Análisis de modos de falla

Ethical issues in social research, like that done in education must be considered of

paramount importance for a quality study. Ethics is defined as the “principles and

guidelines that help us uphold [the conduct] ... about what does and what does not

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undertaking research with fellow human beings. It is essential that one follows

ethical guidelines and procedures outlined by an organisation so that approval can

be given to conduct research within and beyond that organisation (Bryman, 2008;

Fraenkel et al., 2012). To create a healthy relationship for the study, social

researchers need to establish contacts to seek approval of relevant authorities or

organisations in order to access and obtain consent from the participants (Bryman,

2008; Lindsay, 2010). Such processes also assure the confidentiality of the data

and protect participants from harm (Bryman, 2008; Fraenkel et al., 2012; Lindsay,

2010). Respecting the participants’ right to decline or withdraw from the study

and protecting the identities of participants, organisations and their culture, values

and norms are crucial in educational research (Bryman, 2008; Johnson &

Christensen, 2008; Lindsay, 2010). In the following section, the ethical

procedures and how informed consent was obtained in this study are described.

3.5.1 Ethical procedures and informed consent

This study was executed within the guidelines and procedures outlined in The

University of Waikato Ethical Handbook (University of Waikato, 2008).

Approval for this study was granted by the University of Waikato Centre for

Science and Technology Education Research (CSTER) ethics sub-committee

(Appendix Q). The researcher formulated letters, which were sent to the PNG

National Department of Education (Appendix R), Madang Provincial Education

Division (Appendix S) and the principals of the two primary schools (Appendix

T), to seek their approval for the study to be conducted. These processes of

seeking consent support Lindsay’s (2010) argument that: “Identification and recruitment of participants will often require the permission of one or more

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the head teacher and local authority” (pp. 117-118). Once the full consent was sought and granted in writing from the PNG National Department of Education

(Appendix U), the Madang Provincial Education Division (Appendix V) and the

principals of the two primary schools (Appendices W and X), the researcher

entered the schools to conduct the study.

Whilst in the field, full informed consent was sought from three groups: teachers,

students and the parents/caregivers of the students in this study (Bryman, 2008;

Fraenkel et al., 2012; Lindsay, 2010; Neuman, 2007). First, the researcher visited

the schools and established contact by meeting with the school principals and

explaining the research procedures for data collection and other details. Second,

the teachers were recruited through the principals of the two schools. Finally, the

students were invited to participate in the research (Appendix ZC). The researcher

gave the participants a covering letter stating the nature of the study, together

with the consent forms (Appendices Y, Z, ZA, ZB, ZC and ZD), and explained

to the teachers and students about the objectives and procedures involved in the

research so that they could make informed decisions about taking part in the study

(Johnson & Christensen, 2008; Neuman, 2007). The consent forms provided

information to the participants of the procedures they would be involved in, the

protections that would be in place for their own security, interests and

confidentiality and their entitlements in respect to withdrawing their participation

(Johnson & Christensen, 2008; Lindsay, 2010; Neuman, 2007).

After the written consent forms were gathered from the teachers, students and

parents/caregivers, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews, videoed the

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research participants in this study were treated as highly confidential and were not

exposed to any other teachers and students (Cohen et al., 2011; Lindsay, 2010;

Neuman, 2007). The researcher accorded respect to the participants and the

research contexts by establishing and maintaining confidentiality. In order to up-

hold this ethical principle, the researcher ensured the information provided was

kept confidential by way of keeping it in safe storage and not disclosing it to any

person apart from his supervisors. Participants’ names and schools were not published in any way, but pseudonyms were used so that the risks of identifying

individuals were minimised.

Participants’ confidentiality was protected and they were assured of this in the consent form. Off-the-record or private communications maintained

confidentiality (Cohen et al., 2011; Fraenkel et al., 2012; Johnson &

Christensen, 2008; Lindsay, 2010). In all, the identity of student participants was

kept highly confidential and not disclosed to their teachers and fellow students, as

care was taken in reporting their data, particularly when it contained sensitive

information regarding the teachers or other students. Interview transcripts and

documentary analysis were communicated to participants only for confirmation

and correction/amendment and monitored in every situation in order to minimise

any potential harm that could arise (Fraenkel et al., 2012; Johnson & Christensen,

2008; Matthews & Ross, 2010). Participants’ free times were worked out and

interview schedules were drawn up and given to them to follow. They were

interviewed at lunch breaks, and between 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. when classes

ended, as indicated in their consent forms (Appendix ZC). During the study

process, the selected schools and participants were very much respected at all

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participants. The researcher did not exert pressure on the participants to gather the

data but respected and upheld the culture, values and norms of the schools. The

participants were also respected in the data gathering processes.

3.6 Summary

This chapter described three research paradigms and justified the interpretive

research paradigm as suitable for the study. The research design was described in

detail, including the case study approach, qualitative methods of data collection

(interviews, observations and documents), inductive analysis and considerations

of research trustworthiness and ethical procedures.

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CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS FROM CASE STUDY ONE

4.1 Introduction

This chapter presents the findings from case study one. The case study

investigated the teachers’ implementation of the new outcome-based national

curriculum and how and what students were learning in contemporary classroom

contexts in PNG. The rich and detailed data generated from the interviews,

observations and the documentaries were analysed inductively, and grouped into

three major themes organised around the research questions, as described in

Chapter 3.

Section 4.2 provides the background information about the context of case study

one. The findings related to teachers’ implementation of micro-curriculum are

discussed in section 4.3 and teachers’ models of micro-curriculum and the

student-experienced curriculum are presented in sections 4.4 and 4.5 respectively.

Section 4.6 wraps up this chapter with an overall summary.