Data gathering analysis and presentation

• Classroom observations

During classroom observations, notes were kept continually. The different classrooms were coded (CR01 to CR05) and the checklist as described in Appendix A, was followed.

The checklist used was based on the research questions about gender difference in cognitive abilities, motivations towards learning, strategies employed and anxieties experienced while acquiring English as a second or foreign language in the classroom, as well as teaching practices of the particular lecturers when teaching English to adult learners.

The lecturers and learners had prior notice and were aware when they would be observed. The observations were done in a very unobtrusive manner and the lecturers assured the researcher that her presence had no influence on the normal classroom dynamics and that it would have been the same, had the researcher not been there.

• Strategic Inventory for language learning questionnaires

The questionnaires were handed out to learners and served as a starting point to get their perspectives on the strategies they employ while acquiring English as a second or foreign language. The questionnaires were handed out at random, to twenty adult male and female learners who were fluent in English. This was done because the questions were quite extensive and required a more advanced knowledge of the English language.

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Of the twenty questionnaires handed out, only thirteen were received back. These questionnaires were all completed anonymously and respondents were only required to indicate whether completed by a male or female learner.

• Attitude motivation test battery questionnaire

Adapted questionnaires of Gardner’s attitude motivation test battery were handed out to adult male and female learners to determine their motivation towards English second language learning. These questionnaires were purposefully handed out in a classroom with five male and five females from various nationalities. The learners were all at level four of English learning and already had an adequate command of English to answer the questions.

• Focus group interviews

The two focus group interviews and the participants were all coded to protect their anonymity, and also to serve as a reference for the rest of the study. The ten participants for the first focus group interviews were coded FG101 to FG110. To distinguish between male and female participants for the first focus group interview, an “M” was added for males and “F” for females, in other words FGM101 for a male and FGF110 for a female.

The same participants were used for the second focus group interviews, but with an interval between the two focus group interviews. This time the participants were coded FGM201 to FGF210, depending on the gender. The reason for using the same participants for the second focus group interviews was to get the responses of the adult learners during the beginning stages of English language acquisition and again at the end of the session, with a three week interval, to determine if learning occurred – from their own perspectives, as well as from the lecturer’s perspective.

The first focus group interview was held at the beginning of a session with ten participants, three men and seven ladies. They were all Arabic speaking and were from Egypt, Palestine, Qatar and Tunisia. All these participants all had professional qualifications in their own respective fields, but just not equipped to speak English fluently. The interviews were conducted in one of the language learning classrooms and formed part of their communicative skills development. This was done in a very relaxed atmosphere, where all participants felt at ease and comfortable to share their feelings towards English language acquisition.

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The second focus group interview was held during the latter part of the session with the same participants as described above. The purpose of the second focus group interviews with the same adult learners was to collect additional data to determine how they as learners felt about English language acquisition and if they felt enough was being done for such learning to occur.

During the second focus group interviews, male and female learners were given a set of phonologically familiar words and phonologically unfamiliar words, to further test the discussion in subsection 2.2.2.

• Individual interviews with lecturers

The lecturers, who took part in the individual interviews, were given a code to protect their anonymity and that served as a reference for the rest of the study. They were also informed that the interview would be tape recorded, but no names would be used and that they had the option to withdraw at any stage, if they did not want to continue with the study. That assurance made them feel at ease.

The three participants for the individual interviews with the lecturers were coded ILF01, ILF02, for the female lecturer participants and ILM03, for the only male lecturer participant. The lecturers for the individual interviews were as described in subsection 3.4.4.1.

The data collected by tape recorder was prepared for analysis by listening to each individual tape recording twice before transcribing the data verbatim. After the recordings were typed, they were once again listened to, in order to ensure no information was omitted.

• Individual interviews with learners

The six adult learners, three males and three females, who took part in these individual interviews, were as described in subsection 3.4.4.2. They were assured of their anonymity during the process and were each given a code, that would serve as a reference for the rest of this study. The six participants who formed part of the individual interviews with adult learners, three males and three females were coded ISM01 to ISM03, for the male learner participants, and ISF04 to ISF06, for the female learner participants.

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They were also informed that the interviews would be tape recorded, but without the use of personal names. Although initially uneasy, all participants gave their consent to be tape recorded. The learners, who had to obtain prior permission from family members, did so.

The data recorded by audio tape was prepared for analysis by listening to each individual recording twice, before it was transcribed verbatim.

• Field notes

Personal notes were always written down immediately after the classroom observations, the focus group interviews, and individual interviews with lecturers and learners, as well as after the researcher’s own English language teaching classes. These notes were written down as soon as possible and while they were still fresh and foremost in the researcher’s memory and still contained the researcher’s own preconceptions, expectations, emotions and prejudices.

Finally, from these sets of data collected, the researcher captured the key features for this study.