CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.6 Setting and Sample of the Study
This research investigates PPPs in education in Oman and seeks to identify existing and potential PPPs, their impediments and highlight different stakeholders’ perspectives of PPPs. The study culminates in a PPP framework which is responsive to the Omani educational and social context. Hence, it was essential to include participants from the public and private education sectors to consider these diverse perspectives and visions. Research participants from the public and private education sectors were drawn from two educational directorates of the 11 educational directorates in the governorates of Oman, namely the educational directorates in the Al-Dakhiliyah Governorate and the Muscat Governorate. Participants from other sectors were drawn from the Muscat Governorate where their work is situated. The educational directorate in the Al-Dakhiliyah Governorate was selected as a research setting because I originally worked there. My familiarity with the research context aided in selecting participants who conformed to the participant selection criteria identified below. It also facilitated the smooth organisation and implementation of the focus groups in this directorate.
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The educational directorate in the Muscat Governorate was chosen because it has the largest density of private education provision in Oman (Al-Sheethani, 2005; MOE, 2010a). Hence, this allowed me to select from different private school types which are not necessarily available in other governorates. The MOE headquarters, where the key research respondents work, are also based in Muscat. This close proximity between the MOE’s different departments and the private schools sped up the process of obtaining the necessary clearance to access the target schools as well as permitting more interviews to be undertaken in the limited time available for field work than would otherwise have been possible.
The number of participants in qualitative research is not dictated by complicated statistical formulae, but by the ‘completeness’ of the research agenda and satisfaction with the understanding of the multi-faceted phenomenon studied (Rubin & Rubin, 1995, p. 72). Therefore, the sample for this study followed a non-probability approach in which particular groups of participants are targeted even though they may not necessarily be representative of the population. This is because the study’s main aim is not to generalise findings but rather to provide an in-depth exploration of the PPP phenomenon in the Omani context. Neuman (2006) asserts that in qualitative research sampling, the focus should be on how the sample illuminates the topic under investigation rather than on sample representativeness. Hence, in determining the research sample, a purposive and snowball sampling approach was adopted for the semi-structured interview respondents and focus groups participants. Snowball sampling was used in response to evolving and emerging research foci and the need to expand the range of research respondents. This enabled the identification of an inter-connected web of people who had experience of the topic. Holstein and Gubrium (1995, p. 74) describe this sample selection procedure as an ongoing
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process in which designating a group of research participants is tentative, provisional, or even spontaneous. It also reflects the flexible and iterative nature of qualitative research which changes and develops in response to new discoveries during data collection and analysis (Rubin & Rubin, 1995). Sampling for this study finished when I felt that the study reached saturation (Ezzy, 2002), covering almost all directorates in the MOE that have links with PPP programmes and selecting interview respondents from each of them.
The purposive design is warranted in this type of exploratory field research which seeks cases for in-depth investigation (Neuman, 2006) and particular respondents to act as key informants who meet certain criteria (Ezzy, 2002). According to Rubin and Rubin (1995), research participants in qualitative research need to be knowledgeable about the topic being explored, willing to talk about the topic and represent a range of perspectives to give the research balance and depth. To satisfy these criteria, the research participants included those who had some expertise of PPPs and involved a range of stakeholders to explore their varied perceptions of PPPs. The semi-structured interview respondents for this study were drawn from key public sector officials, either those involved in decision making concerning reform and well acquainted with PPP programmes or those whose work is related to the management of and coordination with private providers of education. The participants from the private education sector represented different managerial and school-practitioner levels. In addition, the study also targeted participants from other sectors whose job roles involved some links with PPPs in education. These were members of the education committees of the State Council and the OCCI, a representative from the UNICEF office in Oman and a member from the Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science linked to UNESCO. Before data analysis, coding was applied to ensure the anonymity of participants. Codes include the letters G, P or O, to symbolise government, private and
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other sectors, as well as the respondent’s initials and interview date. For example, (GNL28/02/12) represents a government participant, whose initials are N. L. and who was interviewed on 28 February 2012.
Similarly, the focus group sampling followed a purposive sampling method in which a number of government administrative staff, school principals and subject supervisors were selected to shed light on the topic. Quota sampling was also considered during the selection of the focus group participants to represent a variety of administrative staff and school-level practitioners. These were mainly personnel who have some knowledge of PPPs in the education context. The sample of school principals included participants from the basic and post-basic education levels and the supervisors’ sample comprised representatives from all supervision departments (administrative, human sciences, applied sciences, individual skills and private school supervisors). The four focus groups conducted (identified as FG1 to FG4) were as follows:
FG1: administrative and private school supervisors
FG2: applied science supervisors
FG3: public school principals
FG4: human science supervisors
The sampling method aimed to ensure that the various hierarchical structures (high-level, medium-level and low-level officials) in both sectors were represented, as illustrated in Figure 3.2 below, to triangulate information from different sources and gain a realistic perspective of PPPs in the education system and their implementation. The public sector sample was drawn from directors general, directors, section heads and school-level
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practitioners. The respondents from the private education sector included school owners, shareholders, chief executive officers (CEOs), other officers and school principals.
Figure 3.2: Levels of respondents from the public and private sectors
Source: Author’s research
The research participants, with their diverse positions and professional backgrounds within the education system, possess practical experience of PPPs and their role in education. Their distinct, yet complementary, PPP expertise can thus aid in the design of the suggested PPP framework and shape its basic elements. Whereas the participating directors and researchers can provide broad visions and suggest PPP policies, school-level practitioners (principals, supervisors and various officers) can offer more detailed insights into the practical aspects of PPPs. The involvement of other participants (politicians, parents) was not feasible, but could have added some financial and social dimensions to the suggested PPP framework.
Research Participants
Public Education Sector Director Generals Directors Section Heads School Supervisors School Principals Administrative staff Private Education Sector Shareholders /owners Chief Executive Officers Other officers School PrincipalsParticipants from other Sectors
State Council
Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science
UNICEF Office OCCI
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The participants in the current study numbered 61. In total, 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted and 29 participants took part in four focus groups. Table 3.3 below depicts the distribution and breakdown of the research sample and the research instruments used with each group.
Table 3.3: Breakdown of research sample and data collection instruments used
More information on the participating MOE directorates and their departments and sections can be found in Appendix E.