Qualitative Data Analysis

Data analysis in a qualitative study is a continuous process involving organising and explaining the data (Huberman& Miles, 2002). It aims to make sense of the data provided by the participants’ in terms of the situation relating to CPD; noting patterns, themes, categories and regularities in their experiences. There are various ways of analysing the words generated by interviews. These include analysis techniques such as; discourse analysis, narrative analysis, grounded theory, and thematic analysis (Guest 2012). This study utilises thematic analysis as it is an approach that accentuates the respondents’ perceptions and experiences of their CPD. Thematic analysis involves using six coding phases: familiarisation with data, generating the initial codes, searching for themes amongst codes, reviewing important themes which provide representations of the teachers views and their meaning before producing the final report (Boyatzis, 1998). It also allows the voices of the teachers to be heard without any fixed idea of what might be the correct response (Huberman and Miles, 2002). Becoming familiar with the transcribed data is the first stage of data analysis and is a way of becoming wholly immersed in the meaning of the data in order to recall the interview and then be able to determine the themes, codes and sub-codes that emerge from that process. These provide a rich description of the socially constructed phenomenon that can then be linked to the research questions. The teachers’ perceptions about CPD are likely to vary, given the socio-cultural and institutional factors and therefore, the interpretations may be multiple.

The challenge is to give meaning to the interview data and see it in the context of the overall theoretical framework. Chunks of words, phrases, sentences or whole paragraphs are the codes, which connect to a specific setting or give particular meaning to a segment of raw data (Boyatizis, 1998). The codes can then be developed by applying a constant comparison technique. This is what Denscombe (2010) describes as a checking of the emerging codes against other varieties. Again this

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involves immersion in the data looking for similarities and differences until saturation is reached. The themes that are identified form the data are the result of significant recurring patterns in the data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). They enable the grouping of these significant chunks of code to identify the broader meaning inherent in the raw data. According to Patton (1990) themes are internally and external heterogeneous unit of analysis. They need to be named clearly and concisely in order to make sense to any reader (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The rationale for using thematic analysis is that it will enable the researcher to answer the research questions and investigate the CPD experiences of Libyan primary school teachers’ perceptions. Moreover, thematic analysis will also help explore the quality of CPD and what may facilitate or hinder EFL teachers from attending CPD programmes.

Qualitative data can provide significant new knowledge because it is detailed and rich though it focuses on a small group of expert teachers. The researcher will have to make a decision whether to present data individually or discuss it as a whole and develop themes from it which can then be further analysed. The strategy the researcher intends to use is to analyse the data by first developing themes through the process of decoding. An early analysis reduces the problem of data overload by selecting out the significant features to focus upon (Miles and Huberman, 1984). Progressive focusing upon aspects of the analysis is like looking at the data through a wide angle lens then, sifting, sorting, reviewing and reflecting on the salient features that arise from the data. As it is the researcher who sets the codes and categories for analysis, caution has to be exercised as the researcher may decide in advance of or in response to the data analysis respectively. It is the researcher’s agenda that drives the research and the choice of the methodology. For example, Libyan teachers’ perceptions about CPD have been chosen as a research subject because this is an area of fascination to the researcher.

The researcher’s goal in qualitative research therefore, is to interpret and reconstruct subjective meaning rather than determine the truth. In effect, the criticism of this methodology revolves around its trustworthiness, lack of transferability and lack of dependability. There are also concerns that the flexibility of the subjective approach may lack clarity (Denzin and Lincoln 2005). This type of intolerance from qualitative research approaches is tantamount to using tunnel vision in data collection or just the continuance of the paradigm war rather than conceding that the researcher should

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adopt data collection methods that work and that it’s the interesting data that should count.

However, Guba and Lincoln (1994) recommend specific strategies that can be used to attain trustworthiness. These include; negative cases, peer debriefing, prolonged engagement and persistent observation, audit trails and member checks. Whilst qualitative data cannot be used to make empirical inference to the whole population, it does allow me to generalise to a theoretical understanding of CPD. This can be done by examining the data and using it to describe, explore, and explain the teachers’ views rather than determine the truth (Miles and Huberman 2014).

The criticism of this methodology therefore concerns its lack of transferability, trustworthiness, dependability and lack of clarity (Denzin and Lincoln 2005b). This type of criticism for qualitative research stems from paradigm intolerance rather than acknowledging that the researcher should adopt data collection methods that gather interesting data that addresses the aims of the inquiry. In light of these criticisms, Guba (1981) recommends using strategies such as negative cases, peer debriefing, prolonged engagement and persistent observation, audit trails and member checks as specific strategies to attain trustworthiness.

4.7.1 Data Analysis Techniques and Support Software

This is about data management, reduction and analysis whilst trying to make sense of shared experiences of interviewees. In other words, it means reducing the huge volume of words and information generated from participants. Data analysis in qualitative research starts with data transcription, which is when the researcher begins to import interviews from a recording device into written form through the process of typing. This study chooses the thematic template and content analysis techniques because they enable the researcher to categorise and analyse the contents of interviewees’ opinions and experiences about the influence of CPD in teaching English language in primary schools in the Gharian district.

NVivo 11 software was employed for data management and reduction, and for critical coding of themes, thematic weighting using chats, building thematic maps with

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relationship as well as thematic comparison (Wali and Nwokah, 2016; Wali and Nwokah, 2017a).

4.7.1.1 Thematic Template and Content Analysis Techniques:

This thesis employed thematic template and content analysis techniques for analysis (King and Horrocks, 2010). According to Braun and Clarke (2006) thematic analysis is a method in qualitative study used for identifying and critically analysing patterns within a set of data. It involves the process of extracting reoccurring themes arising from shared interviewees’ experiences. Also, Bryman (2012) suggest that one approach for identifying themes is through data coding from interview transcripts with labels. Braun and Clarke 2006) outline a number of suggested steps for doing thematic analysis. They are: data familiarisation, articulating preliminary codes, identifying initial themes, and evaluating initial themes. Other steps of doing thematic analyses may include eliminating repetitive themes that are similar in terms of identifying and defining actual themes (Wali and Wright, 2016; Wali, Uduma and Wright, 2016).

4.7.1.2 Thematic Template and Content Analysis Process in Action

The raw interview data was first reviewed by the researcher, with this beginning at the point of transcription and involving a subsequent reading of all transcripts, totalling four consecutive times, in order to ensure rich knowledge and understanding of the experiences of interviewees. In the second stage, preliminary manual coding was carried out by the researcher with the intention of developing a template for quick identification of themes. The data was then imported into NVivo 11 software for rigorous coding and thematic weighting. At the third stage, initial themes were identified and initial themes critically reviewed, in line with that recommended by to Braun and Clarke (2006), through the use of established thematic elimination criteria or limits of acceptance and rejection on the bases of thematic coding strength. Thereafter, the actual themes were identified (see figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) (Wali and Wright, 2016). Further, the researcher defined the actual themes by using quotes from the interviews to support the themes and to prove that the themes emerged from the study (Wali and Wright, 2016; Mathews and Ross, 2010; Braun and Clarke, 2006).

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Also, by using the NVivo 11 software, the researcher developed a thematic map which shows positive and negative relationship amongst themes (see Figure 11) as well as thematic comparisons see (Figures 6, 7, 8, 9). See appendix 3 for NVivo 11 Node coding summary report).