Observations

Observation is an important method in qualitative research because it assists the researcher to perceive educational practices in a live environment (Flick, 2002),

which assists in understanding people‘s behaviour (Hammersley and Atkinson (1989). Patton (1990) and Cohen et al. (2000) confirmed that observation allows the researcher to see things that might be missed otherwise. Observations allow the researcher to move beyond the participant‘s perceptions and opinions.

Classroom observation is one of the primary methods used in qualitative research of traditional, physical environments. Classroom observation can be defined as "non-judgemental description of classroom events that can be analyzed and given interpretation" (Gebhard, 1999: 35). Denzin (1983), Gilmore and Carson (1996), Robson (1993), and Stake (1995) recommended note writing about observation in traditional settings because, at the time, online environments were not a common phenomenon. Collection of observation data requires a research setting to be observable, as online environments provide.

3.5.1 Observation protocol. Data were collected through visual observations of the virtual context of the online environment and from examining the relevant web based interactive materials. The observations of the online sessions were similar to observing a normal classroom in the sense that they yielded data that needed to be analysed in a qualitative manner. The data included screenshots that were easy to handle. Screenshots were also coded and used as examples of specific teaching practices. Data from the observations were enriched with examining many screenshots (visual material) related to the online session. Screenshot assisted in developing themes and patterns during data analysis.

3.5.2 Observation of materials. Observation included exploring and examining the interactive web-based materials (web based environment) that were integrated into the English course. The website was accessed and the researcher interacted with relevant materials. The observational data of the Web-based teaching

environment was collected in the form of observational notes and visual data. One- hundred twenty screenshots were collected and labelled for transcription and analysis. These were saved in a Word document. The materials were examined and analysed simultaneously during the first year of PhD 2007. I first went to the material website and started to interact with these materials and familiarize myself with them. Materials were analyzed from all class levels. A checklist was used to decide what types of materials were involved.

In addition to exploring the online materials, fieldwork included exploring different features of the online environment such as chartrooms, discussion forums, café forums, library access, and other places where student and faculty met. The different features of the audio-conferencing application such as Web Demo (e.g. text chat, audio chat, whiteboard etc) were also explored for over 40 hours to learn how these features supported language learning. Data from these collection points was used for both descriptive and analytic purposes.

3.5.3 Observation of sessions. Teaching in the online environment also involved the delivery of synchronous online lessons that were conducted through an audio conferencing system. In addition to observation of the web based materials and venues described above, observation included observation of sessions which were conducted using audio graphic conferencing. These two observations took place at independent time. An observation schedule was designed and tested using sessions that took place during October and November 2007 (for more details about the observation schedule see Appendix. H: Piloting the Observation Schedule). The online sessions were complex environments where much was going on at any given time and thus were impossible to observe simultaneously. The sessions were

recorded which presented an advantage in this study as episodes could be replayed and watched repeatedly when needed.

In the second year of the PhD program 2008, I accessed the sessions and started my observations. Observation of sessions in the main study took place over a period of 8 weeks between the months of August and September, 2008. Each session lasted for about 1 hour. Five sessions of the online course were observed. From September and October, 2008, eight sessions of classes were observed. Two live sessions were observed in April, 2009). There were five levels of English proficiency in the English course, and all levels were observed except Level 2, which was due to technical problems. Observation of the recorded online sessions yielded 214 pages of notes and 154 screenshots of critical incidents.

The number of students who attended each of the sessions varied between two to ten students. Although each English class registered about 20 students, only half this number attended the sessions, and in many cases, only two students attended, which was the minimum number required to hold a live session according to English program regulations. There were few students in some of the sessions as attendance was not obligatory for students; however, students who chose to attend were assigned marks for attendance and participation and this mark contributed to their mark in final exam.

Observations of the online meetings included taking observational notes, collecting visual data (screenshots), and collecting information about what was said and done in the sessions by students and faculty. The decision to observe recorded sessions was taken after observing the recorded sessions from the pilot studies. During the replays of the recordings, observational notes were taken of one or another of the dimensions of teaching that was manifested. The observational notes were

"statements bearing upon events experienced through watching and listening...the Who, What, When, Where, and How of human activity" Schatzman and Strauss (1973:100). The duration of classroom activities was calculated by measuring their length on the recorded session.

The dimensions of teaching deemed most important were (a) the nature of the online, (b) the nature of the materials that the faculty were teaching, and (c) the methods and techniques the faculty were using to teach these materials. Online environments are unique research settings that differ from traditional physical environment. The observer in physical setting takes a panoramic picture of the scene for some time and zooms in for specific events. The focus is on one event, or on one observation activity, at a time, which does not capture all the details and events that are happening in the setting. In contrast, the observer in a virtual setting is able to see and record all of the events in the classroom and access all of the participant interactions at once. In addition, the researcher in physical environments sometimes faces restraints on movement (Hammersey and Atkinson, 1989), but this is not the case when observing online environments where interactions are usually recorded and captured for future reference; thus, the events that took place in the sessions were naturally saved without any interference on the part of the researcher.

The process of reporting the findings was based on the process of grouping the data into themes and was not reported according to individual students or faculty. As the data was reported in this way, different excerpts from the same students or faculty might have reported under different themes (for example, technical difficulties) depending on the theme revealed in the excerpt. Classes were observed from all levels except Level 2 because of problems in accessing and downloading those particular sessions).