Análisis de las variables que tienen efecto sensible en los resultados de los balances de masa y energía en la industria de la caña

Twenty-one interviews took place over the course of this research, with the demographical profile selected to ensure that it mirrored the national profile. 67% of interviewees were female (this is slightly higher than the national figure of 63%) and, in order to ensure that as many geographical regions were represented as possible, I travelled to colleges in the West Country, London, the East and West Midlands and the North of England to carry out the interviews. In most instances, only one person was interviewed per college but in four places, a couple of managers were interviewed. Specifically, Dennis and Beth worked within the same

organisation, as did Stella and Judy, Samantha and Kerri-Anne and finally Allison and Angie (although Allison left shortly after the interview).

The interviewees had a wide range of managerial experience. One person was newly appointed to the role (they had been doing the job for

approximately a month) and the most experienced manager had over 10 years of middle management experience. Everyone interviewed was over 30 and, interestingly, their age did not always correlate with the number of years that they had been doing the job. The majority (14 out of 21) worked in a general FE college whilst the remaining interviewees were based either in a sixth form college or a land-based college. Three interviewees (Allison, Jayne and Odile) had recently left the sector and reflected from their new roles, all three people were now working in the higher education sector.

As part of the questionnaire, respondents were asked whether they would be willing to be interviewed for the research. This provided a rich source of evidence for the work and, once initial themes had been identified,

purposive sampling was used in order to identify suitable interviewees. An example of this would be Odile, who was selected as it was known that she had been employed by three different colleges over a period of 5 years, in three different roles. These roles covered a number of different aspects of both middle management and senior management across a range of different colleges. This fitted in with the first theme identified by the initial research, which surrounded the recruitment of managers to the sector and how they were supported both before they started the job and once in position. Odile had been a successful lecturer and, through initial

conversations, it was clear that she was encouraged to ‘make the next step up’ by those managers who were surrounding her. Another manager (Allison) was very clear that her managerial style encompassed a

transformative element; indeed, she spoke about it with an evangelical zeal that suggested that this was at the heart of her self-identity as a manager. This linked with one of the themes identified by Busher and Harris (1999) and she was interviewed in order to see whether the transformative theme was still a part of that manager’s role.

4.5 Analysis of the research – thematic analysis

When looking at the information gathered, the key approach used was a thematic analysis and this helped to inform the structure of the analysis This was completed by triangulating information from previous research, the questionnaires and the semi-structured interviews. By identifying patterns and common points across the three sources, themes could be identified (Aronson, 1995) and then used to structure the analysis

When using thematic analysis, it was important to ensure that the themes selected were valid and that when a theme emerged from the analysis of the interviews (Rabionet, 2011), I used the questionnaire and previous research to verify whether it was something that could be explored further. This helped to ensure that it was representative of a cross-section of

responses rather than merely something that was raised by a small minority. This was especially true given the interpretivist approach used for my research. Whilst the idea that everyone’s view is valid is important, by bringing together themes identified by a number of participants, I could start to understand the role of the middle manager as it is perceived by those carrying out the role.

The interviews were studied using content analysis, which identified repeated words and subjects in the answers given (Burton, Brundett and Jones, 2008). This helped to identify the philosophical drivers for each manager (discussed later) and also helped to identify the themes that helped give the discussion chapter’s structure. Although content analysis should be used with care when used in conjunction with semi-structured interviews as there is always the possibility that the questions might be

seen as ‘leading’, when used in conjunction with other techniques, it can reinforce the validity of the results (Burton, Brundett and Jones, 2008). The quantitative data from the questionnaire was analysed using a number of statistical tools. Firstly, measures of location (specifically the mean average and the range) were used to compare the data collected with information that was available from the ETF. In addition to this, comparative analysis techniques were used to see whether the results differed according to the demographic and geographic information collected. This was done by comparing percentage responses to each question and noting any outliers. These were then investigated to see whether they might be deemed to be significant. There are limitations to this approach: the differing subcategories that exist within further education (for example, further education colleges, land-based colleges) means that, in some cases, numbers in each category were low and hence statistical analysis was difficult to perform. The alternative (to ignore the categories and treat the sector as one category) would solve that problem; however, it would also ignore the complicated nature of the sector and so would not provide a true picture. Other studies have recognised this diversity (Jameson, 2013; Briggs, 2006) and my research follows that approach.

