Data Collection

This study employed two data collection techniques. First, semi-structured interviews were used to obtain in-depth information from key stakeholders. Second, a documentary review was used to support the understanding about how the learning experiences of students at school influence their learning experiences in the workplace. In this study, observation which can enrich the information about the issues investigated could not be carried out because the study commenced after the completion of the apprenticeship programme.

4.2.4.1 Semi-structured Interview

In qualitative research, interview is an interaction between two people in one occasion (Wilkinson and Birmingham, 2003). However, unlike a causal conversation an interview involves a set of assumptions and understandings about the situation (Denscombe, 1998: 109 cited in Wilkinson and Birmingham, 2003: 43). Kvale (1996: 14) states that interview is an interchange of views between two or more people on a topic of mutual interest, to understand the centrality of human interaction for knowledge production, and emphasise the social situatedness of research data (cited in Cohen et al, 2011: 409). Similarly, Wengraf (2001)

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argues that the purpose of the interview in qualitative research is to improve knowledge and thereby it has special features that need to be understood (Wengraf, 2001).

There are three types of interviews usually used: structured, semi-structured and unstructured. A structured interview is one in which the content and procedures are organized in advance (Cohen et al, 2011: 414). By contrast, as Cohen et al (2011) explain, an unstructured interview is an open situation and interviewer has a greater flexibility and freedom to make modifications in terms of wording and sequence of the questions. A semi-structured interview allows modifications while pre-defined themes are carefully considered.

The study employed a semi-structured interview as the main interview technique. The rationale was that this mode of interview enabled the research participants to express themselves in a relatively open interview situation (Flick, 2002, 2006; Kvale, 1996; Cohen et al., 2000; and Drever, 2003). While this interview allows a framework of themes to be explored prior to the interview, it is sufficiently flexible to allow variation in its use of questions, prompts, and accompanying tools and resources to draw participants more fully into the topic of the study (Anne, 2013: 45). For example, it allows the interviewer to address relevant probes and prompts when further information is needed.

The key issues explored in the interviews with the students were:

- Students’ understanding about their learning experiences (e.g. school and in the workplace).

- Students’ perspectives about how they learn and develop their vocational skills and knowledge (their learning approaches).

- Understanding about the roles of their instructors during the apprenticeship programme (their interaction with instructors).

For the teachers’ interview, some key themes that were derived from the research questions were:

- Educational background and professional experience (including their vocational training background).

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- Roles and contribution in the development and the implementation of the apprenticeship programme.

- Understanding of the skills learnt by students and the learning experiences of students in the workplace.

- Understanding of the relationship between school and the workplace(s)

- Understanding about the roles of instructors in helping students learn and develop their skills

The key issues that were presented to the instructors were very similar to those of the teachers:

- Educational background and professional experience

- Roles in and contribution towards the implementation of the apprenticeship programme in the workplace

- Perspectives on the implementation of the apprenticeship programme in the workplace

- Understanding of how students learn and develop their vocational skills and knowledge in the workplace.

- Understanding of the relationship between school and the workplace(s) and - Understanding of their roles in helping students learn and develop their skills and

assessing their learning progress.

The sample interview questions for participants is are shown in Appendix 4 – 2a, b, and c.

The interviews were carried out face-to-face at agreed-upon premises. Students were mainly interviewed at school. Each selected student’s interview lasted between twenty five and thirty five minutes each.

The interviews of teachers were face-to-face and mainly took place at school, but two agreed to be interviewed in their homes. The duration of the interview depended on how the conversation went on but mainly lasted between forty minutes and an hour.

The interviews of instructors were mainly carried out in their workplace. However, a few interviewees requested to be interviewed in the cafe. The reason was that they felt more comfortable outside the workplace when sharing their views about students’ learning experiences. The duration of the interview mainly depended on how the conversation

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unfolded during it. However, all the interviews lasted approximately between forty-five minutes and one hour.

4.2.4.2 Documentary Review

Bryman (2008) argues that a document review is important because it provides authentic and meaningful information for the study. Yin (2003) considers that a document review in a case study can supply and reinforce evidence collected from other sources.

In the context of this study, a documentary review was used to collect data relating to the in school learning experience of the AD students. This was to reinforce and triangulate the data collected in the interviews. The documentary review was expected to provide information about how the in school learning experiences of the AD students influenced the way they engaged in the workplace.

This study commenced with the collection of documents relevant to the research questions.

These documents were: the Education Law 2003, standardised criteria for VUSS graduates, VUSS national curriculum, SBCs of the selected vocational department (AD), the apprenticeship programme plan, VUSS and workplace partnership MoU, and financial provision of the apprenticeship programme.

All the documents were categorised according to the research issues addressed in the research questions. The document of the Education Law 2003, the standardised criteria document for VUSS school leavers and the national curriculum are reviewed to gain a better understanding about how these documented policies (national level) have shaped the VUSS system.

The SBC documents of the AD were reviewed to gain insights about skills that students were required to learn in the workplace. These documents provided preliminary information about how the apprenticeship programme was developed, who was involved in the development process and how this school programme was implemented in the workplace. Moreover, this

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helped the researcher gain insights into how the in school learning experiences of the AD students influenced their learning engagement in the workplace.