Summary of the Data Analysis

The data analysis presented in Chapter 4 provided a range of evidence to answer the four supporting research questions. Section 4.2 presented evidence in the form of quantitative data, and qualitative data that was analysed thematically, to support the claim that the sample of students who participated in the research were strong supporters of the AcAd Program. Subsequently, data were presented in sections 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5 that also indicated a strong level of support for the program from surveyed parents/caregivers, the population of AcAds and the Heads of Year. All stakeholder groups were able to draw a clear distinction between the role of the AcAd and the role of the teacher.

Data from the sample group of students and parents/caregivers, and from the Heads of Year, also supported the claim that students found the program to be beneficial. AcAds themselves agreed – although some of them noted that there were exceptions among the less enthusiastic members of the student body. Data from students and parents/ caregivers also indicated that students generally looked forward to their meetings with the AcAds, although some expressed concern about missing lesson time to attend these meetings. Students and AcAds confirmed that only a few of the students in the program were self- regulating prior to entering the program, and the students who believed they were previously self-regulating acknowledged that their levels of self-regulation had improved as a result of their involvement. Parents/caregivers were less sure about their child/children’s level of self-regulation prior to the program, but they also noted improvements in this aspect of the program. All parties also perceived improvements in the students’ learning power, although there was some doubt about whether or not all participants understood the meaning of the term. In addition, data were analysed from elaborations on focused survey statements and answers to survey questions relating to the various themes in the learning power category.

Self-regulatory processes formed the first theme in the category of self-regulation. Goal- setting and achievement were commonly referred to, particularly by students and AcAds. There was little evidence that these goals were discussed at home, although a few parents/caregivers noted that their child had displayed their goals and was proud of what they were achieving. Data from students, parents/caregivers and AcAds indicated that some students were reflecting on their performance and making adjustments in order to improve. There was insufficient evidence within the student survey data to warrant conclusions about students managing procrastination, although this aspect of self- regulatory processes did come though more clearly in the answers to open-ended questions in the 2017 survey of students with two or more years’ experience in the program. However, there were clear messages contained within student, parent and AcAd data with respect to improvements in time management and organisational strategies that implied improvements with regard to procrastination.

Task strategies were the most dominant of the eight themes analysed. Organisational strategies and time management were cited as areas of improvement by parents/caregivers and students alike. AcAds perceived that improvements in these dimensions of the task strategies theme had a positive effect on study-related anxiety and stress. The theme of self-motivational beliefs contained data from students, parents/ caregivers, AcAds and Heads of Year, suggesting that students’ levels of self-efficacy were increasing. There was evidence to indicate an increase in the level of intrinsic interest by some students.

The learning power category housed five themes: learning relationships; fragility and dependence; strategic awareness; meaning making; and changing and learning. All the stakeholder groups that participated in the research acknowledged that the relationships between students and AcAds formed a solid foundation for the program. Several students and parents/caregivers highlighted the healthy, trust-based, ‘mentor’-like relationship that existed between them. Several students also noted the happy disposition of their AcAd, which contributed to them enjoying their regular interactions.

The fragility and dependence theme was dominated by students’ references to anxiety and stress. Students and parents/caregivers alike acknowledged that the program had led to improvements in this regard. The AcAds themselves expressed less concern about this aspect, because they believed that better organisational and time-management skills would help students to overcome these issues. Indeed, data from students and parents/caregivers associated better skills in these areas with reduced anxiety and stress.

Data from students, parents/caregivers and AcAds indicated that students were expanding their learning networks beyond the classroom. However, all three groups acknowledged that students still relied on classroom teachers who, given the early stage of the transition to the new organisational architecture and the school-based assessment system, maintained a significance position in the life of the student. It was pleasing to note that many students were taking a more proactive approach to accessing help from their teachers and generally taking more ownership of their learning.

In relation to the strategic awareness theme, data from all sample groups indicated an increased tendency for students to engage in strategic reflection. These data were even more convincing when analysed in conjunction with data from the reflection component

of the self-regulatory processes theme. Data relating to students becoming more aware of their interrelationship with their learning environment and expanding their learning networks beyond the classroom were also present. However, as previously indicated, the assessment system that existed in the school at the time the research was conducted tended to place boundaries around what students needed to know in order to achieve a certain grade. Many students believed that they only needed to accommodate the knowledge and skills that were covered in class by their teachers, and in a practical (as opposed to philosophical) sense they were correct.

A relatively small amount of coded data was identified for analysis under the meaning making theme, although there was some explicit and a greater amount of implicit evidence to suggest that some students were gaining an increased sense of purpose and meaning from their studies. There were more data from students, parents/caregivers and AcAds to support the claim that the program was empowering students to become lifelong learners, that they were maturing during their time in the program, and that they recognised that improvement does not occur overnight. A number of students, parents/ caregivers and Heads of Year, and all the AcAds, appreciated that the purpose of the program was to improve students’ capacity to learn.

4.7 Conclusion

This chapter analysed quantitative and qualitative data obtained from surveys of students, parents/caregivers and AcAds, as well as qualitative data from focus groups consisting of students and AcAds, and one-on-one interviews with a small sample of senior students. Quantitative data in the form of responses to survey statements using a five-point Likert scale were analysed to provide descriptive statistics. These quantitative data were presented in a series of tables in the various sections of the chapter. Qualitative data from students, parents/caregivers, AcAds and, to a lesser extent, Heads of Year were analysed using theoretical thematic analysis. The theoretical aspect of the analysis was rooted in the work of Cleary and Zimmerman (2004) and Deakin Crick et al. (2004), who identified elements of self-regulation and learning power that were considered germane to this study. Three themes relating to self-regulation and five themes relating to relevant aspects of learning power were chosen from these works. A set of codes relating to these themes was developed and employed to analyse qualitative data.

Quantitative data were triangulated with other quantitative data and with a range of qualitative data. Qualitative data were also triangulated with other qualitative data. This triangulation process occurred within data and between data sets. Inconsistencies and contradictions were noted, as were instances of consistency between data from the various sources. This mixed methods approach rendered benefits in terms of complementarity, expansion, illustration and completeness, which allowed me to increase the depth of my understanding of the perceptions of various stakeholders.

Each section in this chapter used a consistent framework to address each of the four supporting research questions. Data indicated a high degree of consistency between the perceptions of students, parents/caregivers, AcAds and Heads of Year. Each group acknowledged the positive impact of the program, particularly with regard to improvements in task strategies, reduced levels of anxiety/stress among students and learning relationships. The conclusions derived from this data analysis will be revisited in Chapter 5, where they will be synthesised in order to provide an answer to the Key Research Question.