Adaptación al espacio académico: seguimiento y rendimiento escolar; un encuentro de

A qualitative study allows the nuances of the local context to be explicated and the perceptions and experiences of people to be explored (Bartunek, 2012). While it is sometimes argued that a case- based study risks being too specific, it allows a depth of analysis that would not be possible across a wider sample.

The primary source of data was qualitative interviews with individuals participating in a church merger. Qualitative interviewing seeks to elicit narrative stories that provide data for gaining meaning into the respondents’ understanding of their life-world relevant to the topic (Warren & Karner, 2010). This entailed listening for the narrative that church members use to describe their sense of identity.

An interview, unlike a survey or questionnaire, provides a greater flexibility in how the data is collected, what is shared and how it is interpreted. All research, including both qualitative and quantitative studies, has elements of subjectivity, held by both researcher and respondents

(Diefenbach, 2009). This subjectivity is celebrated in qualitative interviews and is an essential part of the framework of the research.

The interviews were conducted in a friendly and informal manner, usually in the person’s own home. The interview began with introductions, a description of the research and the signing of the consent forms. The interviews were semi-structured, being led by a series of prompting questions. This had the benefit of being able to follow a line of thought and reflect more fully on certain topics. Each interview was recorded and then later transcribed.

Informed consent was given by participants at the beginning of every interview and an offer made to provide the recording or verbatim of the conversation following the presentation of the thesis. All raw data will be destroyed on the successful submission of the thesis. Confidentiality will be respected and no reference will identify who provided the response.

The opportunity to interview the disaffected and disinterested was limited in this research. Without first-hand accounts of why people had left I was reliant on the reports of others. The data largely reflects the views of people who were active in doing identity work.

The first task of the interview was to seek the individual’s view of the church’s identity before the merger and their place within the collective entity. The leading questions were;

• Tell me about … (the pre-merged church). What was it like? What was special? What were the things that made the church what it was?

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The conversation sought to elicit an understanding of how the member saw their church and how they were connected to the church. The duration of their membership, the level of their

commitment, and their sense of belonging were explored. In this dialogue it was hoped that the threads of identity would be seen as they explored what it was about the church that held them to it.

The second task was to evaluate the individual’s perception of the pre-merger identity of the other church(es) involved in the merging process. This allows a focus on the perceived differences between the two merging churches. This part of the conversation started with;

• Tell me about … (the ‘other’ church). How were they similar or different? What were their challenges?

Within this conversation was an opportunity to explore the cross-over of threads – with the hope that people will use their own sense of connection to evaluate the other church. For instance, it was expected that a person who appreciated a particular type of music in their church would use that as a comparative measure in assessing the other church.

The third task of the interview process was to explore how the merging process is affecting the individual’s sense of church identity and their place within the newly merged church. It was

expected that there will be key areas of contention where identity work is undertaken by individuals to both re-weave their own connection with the church and to formulate the church in a way that is functional for them. The leading questions of this section are;

• How is the merger going? What are the good things that are happening? What are the difficulties? Are you feeling part of the merged church?

This third section largely explored the identity work that was being undertaken – exploring how the threads were being re-woven in the merging situation. For example, the way in which the history of the pre-merged church was being handled could be explored and the impact that is having. Here there were opportunities to explore the emerging issues and consider them in terms of the proposed threads of identity.

The final questions encouraged reflection on the developing understanding of the threads of church identity and allowed space to ask about elements related to the threads;

• How are relationships developing? How are you dealing with questions about the property? Do you feel that history is being protected and connected to the future? Have there been

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issues about how things are done? Is there a sense of mission in the new church? Has previous commitment been valued?

These questions were kept reasonably general in the hope that people would open up with insights that will direct further investigation of the threads of church identity.