Research design

To answer the research questions, I carried out a multiple case study. According to Yin (1994), a case study is “an in depth inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context” (p.13). The major criticism of case study that has been raised in the literature is that its dependence on a single case means it is unable to provide a

generalizing conclusion (e.g. Miles, 2015; Tellis, 1997). A subsidiary concern is that many case studies are seen as methodologically weak and dependent on subjective interpretation (see the discussion in Stark & Torrance, 2005). Supporters of case study argue that these criticisms miss the point; the idea of case study is not to generalise but to develop models and theories that might be relatable rather than generalisable to other contexts. In order to do this, of course, case studies need to be seen as methodological sound or trustworthy. Thus, many case studies, as in my example, use triangulation so that findings are not based on the views of a single informant or group of informants and perspectives on action can

93

be contrasted with the behaviour of key actors (see Yin, 1999). Case studies are multi- perspectival analyses that tend to focus on one or two main issues to understand the system being examined (Tellis, 1997).

Case study is often used in education research into technology because the tools being used are new and there is little in the way of generalisable hypotheses to test. Case studies can be contrasted with quantitative studies. For example, Raftery and Risquez (2018), conducted a quantitative survey of the use of VLEs in higher education in Ireland which resulted in 3,332 student responses in 2011 and 5,170 when the survey was repeated in 2013. Such a large quantity of data make the findings appear generalisable, at least to Ireland, but unlike case study does not lead to detailed modelling or theory generation as does case study. All research offers different insight. In my study, I am not arguing that case study is better or worse as a methodology but that carefully constructed case study enables the researcher to go deeper and provides the opportunity to create models and frameworks. All methods need to be chosen for their fit with the research questions being asked and case study is the best way of addressing my overall aim of describing and explaining the varied use of

Classera, including the identification of the opportunities Classera provided and the difficulties that obstructed its use.

In case study, generalisability is best replaced with relatability. Bassey (1981) goes on to say it is more important that an individual is able to relate to an external case study and

interpret the findings for their own decision-making purposes, rather than simply use research to claim generalisable conclusions. In order to be relatable, the reader of a case study must be able to see the context in which the study has taken place (in this study this is covered in chapter 4) and be able to follow the steps taken by the researcher (see methodology in chapter 4)so that he or she can compare and contrast to their own

94

context. In my case, relatability is made easier if the reader is familiar with the context of private girls’ schools in KSA; for example, he or she is a practitioner researcher or school leader in that particular sector; but, in principle, the frameworks developed in the study should be relatable to other contexts too. However, any models generated from my context will need to be adapted so that relatability refers more to a way of looking at the problem (e.g. a modelling of different factors and a recognition that through their strategies teachers make or do not make technology work) rather than expecting to see the same organisation of, say, intervening and contextual factors that appeared in my study.

Yin (1994) points out different classifications of case studies based on number, design and types. In terms of number, some are single cases, which focus on studying a unique event, while some involve multiple cases which allow similarities and differences to be

investigated. The strengths and weakness of both type of studies are mirror images of each other. The strength in a single case is that one can go deeper by spending more time in collecting and analysing data and really understand the context in which something is happening. This is particularly useful when it is a unique case. However, the disadvantage is that one can lose the wider picture and the researcher can become too engaged in a single case, whereas the researcher in the multiple case studies design provides a more general view of a phenomenon through comparing and contrasting between different cases. At first sight, multiple case studies are more trustworthy because they show that something is happening or not happening in more than one site, which seems to lend them the greater generalizability to make the case stronger. However, this is not always so. For example, because one is looking at more than one case, one may lose sight of the particular context and one might end up by comparing and contrasting things that arose from very different circumstances. Often in multiple studies there is a pressure to look for similarity when in fact diversity might be more important. In my study, I had to bear in mind that according

95

to Classera data, schools were using Classera at different levels and this made me interested in finding out more about why these different contexts had led practitioners to identify the opportunities and constraints teachers experienced.

