One-on-one interviews

Dane (2011) and Bless et al. (2013) define an interview as a purposeful conversation during which the researcher asks interviewees questions concerning their experiences of a certain phenomenon. Guided by the findings of the online survey, the researcher developed a semi- structured interview schedule (Appendix H). One-on-one interviews were conducted once with each of the ten teachers who had voluntarily indicated on the online survey that they were willing to be contacted. The interview questions explored teachers’ perspectives on factors that influenced their ability to integrate technology into their teaching.

In formulating the questions for the semi-structured interview schedule, the following steps were considered (Lambert, 2012:123-124):

1. Simple start: The researcher asked factual questions (Question One). The aim of having factual questions at the beginning of the interview was to encourage teachers to feel relaxed, interested and comfortable when responding to the questions (Lambert, 2012; Bless et al., 2013).

2. Meaty middle: Questions 2 to 6 focused on the main issues in this study. The responses to these questions assisted the researcher in answering the research questions on factors that influenced teachers to use technology in their teaching and learning (Lambert, 2012:123-124).

3. Rounding off: Questions 7 to 9 sought additional information. The aim was to explore new information that may have emerged and for the teachers to provide recommendations concerning the issues they had raised (Lambert, 2012:124).

4. Closure: Question 10 brought each interview to an end. The researcher concluded the interview by asking teachers whether there was anything they wished to add or ask. The interviews were terminated with the researcher thanking each teacher and explaining that the transcripts would be made available to them through email (Henning et al., 2004).

The researcher piloted the interview schedule in September 2014 with two in-service teachers who were not part of the sample group surveyed for the final project (Tuckman, 1994). These teachers were interviewed because they were practising teachers who had experience of using technology in the classroom. The interviews were audio-recorded and then transcribed. From

the findings, the researcher made the following structural and content changes to the interview schedule:

 The questions were sequenced in a more logical order;

 The terminology in some questions was changed in order to use ‘everyday’ language for clarity;

 Complex questions were simplified;  Ambiguous questions were made clearer;

 ‘Leads’ or themes were devised from the pilot interviews; and  Loaded questions were revisited and their structure changed.

Piloting the interview schedule enhanced the researcher’s interview techniques by (i) giving teachers more time to discuss issues during the actual interview; and (ii) paying attention to non-verbal behaviour when making notes during the interviews (Smith & Osborn, 2008). Piloting the instrument enabled the researcher to determine that it took 45 minutes on average to complete an in-depth interview schedule.

The interview schedule was emailed to all ten teachers who agreed to be interviewed. The purpose of this preliminary email was to permit the participants to familiarise themselves with the questions, reflect upon them, and be in a position to provide in-depth responses (Henning et al., 2004). The participants chose a date, time and venue (Appendix J) which suited them for the interview (Henning et al., 2004).

The principals at some schools offered their offices for the researcher to conduct the interviews, which was convenient and comfortable for both the interviewee and the interviewer. Other teachers were interviewed in teachers’ classrooms, in school staffrooms and in a computer laboratory. Some teachers preferred to be interviewed at the researchers’ university because the interviews were scheduled during the vacation. One of the teachers was interviewed at a restaurant for safety reasons because her school was located in a gangster-ridden area. Eight interviews were conducted after school during term time and two during the vacation (Appendix J), in September and early October 2014.

The researcher began each interview by thanking the teacher who had agreed to be interviewed. The study was briefly introduced and its aim and significance explained. The researcher produced approval letters from the University Ethics Committee and WCED and assured the

interviewee of the confidentiality and anonymity of the interview. She then asked the NQT if s/he was still willing to be interviewed. Since a tape recorder was used to capture the interviews, teachers were asked to sign a consent form (Appendix E). All the participants agreed to the use of the recorder. Fraenkel et al. (2012:457) explain:

No matter what kind of interview one conducts, and no matter how carefully one prepares the interview questions, all will be to no avail if the interviewer does not capture what the interviewee actually says.

Using a digital recorder made it possible to focus upon the interview questions and answers rather than taking detailed notes that could have been distracting (Bloor & Wood, 2006). While the recorder was running, it was possible to assess non-verbal body language of the interviewees (Blaxter et al., 2010).

The advantage of a semi-structured interview was that the researcher was able to cover the issues under investigation more concisely because the discussion was guided. The researcher encouraged participants to elaborate upon, and clarify, issues that they regarded as important, facilitating the natural emergence of key themes. Punch and Oancea (2014) observe that probing during interviews helps to explore participants’ perceptions of a certain phenomenon in depth.

A disadvantage of the one-on-one interviews was that the majority of teachers scheduled their interviews for after school hours at their various schools. The teachers were physically and mentally tired after a long working day (Cohen et al., 2008), and the researcher provided them with refreshments after the interview; as a token of appreciation. Travelling to schools for interviews and classroom observations was costly in terms of time, and the researcher made many trips. Twice the researcher arrived at a school to find that the teacher had cancelled the scheduled appointment despite several reminders.