albicans SC5314 RPMI 1 hora 19466.67 * 5994.16 +++

‘Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.’ (Attributed to Einstein)

It is important to consider the research paradigm in which a study is set. Kumar (2011) suggests that most studies require the use of a combination of qualitative and quantitative tools in order to fully explore the research questions. However, Denscombe, (1998) states that research involving quantitative data only tends to be more highly regarded for their scientific credibility and sense of robust objectiveness. Quantitative methods focus on obtaining data by means of numbers and statistics, whereas qualitative research methods aim at providing the answer to why things are how they are, thus emphasizing understanding and context. Qualitative data can be difficult to measure and quantify, however, it can shed light on attitudes and

viewpoints that are not available through quantitative methods. With respect to the current study, qualitative research methods enabled a dialogue between the

researcher and the Lead Practitioner (LP), about the project, their experience facilitating it and the young people’s learning experience. Quantitative methods allowed the researcher to collect data on children’s views of themselves, as well as those of LP, in several categories and then compare these with post-intervention assessment data. This enabled the researcher to identify the areas in which the project appeared to exert the greatest impact. The use of qualitative and

quantitative methods provides a richer contextual basis for understanding results and enables a fuller picture of the study to be seen (Bonoma, 1985).

Due to the range of schools and the individual specific design of the project within each school using CfL, a case study research model was felt to be the most

appropriate design. This approach enables the researcher to investigate a single concept within different environments and the ability to identify and extend practice within schools (Cohen et al., 2011). Case Studies research is a way to investigate where little is known, in greater depth, using a variety of methods of collecting data (Kumar, 2011). Case Studies also involve investigation over time (Willig, 2008). As the main aim of the current research was to identify the impact of CfL within a school setting over one academic year, it was felt that this was the most appropriate form of research design to adopt.

The ability to collect pre-intervention assessment data and then compare to post- intervention quantitative data, means that the research is an experimental design conducted within the context of a case study measuring outcomes of CfL. Outcomes research measures the end results (outcomes) of the structure and the process. Assessments are used to determine a baseline and then the same assessment is used to measure progress at the end of the project (Pote, Stratton, Cottrell, Shapiro, & Boston, 2003). Experimental design can be used in many types of situations and can be used to draw causal conclusions regarding interventions or treatments as it offers control over the variable (Kirk, 2007).

CfL was designed to be a non-prescriptive, non-manualised model. The researcher was clear that the focus needed to be on developing the skills, understanding and practice of the LPs rather than asking them to follow a manual. Manuals clearly specify the activities and the way they are to be undertaken. This can oversimplify ways of working, restrict creativity and influence the attunement and thus the relationships involved between the LPs and the people involved (Pote et al., 2003). As detailed in the previous Introduction and Literature Review chapters, CfL

understanding rather than teaching to a manual, practice could be enhanced and be more child focused.

The opportunity to collect qualitative data enabled the researcher to explore the experiences of the LPs using semi-structured interviews at different time points throughout the project. The first interview was conducted in the initial term after the project had started, the second midway through the project and the final interview at the end of the project. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was chosen to examine the data from the LPs.

Phenomenology has its theoretical origins in phenomenology and hermeneutics, and the philosophers Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty have all been leading figures in its evolution. It is concerned with understanding human experience and strives to understand the participant’s internal map of the world. IPA requires the researcher to focus on this internal map and then develop interpretations which then in turn help to explain what the participant’s experience of the phenomena was. This involves what Findlay (2008) refers to as the ‘dance’ between reduction (bracketing the researcher’s preconceptions) and reflexivity, where the researcher is building interpretations and yet acknowledging their own perceptions. The challenge for the researcher is to reveal the participants’ thinking and make inferences about

constructions, which are hidden behind the language and yet are reliant on the language to reveal them (Carpenter, 2009).

IPA was chosen over Thematic Analysis as it focuses on how people see and

interpret their experiences and turn them into form which is understandable to them (Broki and Wearden, 2006). Using IPA enabled the researcher to understand how the LP experienced CfL within their environment as professionals within the field of education. This added to the researchers understanding of the implementation and impact of the project.

Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit a detailed first-person account of the phenomena under investigation. This enables the participants to tell their own story

in their own words (Brocki & Wearden, 2006) and also to ensure that specific areas were explored. These were then analysed and descriptions, language and concepts were highlighted and emergent themes started to become more visible. The final phase is to find links between emergent themes, identifying superordinate themes and subthemes.

Alongside this, quantitative data was collected from the CYP and LP which explored their sense of self-image, emotional literacy and their sense of themselves as a learner. Being able to use both types of data adds a richness and depth to the data collected for the study.