Case studies are also distinguished by type: explanatory, exploratory or/and descriptive. Explanatory research attempts to set out to explain something already observed, focusing on specific aspect of a case that has been identified in advance. The focus on exploratory is usually in settings where not very much is known in the first place and the researchers are attempting to understand what is happening; it might have a more deductive logic in terms of design as there is not much to go on. Descriptive studies seek to bring out

characteristics of real life contexts, often with the aim of letting people understand something that they might not be aware of (it is new or under-reported) or perhaps of giving voice to marginalised groups. However, real life studies cannot be divided easily in these ways. All studies have explanatory, descriptive and exploratory elements, with the question being where the researchers put their focus. One is not necessarily better, with different elements appropriate to different situations. My study has a balance of focus on all these elements. For example, it has an exploratory rationale because Classera was new and we do not know very much about its use in Saudi Arabia. The study itself is also descriptive because it describes the context and what people are doing in that context. It is explanatory because it introduces a modelling of the factors and strategies that lead to high and low ICT use.

Case studies are also classified based on design. A holistic case study is attempted to understand the global nature of a phenomenon and concerned with a single unit of analysis. An embedded case study design focuses on sub-systems as well as the main one and thus include more than one unit of analysis. Embedded design is regarded as a

96

powerful approach where it attempts to investigate a phenomenon in context with different variables. A holistic case study design is unable to study the case in depth and is therefore unable to provide a particular phenomenon with operational details. In other words, researchers who are interested in multiple embedded case studies focus on drawing conclusion from the subunits they investigated. For example, I examined the use of Classera in schools through looking at different variables such as infrastructure of the ICT in school, leadership style, school community, culture and the role of Ministry of

Education. However, it was important to bring these together in a holistic picture of Classera use by introducing a model, which I describe later. This is because ICT integration occurs within a broader mediating context; it is not an isolated or independent

phenomenon. Therefore, looking at factors by themselves will not provide me with a holistic picture of what is going in the schools and what opportunities and constraints teachers experienced.

My study involved embedded multiple case studies that were exploratory, explanatory, and descriptive in nature. It aimed to describe, explain and explore the use of Classera in five different girls secondary (11-18) schools. It also sought to determine the opportunities that were available for teachers to integrate Classera in their daily practices and identify

difficulties that obstructed that use. The use of a case study approach was valuable in that it could deal with schools in real contexts and contribute to illustrating what opportunities could help schools to better integrate a programme in the future. The overall research design is summarized in Figure 4.1.

97

98

4.5

Context of the study

My study was carried out in five different female schools at secondary level in three different regions. The reason for choosing different regions was mainly because I wanted to confine the cases to something that was manageable and bounded so I choose ones that had secondary sectors in private and international schools. As explained earlier, Classera use was confined to these schools and, at that time, there was little happening in public secondary schools. What would be useful for my study would be to see different levels of use in different schools and in different regions. A big problem here was how to get access to the schools. In order to facilitate access, I talked to the Classera director, as I will explain in some detail. She recommended some schools for me that would show different levels of development with Classera, and that she thought would be more accessible and more open to my research. So, when I contacted these schools, I mentioned that their names were given to me by Classera and asked whether they would be willing to help in this study. In carrying out studies in technology, it would be very easy to find schools that did not make use of technology; by implication that is what happened in the Tatweer programme. I did not want to see five schools that were deeply engaged with using Classera, but I did hope that at least one of them would show high use because it would make a more interesting study if I could include different types of school use which I could both compare and contrast.

My first selection of schools was based only on a feeling that they would show a good mix of teaching different curriculum at different regions (British-American curricula and Ministry of Education system). I then contacted the headteachers in these five schools and they all agreed to take part. All the headteachers were themselves Saudi by nationality. The teachers themselves were mostly from Saudi Arabia, especially in most of the private

99

schools, but significant numbers also came from different countries, particularly in the international schools that taught most of their subjects in English. As mentioned in the Introduction chapter, international schools still employ teachers from different counties in order to address an English skills gap.