4.6 Explaining the structure of the findings chapters

The discussion and analysis sections will be broken down into four chapters. Each will have a specific focus. In brief, the chapters will look at the following.

Chapter 5 examines the question ‘what is meant by management in the sector’. This chapter will focus on defining middle management; it will include an analysis of the key aspects of the role, how new managers are recruited and how they are supported through the transition from lecturer to manager. Drawing on work from Busher and Harris (1999), Ecclestone (2002) and others, it will aim to understand the process that managers go through when they take the job and how best they can be supported. Chapter 6 examines ‘who are the manager’. Specifically, it will analyse who the middle managers are and how the change in role affects them. It will

cover the strategies new managers use in order to cope with their new role, and will explore their self-identity and how others perceive them. In addition, it will attempt to analyse the motivation of staff when they take the job of a middle manager.

Chapter 7 looks at the transitions people make both into being a manager and also when they are managers. This chapter will try to draw the two previous chapters together, explore the emerging strands and examine the environment in which FE managers operate and how new managers can be supported in the transition. It will focus on looking at the shared understanding of management and the managers who operate within this environment. This will then help to inform the conclusion and

recommendation.

Chapter 8 will draw together the three previous chapters and link the findings and analysis back to the original research questions.

A breakdown of participants in the questionnaire was given in section 4.3.6; this included a comparison with the national picture that is provided by the ETF (2016. In addition to this, for each manager interviewed, I have provided a brief pen portrait. An overview of the interviewees can be found in section 4.4.7 and further details are in Appendix 1. When introducing each manager, further pertinent details are given before the first quote is used. Information for this has been gathered by talking to their line managers, their peers and also those whom they manage. Where information from these three sources differs, this has been noted.

4.7 Triangulation

When investigating the research objectives, it was important to me to look at a range of sources of evidence before reaching any conclusions. This process ensured that the potential for bias or misunderstanding was reduced and a more accurate reflection was possible. The purpose of triangulation in quantitative and qualitative research is to increase the reliability and validity of the results and, according to Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011:112), it provides ‘an attempt to map out, or explain more fully, the richness and complexity of human behaviour by studying it from more than one standpoint’.

Denzin (1970) suggests that there are four possible types of triangulation: ‘data triangulation’, involving different sampling techniques over different times; ‘investigator triangulation’, which includes the use of more than one researcher to gather and analyse data; ‘theory triangulation’, using

different theoretical positions as a starting point; and ‘methodological triangulation', which provides an opportunity to use more than one method to gather data. The fourth of these, which most closely matches my research, has been further defined to differentiate between 'within- method' and 'between-method' triangulation. A ‘within-method’ approach would include using variations of the same method; for example, the use of a survey which includes a number of scales to measure the same variable. The ‘between-method’ approach involves the use of different strategies in one study and, it is argued, provides the benefit of balancing the

weaknesses of a given method with the strengths of another, overall providing the opportunity for a more balanced approach. This can be likened to the current trend in the business world for 360˚ appraisals, whereby the performance of a manager might be assessed by interviewing the manager, evaluating performance records and observing behaviours; the focus would always remain on the manager’s effectiveness but the method of data collection would vary.

It is important to be aware that the process of triangulation does not provide certainty in my research; instead, it allows me to investigate differing viewpoints and indeed assess the validity and reliability of information given previously. Merely using three (or indeed multiple)

methods does not create certainty, as illustrated by this quote from The

Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald:

As I started my motor Daisy peremptorily called:

“Wait! I forgot to ask you something, and it’s important. We heard you were engaged to a girl out West.”

“That’s right”, corroborated Tom kindly. “We heard you were engaged.”

“But we heard it”, insisted Daisy…“We heard it from three people so it must be true.”

