Validity and generalizability

To the best of my knowledge, the process for the collection of data was valid and reliable. The data can be generalized, but the point of individual case studies is to deepen

understandings of the situation on the ground.

There are limitations and strengths to this model and method for qualitative research. A limitation is that the research focusses on the situation in South Africa – and this is also its strength as South African librarians provide a solid case for analysis of time for professional degree studies. These will be discussed in greater detail in chapter 6.

3.7 Ethics

The research was done in accordance with the University’s ethical standards. The university Ethics Committee approved the research proposal and ethics commitment in September 2013. All interviews are confidential and the participant is most welcome to have access to both the interview transcript and the final thesis. The original interview records and transcripts will be archived securely at the UWC Division for Lifelong Learning (DLL) and may be used further, with permission, for reporting purposes.

3.7.1 Selected code of ethics

The university Ethics Committee required a statement that the research is in line with the ethical rules of a national disciplinary association, as well as rules of an international disciplinary association, and the world standard ethical practice is in the particular discipline. But, in South Africa, there is no particular association or professional body that directly deals with the category “Researching Higher Education”.

For this reason, researchers in HE in South Africa then have to look to other research sources for guidance on ethics in the journals, relevant academic peer-reviewed books on research ethics, university Research Ethics Committees information posted online,

scholarly articles and scholarly searches for professionals in the field who have an interest in research ethics.

Locally, the South African “Human Sciences Research Council” (HSRC) provides opportunities for researchers to have their work in researching higher education evaluated by their Ethics Committee. The HSRC Code of Research Ethics covers a set of values and principles, mentioning Respect and Protection, Transparency, Scientific and Academic Professionalism and Accountability.

The associations and groups internationally that researchers in HE look to for guidance on ethical matters related to research include:

 UK Higher Education Academy (HEA)

 American Association for Higher Education (AAHE)

 American Educational Research Association (AERA)

 British Educational Research Association (BERA)

The code of ethics that I subscribed to for the purposes of this research is from AERA.

3.7.2 About the AERA Code of Ethics for researchers

According to the AERA website, the Code of Ethics of the American Educational Research Association was approved by the AERA Council in February 2011. The main purpose of the code is “the welfare and protection of the individuals and groups with whom education researchers work. It also serves to educate education researchers, their students, and others who would benefit from understanding the ethical principles and standards that guide education researchers in their professional work”.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) code of ethics for social science researchers includes the following:

 Principles for Professional Competence, Integrity, Scholarly Responsibility, Respect for Human Rights.

 Ethical standards, Competence, Use and Misuse of Expertise (Fabrication, Falsification, and Plagiarism), Avoiding Harm, Non-discrimination, Non- exploitation, Harassment, Conflicts of Interest, Adherence to Professional Standards, Disclosure, Avoidance of Personal Gain

 Maintaining Confidentiality, Limits of Confidentiality, Electronic Transmission and Storage of Confidential Information, Anonymity of Sources, Minimizing Intrusions on Privacy

 Scope of Informed Consent

 Research Planning, Implementation, and Dissemination, Offering Inducements for Research Participants, responsible Data Sharing, Authorship Credit.

The full text of this code, and other Codes and Ethics Statements mentioned earlier, are listed in the bibliography.

3.7.3 Additional ethics guidelines

Additional research ethics guidelines were obtained from the following sources:  WMA Declaration of Helsinki - Ethical Principles for Medical Research

Involving Human Subjects Sociology (Note: While this code is directed at researcher in the medical field, many important guidelines can be generalized for the purposes of social science research).

 Statement of Ethical Practice for the British Sociological Association  UWC Research Ethics Policy

Therefore, the research in this thesis was conducted in line with the ethical rules of a national disciplinary association (as represented by the generic HSRC guidelines), as well as rules of an international disciplinary association, and the world standard ethical

practice in the particular discipline I am working in (as represented by the AERA ethical code).

3.7.4 Conflicts of interest

There is always the possibility for conflict of interest as the research covered the full picture of employer and its employees that are also students of the university. This potential for tension was managed through maintaining a level of anonymity and confidentiality of students, and in as far as possible working through the UWC Department for Library and Information Science (LIS) which has good working relationships with students/graduates and their employers.

3.7.5 Bursar and University access to research data and analysis

The original bursar, SAQA, and the university might require information regarding the work done and this is purely for research purposes in appreciating how time for studies is understood for working students as part of the theory and practise of lifelong learning.