According to the data I gathered, Schools D and C employed only Saudi teachers. However, because school B had two systems, teachers were of various nationalities, including Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian, Indian, British and Arab background. Although school A was only a private school, its teachers had varied nationalities too. As seen in the Introduction, the private schools were expected to employ Saudi teachers, but in practice this did not always happen. This was due to the owners of private sectors and their restrictions to follow regulations placed by Ministry of Labour. Finally, very few of the teachers at school E, which taught only British subjects, were Saudi nationals.

These schools shared some aspects but differed in others. In term of similarities, all of the schools were located in SA; were private female schools; and taught the entire age range beginning with the pre-school up to the secondary stage. Additionally, they were all using Classera but in different levels, which will be discussed in more detail in the following section. In terms of their infrastructure, all the schools had a computer lab learners could use in the company of their teachers. In regard to the variations, there was some

differences which will be discussed below.

The headteacher of school A was aware of the extent of Classera use in her school, mainly because she checked this every day. According to her data, most of her teachers were using Classera and all teachers knew how to use the portal. The school head supported Classera use in her school in many ways. She set free time every day for the teachers to access Classera at school. Classera logs the rate of use by teachers and learners in every month.

100

This helped the headteacher to check who in each month made most use of the programme and to reward both teachers and learners for their active use. As the headteacher encouraged the most active users of the portal, she also set a clear

consequence for teachers that are not using Classera. The school encouraged teachers to offer workshops for other colleagues. This ensured teachers had up-to-date knowledge about ICT educational devices. This was backed up when I later spoke to the teachers. One of the teachers pointed out that the school not only offered them time and workshops but also provided them with any ICT tools they needed (see the training section in the teachers’ interview schedule).

The headteacher of school B mentioned that her teachers were not using Classera every day. She believed that teachers would in time get used to using it, as was the case with other ICT tools they applied in their school (see later in the headteacher interview schedule section). The school provided ICT workshops for the teachers every Sunday. In terms of the technical support, there was an IT department who were responsible for any ICT maintenance.

As mentioned earlier, the internet access in school C was provided only for the

administrative work, but not for the teachers and the learners to use in the classes. One of the teachers later told me she brought her own router to the school to finish work and to share it with other teachers. In respect of teachers' use of Classera, the headteacher

believed that the teachers enjoyed using Classera and they were using it frequently without the need for any sanctions.

The headteacher of school D had replaced all of the traditional boards in the classes with the interactive ones. She explained that she had personally decided to do so even though there had been no regulation from the Ministry of Education. She said she was aware of

101

the differences in ICT skills between new teachers and teachers who had worked with Classera for a long time in her school and believed that teachers’ rejection of the use of ICT could not ignored. However, she was also aware of the importance of encouraging teachers to use ICT tools and understanding the reasons for teachers’ rejection.

The headteacher of school E decided to use Classera in particular because it was offered by a well-known company and many of the approved international schools had started using it. Conversations between heads had covered why their school did not to use it (see later in the headteacher section). The headteacher explained that the use of Classera was

considered a part of teachers’ duties in the school and she expected teachers to use it daily. She added that they asked the IT department to supervise weekly teachers’ use to identify active users from non-users. This helped them to find which teachers might need

assistance. The headteacher explained that they called in teachers who appeared not to be using it and discussed the reasons. If the reason was mainly because of an IT problem, the teacher received help from the IT department until her problem had been solved. For any other reasons, the school sent three warnings letters at different times for teachers. If a teacher had still not taken the opportunity to use it, she would be dismissed from the school. The school principal pointed out that most of the parents, through surveys conducted by school, showed their interest in using the portal and were active users. The teachers agreed also that most of the parents preferred using Classera for interactions with the teachers rather than coming into the school. However, due to school regulation, no classes were observed. In terms of the technical support, there was an IT department in the school who provided any teacher that need help with ICT tools. Table 4-1 shows the general description of all the school contexts.

102

Table 4‑1 A brief description of private and international school contexts