VALIDITY, RELIABILITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS

Qualitative and quantitative research may sometimes be interrogated pertaining to their validity and reliability. Since documents are written by people who are susceptible to errors and some are written with an element of subjectivity and objectivity; it is vital that the quality of measurement procedures for such documents should be adequately controlled for validity and reliability purposes. Validity and trustworthiness in mixed methods research concerns examining aspects of truth value, applicability, consistency and neutrality (Osborne, 2008:131). According to McMillan and Schumacher (1997:235) validity refers to the appropriateness, meaningfulness and usefulness of the specific inferences researchers make based on the data they collected. To enhance the validity of this study, the researcher submitted the questionnaire to the supervisor for the checks and balances in terms of covering all the aspects that are required. One-on-one interviews were conducted with parents as a pilot study; and parents were interviewed in a natural setting. Interview questions were phrased according to the participants‟ language proficiency. In this regard, interviewees were allowed to use the language of their choice to narrate their experiences about the parental involvement. In addition, the researcher would document this information by means of the interview transcripts which are attached as an addendum (see Appendix F) to this research project. This study will therefore be comparable because it will be adequately described so that the researcher could use it to extrapolate its findings to other studies. Nevertheless, it is equally important to note that the issues for qualitative research are more about transferability, faithfulness and dependability rather than reliability and validity (Blanche, Durrheim & Painter, 2006: 381). As a qualitative researcher, your job is to give thick descriptions so that readers are able to make decisions to see whether the results of the inquiry are transferable. The conceptual analysis must be faithfully derived from the data and be checked out against the consistency of different data sources.

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McMillan and Schumacher (1997:239) further define reliability as a reference to the consistency of the research and to the extent to which the findings could be replicated. This argument is further advanced by Krathwol (cited in Lebeko, 2011:74) when he mentions that reliability refers to the consistency of an instrument in measuring whatever it measures, and there are several measures through which reliability may be determined, viz. increasing internal consistency, increasing equivalence reliability and increasing stability. In this study, the researcher has kept a documented trail of data collection and data analysis throughout the entire research process. There is a verbatim account of the transcripts and interviews, as well as evidence of completed questionnaires. Analysis strategies were employed, member checks and direct quotations are used; and a tape recorder was utilised for recording purposes to confirm the reliability of the study. The use of member checks helps to clear up any misinterpretations that may be made by the researcher.

In quantitative research, truth value, applicability, consistency, and neutrality are addressed in terms of construct validity. According to Messick (cited in Osborne, 2008:132) validity is “the meaning of the test scores” as well as “a summary of both the evidence for and the actual as well as potential consequences of score interpretation and use.” The integration of test score meaning, interpretation, and use creates a construct framework known as construct validity.

In order to address validity in the quantitative perspective in this study, Benson‟s stages of construct validation were followed. First, the substantive stage was explored by using theory found in the research literature and empirical evidence. Next, the structural stage was examined by exploring relationships between the variables and constructs that compose the parental involvement in the township schools. This entails using descriptive statistics, item analysis, reliability analysis and confirmatory analysis (Osborne, 2008:132).In this study, Cronbach‟s alpha coefficient (p=.7) was computed for the items in the questionnaire. The average reliability for the question 3 (p.891); question 13 (p=.860) and question 14

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(p=.786). The average reliability test for the questionnaire is p=0.831, which is reliable. It can therefore be confirmed with a measure of certainty that the items can be regarded as internally consistent. This is in line with Muijs‟ (2004:73) assertion that when this measure is calculated it should be over 0.7 before the items could be considered to be internally consistent and reliable.

