Students’ Interviews

The students’ interview process started with the researcher’s verbal briefing about the purpose of the research, the process of the interview and participants’ rights to

confidentiality. Aside from the verbal briefing, the participating students were given information sheets and consent forms signed by their parents before taking part in any interviews. A translated Somali version of the information and consent form was made available for respondents who could not read English.

The interviews were conducted in a separate and quite area in the high school library. A total of 15 interviews were conducted. Most of the interviews lasted for less than an hour. The interviews with students were conducted in English and Somali for student participants whose language ability was not adequate to independently respond to questionnaires.

Their interviews were focused on existing relationships between their parents and teachers and their effectiveness. Examples of the questions the students were asked include:

1. Please explain how your class teacher/s and principal communicate with your parents? For example through school notices, verbal message, telephone 2. What role do you play in this communication?

3. How often do your teacher/s or principal conduct face- to-face meeting with your parents?

4. Do you also take part in these meetings and if so what is your role? 5. How important do you feel are teacher and parents interviews?

6. Who helps your parents with translation in the interviews in case they need it? 7. How important is this for you?

8. Are you bothered by or comfortable with your parents’ increased communication with the school?

4.8 Principals

Limited time was committed to explaining the aims of the objectives of the research during the interviews with the principals because they were already informed of the research. However, both principals were given an overview of the themes upon which the interviews were centred and their rights as respondents. Consent forms and an information sheet were also provided to each principal as standard procedures. The actual interviews started after signing the consent forms.

The interviews with both principals were conducted in their offices and lasted for almost 1.5 hour each. Subsequent contact was made with one of the principals to clarify more on a topic which the researcher needed further clarifications during the transcript. The interviews with principals covered topics on school policies, methods of communication employed by the school to engage with parents and existing barriers. The principals were asked whether they have a policy covering parent - school collaboration, and if so, to explain the contents, whether staff have a copy, and whether it is covered during staff induction. They were also asked whether families receive a copy, and if so, in what language/languages, as well as how they gather feedback from parents about the effectiveness of family collaboration initiatives.

4.9 Teachers

Interviews with individual teachers started with the researcher expressing his gratitude to the teacher for agreeing to take part in the study, despite their tight schedules. A verbal explanation of the research objectives and the key areas which the interviews will focus on were explained to the teachers. An information sheet about the research and a consent form was given to each teacher before any interview was conducted. The participants’ right to withdraw from the study was also stressed as part of the briefing process.

Most interviews with teachers were conducted in their classrooms, except four which were conducted in the staff rooms. These interviews covered the methods they employ for communication with the Somali parents, and any barrier blocking collaboration between parents and schools from the perspectives of the teachers. Teachers were asked what their expectations of Somali parents are, the types of communication they use to engage with parents, whether it differs for Somali parents, and what they consider to be the main issues for Somali families in their school.

4.10 Observational Method

Observation was a minor aspect of the methodology, and was used to gauge the interaction taking place between parents and teachers in parent/teacher interviews. A total of six observations (two in the primary school and four in the high school) were conducted to ascertain the process and how parent and teacher interviews were conducted. The

observations were important in shedding more light on how well parents and teachers were engaging and the extent to which the process was working, and to some extent they were used as a validation of the data collected using the narrative method.

After gaining consent both from parents and teachers, the researcher observed the interactions between the teacher and parents during the conduct of parent-teacher

interviews. Prior to the interview researcher ensured that all parties (including the students) were clear about the role of the researcher, and they signed a consent form. The researcher remained silent during the interview.

4.11 Documents

The documents (school policies, school reports, school notices and school brochures) were analysed to ascertain the methods of communication employed by schools and their

4.12 Data Analysis

The data analysis was on-going, commencing with revision of notes and audio tape recording taken from the field which were later analysed according to the topics in the questionnaires. Gay (1996, p. 227) argues that qualitative researchers “look for categories, patterns, and themes which [can] facilitate a coherent synthesis of the data”. Braun and Clark (2006, p. 79) defined thematic data analysis as “a method for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) within data. They argue that thematic data analysis has both flexibility and an ability to provide information which is both rich and relevant to the research.

The approach I followed for the analysis of the data was looking for patterns from the transcripts of the audio tapes and the notes I took from the interviews and discussions. Sometimes I went back to participants when I needed more clarification.

Then, as proposed by Padgett (2008), I opted to analysis the data on topic areas along the participants’ experiences in a chronological manner:

1. the experiences in Somalia (education, employment and rural/urban lifestyle), 2. the flight process,

3. the experience in the refugee camps (life in the camps and challenges), 4. the journey to New Zealand,

5. the arrival at, and experience in, the Auckland refugee centre at Mangere, 6. the experience in resettling in Christchurch, and

7. the experiences of communicating and collaborating with schools (the families’ perspectives on their communication and collaboration with parents and the constraints they faced).

There are also sub-themes in each of these themes; for example, the last theme on the experience of dealings with schools had the three sub-themes of; families’ expectations and experiences during the enrolment and post-enrolment periods, the methods employed by schools for communication and collaboration, their effectiveness and the barriers faced by parents and schools. The data were analysed along the topics, the main themes and the sub- themes.

After writing the transcript, subsequent separate meetings were arranged with six individual participants to ask them about the validity of the notes and any important information not captured or that which was not relevant and needed to be removed.

As with the focus groups, two information-sharing meetings were held; one for the male and one for the female participants following the transcription of data. The aims of the meetings were to bring together participants to give their opinions about the accuracy of information captured from notes taken from the focus group discussion. The intention was to provide participants and the researcher the opportunity to go through the transcripts together so that the researcher and parents can address any gaps in the data. The process was useful in preserving important information which could be lost in the translation from Somali to English. It was an opportunity to expand on topics which parents thought to be emphasised more.