Research field work phases

Fieldwork for this project started in January 2012 and ended in June 2014. Data were collected in three rounds, and in two main interaction modes: face-to-face and distance. The participant- debriefing activity, which concluded the data collection process, was conducted in June 2014. A detailed description of the eight stages that the present research project followed is provided in Table 4.3.

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Phase Time Description

I October 2011-

September 2012 Title: Recruiting and selecting research participants Aims: To recruit research participants

To provide further information about the research project to potential research participants

To gather information about participants’ education, teaching background, textbooks they had used, as well as their perception of “good textbooks”.

To shed lights on participants’ beliefs about L2 teaching and learning.

Procedure: An invitation letter (see Appendix 20) that briefly informed EFL teachers of the project, and invited them to participate in the study was mailed to more than 100 EFL instructors teaching in public schools in the capital city, a southern city, and a northern town. Teachers interested in this project were sent by email further information about the project, and were asked to sign the consent form.

To reach a wider audience, an ad in a national newspaper was also run. In addition, networking, and face-to-face research explanations were used as strategies to recruit participants.

Participants were also asked to complete a five question email interview, as well as an email questionnaire on teachers’ beliefs.

II January 2012 Title: Data collection (Round One)

Aims: To pilot one-on-one interviews and the COLT Scheme

To collect the data for the Qualifying Report, and the final project

Procedure: One teacher was observed four 45-minute EFL classes at the institution where she worked. The teacher attended four one-on- one 10-15 minute post-observation interviews. The observations were video-recorded. The date and the time for the observations were mutually arranged between the teacher and the researcher. I spent five days at the institution where the instructor worked, and had 41 informal discussions with Miss Landa, her colleagues, and the school headmaster. These exchanges took place during the participants’ idle time. 16 of these informal exchanges were video- recorded, while a note-taking approach was used for the bulk of the work.

The participant was asked to self-evaluate in written her observed lessons, but the teacher never submitted any self-evaluation form as she never had time for that – as the teacher put that. Consequently, a change was made in the research plan, and the teacher was asked to give oral evaluations for the last two lessons observed. The last two oral post evaluations were video-recorded. In addition, I photocopied and collected the following documents: the lesson plans, the pages of

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the textbook containing the lesson(s) observed, and the teacher’s book page(s) giving guidance for each lesson observed.

III February-March

2012 Title: Enriching and clarifying the data collected (Round One)

Aims: To clarify ideas and concepts not fully elaborated during the data collection process.

Procedure: The teacher answered 8 additional questions regarding her teaching practices, and her teaching views in three follow-up emails.

IV September 2012 -

October 2012 Title: Data collection (Round Two)

Aims: To collect the data for the research project

Procedure: Three teachers were observed three 45-minute EFL classes at the institution where each of them worked. Each of the teachers attended three one-on-one 10-15 minute post-observation interviews. For two teachers, the observation sessions and the post- lesson interviews were recorder. For one teacher, handwritten notes were taken during the observation sessions and post-lesson interviews because the participant did not sign the video-recording consent form.

I spent four days at the institution where each instructor worked, and had 156 short discussions with the three teachers, their colleagues and school headmaster. 49 of these informal exchanges were video- recorded, while a note-taking approach was used for the bulk of the work. Depending on the length of the exchanges, I either wrote word by word what the interlocutor(s) said, or used my own words to paraphrase and/or summarise the conversations. These exchanges took place during the participants’ idle time.

As part of the informal discussions, all three participants gave oral evaluations for the lessons observed. In addition, I photocopied and collected the following documents: the lesson plans, the pages of the textbook containing the lesson(s) observed, and the teacher’s book page(s) giving guidance for each lesson observed.

V November 2012-

April 2013 Title: Enriching and clarifying the data collected (Round Two)

Aims: To clarify ideas and concepts not fully elaborated during the data collection process.

Procedure: A total of 7 follow-up emails were exchanged with the three teachers. The emails contained 10 clarifying questions.

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VI November 2013 Title: Data collection (Round Three)

Aims: To collect the data for the research project

Procedure: Two teachers were observed one 45-minute EFL class at the institution where each of them worked. Each of the teachers attended one one-on-one 10-15 minute post-observation interviews. Both observation sessions were video-recorded.

I spent two days at the institution where each instructor worked, and had 20 short discussions with the participants, their colleagues and school headmaster. Seven of these informal exchanges were video- recorded, while a note-taking approach was used for the bulk of the work. Depending on the length of the exchanges, I either wrote word by word what the interlocutor(s) said, or used my own words to paraphrase and/or summarise the conversations. These exchanges took place during the participants’ idle time.

As part of the informal discussions, both participants gave oral evaluations for the lesson observed. In addition, I photocopied and collected the following documents: the lesson plan, the pages of the textbook containing the lesson(s) observed, and the teacher’s book page(s) giving guidance for each lesson observed.

VII December 2013 –

March 2014 Title: Enriching and clarifying the data collected (Round Three) Aims: To clarify ideas and concepts not fully elaborated during the data collection process.

Procedure: A total of six follow-up emails were exchanged with the three teachers. The emails contained eight clarifying questions.

VIII June 2014 Title: Participant debriefing

Procedure: The four participating teachers were given an electronic copy of the study. Participants were also given electronic copies of :

1) - the recordings of their observation sessions

2) - the recordings, and the transcripts of formal, and informal conversations they and their colleagues had with me

3) - the email exchanges between the participant and the researcher 4) – the translation of the excerpts that appear in the study