THE RESEARCH DESIGN PROCESS

With reference to the research design process, below the process is depicted in figure 5.2.

176 Qualitative researcher

Multiple Case study

Data collection

Sample – 3 public primary schools

Pilot study: Design, implementation and reflection 3 EFAL Intermediate Phase teachers from each school

9 learners from each school

Method of collection Data collection instruments One-on-one semi-structured

interviews

Audiotapes

Verbatim transcriptions Field notes

Focus group interviews Audiotapes

Verbatim transcriptions Field notes

Observations Reflective journal Observation sheet Field notes

Document analysis Curriculum Policy

Photographs Camera

Data analysis Organising the data

Coding the data Open coding

Axial coding Selective coding

Structuring the analysed data Interpreting the data

Narrative

Trustworthiness of the study Credibility

Transferability Dependability Confirmability

Figure 5.1: Research Design process flow chart

Researcher’s illustration Bricolage In teractiv e p ro ce ss

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As a qualitative researcher, the researcher worked inductively, to develop themes from informants’ views rather than specifying them in advance of the research (Creswell 1998:77). Likewise, to answer the research questions, the researcher obtained the perspectives of the Intermediate Phase teachers and their learners to better understand the teaching approaches in the sampled Intermediate Phase classrooms. The researcher chose a qualitative research approach for this study since, according to Creswell (1998:17-18), firstly, the nature of the research questions asked needs initial forays into the topic to describe what is going on. Secondly, the topic needs to be explored. Thirdly, there is a need to present a detailed view of the topic. Fourthly, the researcher needed to study individuals in their natural setting. Fifthly, the researcher had interest in writing in a literary style, whereby she brought oneself into the study. Sixthly, the researcher employed qualitative study because she had sufficient time and resources to spend on data collection in the field and data analysis of information. Seventhly, audiences are receptive to qualitative research (the present paradigm embraces a qualitative approach). Lastly, it was done to emphasise the researcher’s role as an active student who can tell the story from the participants’ view rather than an expert who passes judgement on participants.

The challenges faced by a qualitative research approach as stated by Creswell (1998:16-17) are: spending many hours in the field collecting extensive data and labouring on issues of trying to gain access, rapport, and an insider perspective; engaging in the complex, time consuming process of data analysis – the ambitious task of sorting through large amounts of data and reducing them to a few themes or categories; writing long passages, because the evidence must substantiate claims and need to show multiple perspectives; and need to participate in a form of social and human science research that does not have firm guidelines or specific procedures and is evolving and changing constantly. Nonetheless, these challenges were at the expense of collecting extensive, rich and reliable data for the credibility of this study. To ensure accuracy in this research process, the researcher used a reflective journal and memos to record and reflect on the details of the choices she made in sampling, how to collect and analyse the data.

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Moreover, this qualitative study employed a collective, multiple or multisite case study because more than one setting was sampled and studied and that is in accordance with the views of various researchers (Yin 1989; Stake 1995; Creswell 1998; McMillan & Schumacher 2010). As a consequence of the multiple case study method, the topic was intensively investigated and more information was gathered through multiple data collection instruments.

As the goal was not to make definitive claims or to generalise the findings to a wider population, the researcher wanted to explore the classroom interaction in EFAL in these two schools in depth and began to theorise about how learners’ communicative competence could be enhanced in EFAL. The researcher spent a considerable amount of time conducting observations, and interviewing teachers and learners, jotting down field notes, photographing the setting of the EFAL classrooms without learners, supplemented by documents analysed to triangulate the findings (Slavin 2007:152). As in most qualitative studies, generalisability is an issue with case studies; the goal of this study was not to generalise to other situations, but was to simply determine what happened in that particular situation (Slavin 2007:152), since Creswell (1998:63) claims that the term generalisability, holds little meaning for most qualitative researchers.

Hitchcock and Hughes (1995 cited in Cohen, Manion & Morris 2000:182) suggest that the case study has several hallmarks: it is concerned with a rich and vivid description of events relevant to the case; it provides a chronological narrative of events relevant to the case; it blends a description of events with the analysis of them; it focuses on individual actors or groups of actors, and seeks to understand their perceptions of events; it highlights specific events that are relevant to the case; and the researcher is integrally involved in the case.

The researcher took advantage of the features of the case study as they fulfilled what was intended to be demonstrated in this study, and then intensely prepared to experience each and every step in this research. Thus the case study created ample opportunity to accomplish what was desired.

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Furthermore, Nisbet and Watt (1984 cited in Cohen et al. 2000:184) highlight the strengths of a case study as: the results are more easily understood by a wide audience (including non-academic) as they are frequently written in everyday, non- professional language than simply by presenting them with abstract theories or principles; they are immediately understandable; they speak for themselves; they catch unique features that may otherwise be lost in larger scale (e.g. surveys); these unique features might hold the key to understanding the situation; they are strong on reality; they provide insights into other, similar situations and cases, thereby assisting interpretation of other similar cases; and they can embrace and build in unanticipated events and uncontrolled variables. In addition, Cohen et al. (2000:181) maintain that case studies can establish cause and effect, indeed as they observe effects in real contexts, recognising that context is a powerful determinant of both causes and effects.

In contrast, Nisbet and Watt (1984:82) also underline the weaknesses of the case study as: the results may not be generalisable except where other readers/researchers see their application; they are not easily open to cross- checking, hence they may be selective, biased, personal and subjective; and they are prone to problems of observer bias, despite attempts made to address this variable.

It is obvious that the strengths of the case study overwhelm its weaknesses, so the researcher concentrated on the strengths and also being cautious about bias as the intention was to collect rich, extensive, and reliable data gathered from the participants concerning the phenomenon under study using multiple data collection methods. Again the use of multiple sources of information advanced the credibility of this study. In addition, the intention was not to generalise but to simply determine what was happening in those particular schools.

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5.4 BRICOLAGE METHODOLOGY WITHIN THE DOMAINE OF