5.4 Data collection methods
5.4.2 Individual interviews
The second method employed, to provide a different perspective of the classroom environment from the same group of participants, was individual interviews. These allowed the teaching assistants to reflect on examples of their own work without reference to colleagues but rather in respect to the specific circumstances of a lesson. To achieve this I recorded a short video of the teaching assistant working with a deaf student within a mainstream classroom immediately before the interview and used this as an artefact to stimulate the discussion. We watched the video together and the teaching assistant was asked to comment on any aspect of the video that illustrated their support for the deaf student’s learning. It provided insight into their working environment and their understanding of learning and support practices. The participants also used this opportunity to discuss issues raised during previous meetings as a result of subsequent reflection and to
1. What is the purpose of your role within the classroom? 2. What things do you need to be aware of when supporting a
deaf pupil?
3. If you were mentoring a TA new to the role, what are the key issues you would want to ensure they understood within the first few months?
1. How long have you worked as a teaching assistant? 2. How long have you worked in your current post? 3. How long have you been working with deaf students? 4. How many deaf students do you currently work with? 5. What training have you received in relation to your role?
contribute opinions they did not feel comfortable sharing with their colleagues.
The individual interviews were conducted informally to enable the participant to shape the discussion. I was aware I needed to take care to limit my own impact on the data and to ensure the individuals were able to freely express their opinions and explain their thinking and motivations (Drever, 1995). Field trials were, therefore, undertaken to develop a method of video recording and interview techniques that would not be perceived as judgemental but rather as a positive process.
5.4.2.1 Video Field Trials
The process of being video recorded whilst working with pupils in a classroom is likely to be perceived as an uncomfortable process and therefore not facilitate the realisation of the teaching assistants’
perspectives. Consequently a field trial was undertaken to determine if it would be possible to obtain a video artefact in a manner that would reduce as far as possible any potential anxiety during its production.
Four special educational needs teaching assistants working in a second primary school agreed to be videoed working in the classroom and to discuss their session in a subsequent one to one interview. They all agreed that prior to the initial session they had been nervous but found that the process was in fact positive and valuable. The video had provided a useful source of information and produced areas of discussion all the teaching assistants agreed they would not have thought to discuss without the use of the recording. They also indicated that by allowing them to select which aspects of the recorded practice to discuss and which to ignore they felt in control. Consequently all the pilot study teaching assistants were willing to be video recorded a second time approximately six weeks later and
described the subsequent interviews as more relaxed and productive. It was decided therefore that an opportunity to be video recorded and have a practice interview prior to the main data generation process was likely to be beneficial for the Data Group participants. It was offered to all participants and five of the six took it. These practice sessions also allowed for
refinement of the recording process in capturing the interactions between the teaching assistant and the pupil.
As the pilot study and field trials had all taken place in primary school settings, a final field trial was undertaken in a secondary school in which
there was a resource base for deaf pupils. Two teaching assistant and two pupils agreed to be recorded and the teaching assistants were subsequently interviewed. This provided further opportunity to ensure that the decisions made regarding the nature and format of the one to one interviews would provide suitable opportunity for the teaching assistants working with deaf children in mainstream settings to provide a second perspective of their role. The final field trial was successful with both teaching assistant participants commenting they had found the video and discussion around it very
valuable.
Together it was considered that the focus group discussion and one to one interviews would provide two significantly different perspectives of the teaching assistant role from the same participants. It was anticipated that this would provide greater opportunity to generate data that would reflect the complex nature of a classroom than either method would individually. One to one semi structured interviews, incorporating a short video artefact of the teaching assistant working within a mainstream classroom were therefore incorporated into the methodological design. The interviews were audio recorded and the discussion transcribed verbatim. Field notes were also compiled immediately after each interview.
Different approaches to recording in the classroom were considered and discussed with participants during the field trials in order to refine the
process. As a result the vide camera was placed in the classroom away from the teaching assistant and student and a sensitive multidirectional
microphone was positioned close to the couple. I operated the camera to ensure the student and teaching assistant remained in frame. Depending on the nature of the lesson short recordings were made throughout the session to capture different activities. The teaching assistant subsequently selected which recordings to view.
Figure 5-2 illustrates the research design involving the Data Group across the three research cycles and the different methods of data collection involved. The focus group discussions and individual interviews together contributed to the core data set. It realised the teaching assistants’ perspectives through two different methods, over a six month period providing greater breadth to the data than would have been achieved through a single approach.
Figure 5-2 Core data generation process for the Data Group