The NAP procedure

Up to this point I had made use of the BNIM and network analysis to make sense of my data. However, the process was very time-consuming and, if anything, even after

employing the methods it was difficult to systematically identify underlying mechanisms of change across the life course, or indeed, the mechanisms of educational transfer inherent in parent child relationships. Although I had gathered a lot of data, the data appeared flat and uninteresting. After several weeks and months of attempting to make sense of my data, I came across Darling and Steinberg’s framework of parenting style in context (1993), from which I created a basic empirical tool to explain the influence of learning in parent-child relationships - see Figure 3.3, page 62. Taking the concept of positive and negative affect one step further I had the idea to apply a traffic light colour coding system. When highlighting specific words and text sequences, I could see situations in the narrative containing negative emotion/cognition (red) and positive emotion/cognition (green). Moreover, this process not only helped me identify the points at which emotion/cognition had occurred, but also the points at which emotion/cognition had re-occurred or changed across the life course. Later I assigned the ‘amber’ colour to represent neutral affect/cognition but on analysing the data there appeared to be no point in doing so. Nevertheless, after highlighting words and text sequences in red and green, a thought suddenly struck me: sandwiched in between the red and green highlights were the attendant mechanisms (see Table 4.1). From this point onwards, employing the same procedure repeatedly speeded up the process of identifying the mechanisms. In addition, highlighting the mechanisms also revealed the source of facilitators and blockers to learning. In some situations, it was the individual who showed a willingness or resistance to learn, while in other situations the source could be traced to, for example, other people, groups, agencies, or institutions. Sometimes it was a combination of mechanisms.

While the procedure was useful to identify mechanisms in the narrative, of course, it is contingent only on the nature of the narrative. If the narrative contains few or no sequences of cognition or emotion, then it will be difficult to pinpoint the mechanisms.

Indeed, out of the 24 interviews conducted, I experienced difficulty analysing Zoe’s interview transcript. At first, I could not pinpoint the reasons why but later realised that unlike the rest of the interviews, Zoe’s transcript contained fewer moments of cognition and emotion. Much like research undertaken by Bertaux (1981) where he focused on understanding what bakers did in the bakery trade, Zoe’s account focused squarely on what she did as a mother. Subsequently, this made it far more difficult to pinpoint processes and mechanisms of change. However, where cognition and emotion was present in other narrative accounts, the NAP procedure enabled me to see the underlying mechanisms of change in attitude and behaviour, as well as change and transformation

throughout the life course²³. Further, on applying the procedure to data presented in other studies, depending on the nature of the sequence, employing the NAP procedure helped to identify and reveal mechanisms in that data also. This was my breakthrough:

my ‘Eureka’ moment (Thomas 2009).

Table 4.3 NAP procedure

For example, on applying the NAP procedure to a section of Caroline’s narrative (see Appendix 12) I could immediately identify ‘facilitators’ and ‘blockers’ to learning. During the sequence, Caroline describes her anxieties around learning to read. In tackling

‘blockers’ and ‘resistors’, we must appreciate the role that ACL plays in helping students like Caroline to overcome anxieties about learning. Whilst fears are still present, the tutor’s nurturing attitude and support allows Caroline the space to develop a coping strategy that works best for her. As Merriam (2005, p. 8) states, “Learning from a life event or experience in our lives begins with attending to and reflecting on it.” One of the most important attendant mechanisms identified in Caroline’s narrative is the statement that she does not want feedback²⁴ since knowing that she is ‘doing badly’ would set her back, or worse still, lead to course drop out. Further, by the tutor continuously supporting and reassuring Caroline, it is possible to understand how she overcomes her fear of learning. Indeed, some months after joining the literacy class Caroline had not only moved up a level but had also signed up to study other courses. Indeed, research by Salisbury (2016) demonstrates well how female FE teachers invest a considerable amount of ‘care’ and ‘emotional labour’ into the teacher student relationship. Here she found that female teachers were often willing to share “their private lives for public good”

because often they too had trodden the ACL pathway. This enabled the teachers to better understand, empathise and connect with their adult students.

23The NAP procedure can only be used when emotion/cognition is present in the narrative.

24In this situation, Caroline does not want to know her test mark.

Once I had applied the NAP procedure to sequences of narrative, especially where emotion and cognition appeared quite regularly throughout the text, I could see patterns emerging across the interviews. Here, I identified different types of mechanisms, for example, I could see support mechanisms and coping mechanisms. Moreover, in drawing together the mechanisms, it became apparent that two types of mechanism were beginning to emerge. They were: (1) the ‘facilitator’ and ‘booster’ mechanisms; and (2) the ‘checker’ and ‘blocker’ mechanisms, which I discuss in the three empirical findings chapters, and Chapter 8.

4.9 Summary of chapter

In this chapter, I outlined the research approach and design. During this process, I created a snapshot classification framework to use as a point of reference to guide the study in terms of recruitment, then later for analysis and discussion purposes. Next, I set out the rationale for my method of data collection, selecting the interview method as my main source of data. Later, I drew upon my ACL managerial experience to identify research risks, being careful to observe the ethics of the process in line with ESRC and Cardiff University. The process of recruiting participants to the study was by no means straightforward however working in partnership with WEA Cymru, and other learning providers made my job easier. In the event, support from WEA Cymru turned out to be invaluable.

Next, I presented the process by which I analysed the data. Completed in three stages it included: firstly, the use of the BNIM model as a reference to understand parent life stories; secondly, the coding of data to capture emerging themes and patterns; and, thirdly, the creation of an analysis procedure to identify mechanisms inherent in life course transitions, and parent-child relationships. The identification of the NAP procedure was a major turning point in the study since knowing what the mechanisms were, helped me to understand people’s lives as well as explain the processes apparent within parent-child and parent school relationships. Critical reflection and ‘reflexivity’ was essential to this process. At every stage I wrestled with ideas, searching for innovative ways to interpret the data in a fair and objective manner. Also, I kept in mind my decisions throughout the process as these would be questioned at the viva stage (Schostak 2002).

Having outlined the methodological considerations, I next present my empirical findings in Chapters 5, 6 and 7.