Many scholars (Henning et al, 2011; Denzin & Lincoln, 2003; Richardson, 2002) argue that human learning is best researched by using qualitative data. In selecting a research methodology, Henning et al (2011) suggests that “it’s proper to select that paradigm whose assumptions are best met by the phenomenon being investigated”. The study is about human learning and the use of a responsive curriculum in facilitating it. The purpose of the study is to investigate without manipulation the role of a responsive curriculum on the optimisation of learning in HE. The focus of the study was on participants multiple perceptions, meanings and processes of the curriculum and its impact on learning. The essential processes in this study included semi- structured interviews of lecturers and students within the department of Informatics in the Faculty of ICT at the Tshwane University of Technology. Document analysis of the study guides and learning material of the subjects Business Analysis III and IV were also done as part of the investigation process. The processes that influenced these experiences and the analysis of the resulting descriptive data were all undertaken by the researcher as a participant in the study. This approach allowed for “narrative descriptions” of the phenomena under study and gave the researcher the opportunity to take into account the views of the participants and multiple interpretations in the group’s natural environment. The researcher found a qualitative description of their experiences and an inductive analysis of data as most appropriate for the purpose of this research. Furthermore, constructed knowledge is not truth that remains stable and generalisable
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across contexts, rather, it exists within specific contexts and perspectives-knowledge that may profess to be the truth for one context may not be the truth for other contexts (Barnard, 2011:20). However, it has to be noted that the resulting outcomes do not support extensive generalisations; rather, they present the contextual findings that help develop knowledge and understanding in the HE context.
It is also generally recognised that qualitative researchers are concerned with processes rather than simply the outcomes or products. As stated in Chapter One, the research design here relates to the broader ‘plan’ of how the study was to be executed in order to achieve the desired outcomes. According to Creswell (2010:5) research can be classified under two broader categories, namely qualitative or quantitative design. With this study a qualitative approach is employed that is premised on the assumption that reality subsists in knowledge constructed in a social context by people and that this knowledge is decisive for human interaction, whether individually or socially (Babbie & Mouton, 2008:54). Babbie and Mouton (2008:53) notes that two ontological principles are applied in classifying knowledge of social matters. The first includes concepts, structures or relationships that exist naturally or objectively (objectivism) while the second subsumes concepts, names and labels that are abstractions (i.e. they exist subjectively); hence the principle is described as subjectivism. Objectivism (typically employed with quantitative studies) proceeds from the assumption that social phenomena are intrinsically linked to people in whom the phenomena are expressed. By contrast, subjectivism (typically employed with qualitative studies) proceeds from the opposite view that people are inseparable from the social phenomena in which they are actively involved (Leonard, 2005). Seen from a social constructivist world view, dialogue of experiences can serve to unveil the subjective meanings that people ascribe to the world they live and work in (Creswell, 2010:6).
As in the present instance, a constructivist worldview enables the researcher to interpret the findings of this study in the context of interviews in which the participants relate their experiences with regards to the subject matter (Babbie & Mouton, 2008:272-273; Creswell, 2010:8). The object of the interviews and later the analysis of documents uncover the deeper meaning of subjects (lecturers and students) perceptions of the role of a responsive curriculum in the optimisation of learning.
92 4.4.1 Context of the research
Botma et al (2010) state that qualitative studies are contextual in nature and cannot be generalised due to the data being valid only for a specific context. The researcher is focused on a specific, single phenomena and the way in which it is socially constructed. The research study is, therefore, contextual, focusing on the role of a responsive curriculum in optimisation of learning in HE. The context of the research is the department of Informatics at the Tshwane University of Technology. The department of Informatics is part of the Faculty of Information Technology and Communications at the Tshwane University of Technology (see Par. 2.7). The department offers a variety of qualifications - from Diplomas to D Tech qualifications. The purpose of the qualifications is to produce individuals who will be able to provide the needed knowledge and skills to function as a junior business/system analyst within any organisation, as all organisations use technology to further themselves (Prospectus of the Faculty of ICT at the Tshwane University of Technology, 2015). This includes the research, identification, analysis, design, development, testing, maintenance and implementation of organisational IT systems to aid innovation, and for betterment of organisational responsiveness, effectiveness and/or efficiency, which improves the social and economic stance of the country. The qualifications are an introduction to the creation of integrated IT solutions to organisational problems and management of those systems by using project management and business analysis methodologies. The following diagram depicts the organogram of the Department of Informatics (Prospectus of the Faculty of ICT at the Tshwane University of Technology, 2015).
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Diagram 4.1 Organogram of the Department of Informatics
Source: Human-Hendricks (2014)
Table 4.1 Number of students in Business Analysis III and IV for 2016 Subject
Code
Subject Name Number of students
BUA30AT Business Analysis IIIA 62 diploma students BUA30BT Business Analysis IIB 33 diploma students BUA401T Business Analysis IV 106 BTECH students Source: Human-Hendricks (2014)
Flowing from table 4.1 is that the Department of Informatics offers different qualifications, with different subject codes. The qualifications displayed here are still structured according to the NATED Report 151 for Technikons and not according to the HEQSF. In the previous chapter (chapter 3) the researcher continually referred to the HEQSF and the re-curriculation process which is currently taking place in HEIs in South Africa. The researcher in this study focused on the BTECH and Diploma qualifications, which was purposefully selected (see explanation
HOD/Acting HOD
Under Graduate/ Diplomas and BTECH (post graduate)
Post Graduate NDip BTECH MTECH DTECH NDip (BAS) BTECH(BIS) BTECH(BA) BTECH(IM) BTECH(KM)
Post Graduate Unit
MTECH(BIS) Structured MTECH(BIS) Full MTECH(BAS) Full MTECH(IM) Full MTECH(KM) Full DTECH(BIS) DTECH(BAS) DTECH(IM) DTECH(KM) Administration
Full Time Personnel
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below). According to table 4.1 there are 95 diploma students in the subject Business Analysis III and 106 students within the BTECH, Business Analysis IV. Twenty participants from these two qualifications (Diploma and BTECH) were identified, but only 6 BTECH students and 6 Diploma students participated in the study. Reasons why the other students did not participate is explained in the limitations of the study.