999) and Ussher (2001) note, gives the interviewer opportunities to frame and re-frame the questions so he/she can be more certain that they are understood in the same way by the respondents. The interviews were recorded and later
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transcribed. The information from all transcripts was collated and analysed seeking themes and patterns from the participants’ understanding, impact and value of formative assessment. Such a method provides a valid record of each participant’s perception of reality (Ussher, 2001).
3.6.3 Focus group conversation
The focus group conversation is a popular method especially in social science research. The purpose of the focus group conversation is to focus discussion on a particular issue. The focus questions for discussion can be structured where pre- prepared questions and a checklist are at hand or can be completely unstructured where the interviews are minimal (Bell, 2005), depending on the purpose of the interview. So, in preparation for the focus group session, the five interested participants engaged with me in this study were asked to write a short narrative of about 200 words from given topics surrounding the research question, based on the evidence from the interviews, to share with others during the focus group session (see Appendix E). This was necessary to confirm some of the data collected and also to ‘end’ the investigation in terms of participants’ immediate involvement. My role would be to facilitate the discussion, probing into emerging issues which were not covered adequately by the questions during the individual interviews (Bell, 2005). All five participants were invited to a discussion and sharing session.
Based on the interest of all five participants, a common venue was located and arrangements were made to spend at least an hour of sharing together, based on given topics, issues and experiences on formative assessment. This session was audio recorded by me but was not transcribed. It was used only as a back-up as required for confirmation of all or part of the conversation (Ussher, 2001).