3.7.1. Triangulation

An effective researcher needs to investigate all sources and combine multiple perspectives to increase the credibility of the study. Both the primary and secondary data have been used in an attempt to address the objectives of the study. According to Creswell (cited in Hadebe, 2010:17) this process of corroborating data from multiple perspectives is called triangulation. Hadebe (2010:17) posits that the process of triangulation enhances the depth of understanding of a particular theme and to provide verification. Merriam (1998:207) concurs with this notion when she postulates that “especially in terms of using multiple methods of data collection and analysis, triangulation strengthen reliability as well as internal validity. On the bases of these definitions, the researcher‟s understanding is that triangulation infers the combined use of different research methods to investigate and comprehend a particular phenomenon. In this study, multiple methods were combined to achieve triangulation. The researcher therefore argues that the use of complementary methods in this research project is intended to compensate for any one-sidedness or distortion that may result from an individual method, theory or researcher. To this extent, in this study, a collective approach of interviews, transcription of recorded interviews, questionnaire and literature review was utilised as a means of triangulation. This is the means through which the researcher has guarded against any accusations that could be levelled against him that the study‟s findings are simply an artifact of a single method, a single source or even worse a single researcher‟s biases.

90 3.8. DATA ANALYSIS

Subsequent to the process of data collection; the collected data is expected to be analysed and conclusion drawn that respond to the research question. Data analysis is the process of bringing order, structure and meaning to collected data. Since the researcher has used the mixed methods in this case, the sequential mixed analysis was used. According to Osborne (2008:131) sequential mixed analysis involves analysing qualitative and quantitative data that have been collected sequentially. The data from the interviews was analysed using an inductive process.

According to McMillan and Schumacher (1997:501) qualitative data analysis is primarily an inductive process of organizing the data into categories and identifying patterns (relationships) among the categories. Monette et al (as cited in Mashaba, 2008:24) argue that the content or the data analysis process is a form of measurement broadly defined as a measurement of aspects of data gathered during interviews. In addition, Zikmund (2003:170) posits that observer impression is the most common analysis of qualitative data. It is therefore safe to say that it is a process of systematically searching and arranging the interview transcripts, field notes and other materials that the researcher accumulates (Kgaffe, 2001:78). This will enable the researcher to present what was discovered to the reader. In this study, data from the focus group interviews was analysed in an orderly and systematic manner; and the following protocol as espoused by Strauss and Corbin (1992:67) was used to analyse it:

 Each transcript was read once. All pre-conceived answers were ignored

 Relevant words, sentences or phrases were underlined and named according to conceptual themes

 Themes were sorted into categories and sub-categories

 The interview protocol and transcriptions were given to an independent decoder or an expert for analysis

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 The researcher and the independent decoder discussed the results of the analysis and the interview document was compared with the one previously coded until consensus was reached regarding the final categories of data.

To ensure that this study complied with the ethical code of the research, each respondent was assigned a code instead of using their real names. This was done purely to maintain the respondents‟ anonymity as it was initially guaranteed. For this reason, any names of places or materials in the data that could be used to identify the source of the data were removed from the list or the questionnaire.

Equally so, the quantitative aspect was analysed as ongoing process and consisted of multiple studies. After the scale is created and data have been collected using the preliminary items that were created from the questionnaire, the item reduction process had begun (Osborne, 2008:131). Cronbach‟s alpha coefficient (p=.7) was computed for the items in the questionnaire. The average reliability for the question 3 (p.891); question 13 (p=.860) and question 14 (p=.786). The average reliability test for the questionnaire is p=0.831, which is reliable. The Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS), which contains a comprehensive set of procedure for organising, transforming and analysing quantitative data, was used to analyse data. According to Magolego (2011:35) the advantage of SPSS is that any information can be analysed and interpreted perfectly in a short period of time. An SPSS can handle a big surveillance data and a complex data can be analysed in simple way.

Descriptive statistical analysis will be done by computing means scores, standard deviations, correlations, t-test, frequency tables, pie charts and histograms for data presentation and analysis (Chapter four). This method is relevant when describing situations and events (Magolego, 2011:35). Tables, pie charts, graphs, frequencies and percentages were used to present quantitative descriptions in a manageable form, such as describing single variables and describing associations that connect one variable with another.

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