(Fitzgerald, 1925:22) Clearly, any research method may be flawed and it would be unrealistic to assume that the convergence of findings from more than one method necessarily means that the findings are indisputable. An alternative viewpoint would be that triangulation offers a device for generating divergent data, as highlighted in this account:

The use of different methods to investigate a certain domain of social reality can be compared with the examination of a physical object from two different viewpoints or angles. Both viewpoints provided different pictures of this object that might not be useful to validate each other but that might yield a fuller and more complete picture of the phenomenon concerned if brought together.

(Erzberger and Kelle, 2003: 461) Given the interpretive approach, the differing approaches espoused here fit well into the research, with the qualitative interviews, the quantitative questionnaires and the literature combining to provide methodological triangulation for the study. Whilst other forms of triangulation are more difficult to address, solutions have been put forward The pilot study addresses the issue of investigator triangulation. A number of colleagues analysed the methods used for any inconsistencies and this gives us greater surety that they fit the research, whilst theoretical triangulation has been addressed with the research, using a clearly defined theoretical framework that is discussed in Chapter 2.

4.8 Ethics

Due to the nature of the discussion and the topic area, any interviews related to this topic were likely to raise sensitive issues and so all ethical issues were addressed and research guidelines were followed (BERA, 2011). This was done and, in addition, the ethical approval guidelines from the University of Warwick were followed. Voluntary informed consent forms were circulated to participants prior to interview and signed copies were collected before the interviews took place. Participants were

informed about their right to withdraw and anonymity was maintained throughout via the use of pseudonyms for each participant. It is vital when exploring these emotionally sensitive issues that all participants feel safe to discuss them freely and openly. This helps to ensure that an accurate picture emerges, with participants describing their journey as precisely as possible without the fear that their words could be used against them in the future. This is particularly important in a sector where both ‘blame’ and ‘compliance’ cultures are used extensively (Silverman, 2008). To further ensure that ethical considerations were taken into account, all data was stored securely, with a password protected account used. No participants were identified and interviews took place with volunteers. Transcripts were used but, again, were stored securely and will be kept in line with the Warwick University ethics policy. Participants were given the option to receive a copy of the transcript of their interview. No incentives were offered to participate and ethical approval was gained via the appropriate university-appointed committee.

There is one final ethical consideration that must be addressed. As mentioned before, I have worked in the sector in the role being

investigated. This means that that I must not put my own meaning on to the research gathered, as my concept of reality is likely to differ to others. There might also be an issue with perception as well. The fact that I chose to leave the sector might well influence how those I am interviewing view me. That can be either positive (I could be someone who has ‘served their time’) or negative (I was a ‘rat leaving a sinking ship’) but, whatever the perception, the reality is that there is the potential for this to influence answers.

Wherever possible in the findings chapters I have let the voices of the participants tell the story. Their words are the most powerful voice in the research as they are able to explain their feelings when they made the transition. This qualitative-based approach recognises this potential for bias, and recognises that I might be deemed to be an insider (Newby, 2010), and so although there is still the potential for my background to influence the words chosen, by using participants’ own words, any misinterpretations can be identified more easily.

It is also important to address any potential ethical problems with the research process. The semi-structured interviews were likely to be the source of any problems, with evidence from the initial study suggesting that some participants were reluctant to be interviewed even after previously agreeing. To minimise the chance of this happening, middle managers were given full details of the structure of the interview themes prior to the interview. This gave them the opportunity to check whether they were happy to be involved. The success of this can be measured by the fact that no manager withdrew their consent prior to the interview and all were happy to have their words used after the interview had taken place.

4.9 Chapter summary

In this chapter, I have discussed the research tools and ethical

considerations of this project. The discussion has also considered the practical aspects of the project and how specific methods might increase the validity and reliability of the data gathered. The choice of both an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews has been examined and the conclusion is that these methods, together with an analysis of previous research, can help to provide a detailed picture of the role of the middle manager in further education that will help to examine the research questions.

The view that the words of the participants are paramount informs many of the methods chosen. By selecting a semi-structured approach, it enables the voices of managers to be used; this also recognises the heterogeneity of the role. Despite the diversity of participants, the use of thematic analysis can help to draw together some of the common points, whilst content analysis helps identify what managers view as important.

Finally, due consideration has been made of the ethical framework for the university, with all research being passed through the relevant processes to help ensure that it meets the highest ethical standards.