CARACTERÍSTICAS DEL SERVICIO

Qualitative research methods involve the capturing of people’s opinions, feelings and practice, their experience and the kind of atmosphere and context in which they act and respond (Wisker, 2001:164). This by implication means that the researcher has to use physical techniques for obtaining the data from the different participants and sources.

Qualitative data is used by researchers to obtain details of the subjective experiences of participants (Clarke, 1999:66). This can also be described as primary data, because the researcher makes use of different research instruments to acquire information directly. In this study, the researcher’s decision to use multi-methods of data collection was an attempt to describe the natural qualities of the setting being observed and the activities taking place within them as thoroughly as possible. Mixing methods to collect data is in Johnson and Christensen’s (2004:162) view an excellent way to conduct high- quality research. A discussion on the data collection strategies employed in this study is presented below.

• Questionnaires

The most important part of the actual design of questionnaires is to construct them unambiguously and clear so that respondents will have no problem to interpret what is being asked (Williams, 1997:92). Clarke (1999:68) argues that a questionnaire can be used to collect information from individuals participating in randomised control trials. It provides a wealth of descriptive data pertaining to individuals or groups. Open-ended questions can sometimes be difficult to interpret/analysed, but can also be used to put the respondents at ease, because they can express themselves in their own words (Hofstee, 2006:133). Respondents also have the opportunity to elaborate on their answers where the need arises. Clarke (1999:70) agrees that open-ended questions allow the respondents to answer in their own words, rather than being restricted to choosing from a list of pre-coded categories. Clarke (1999:70) recommends that in order to eliminate questions that may be misinterpreted, the researcher may find it useful to conduct a trial run on a small group of participants.

Questionnaires must be designed in such a way that the researcher can optinately learn about the characteristics, attitudes or beliefs of participants. Self reporting, where a characteristic or belief could be recorded accurately, was used. Because reporting on findings rely totally on the honesty and accuracy of the participants’ responses (Marshall and Rossman, 2006:125), it is important that a positive relationship of trust should be established beforehand.

Johnson and Christensen (2004:164) agree that the use of questionnaires assist in obtaining a large body of data in a relatively short timespan. It is an effective way of collecting most types of information quickly and relatively cheaply, as long as no questions superfluous to the main theme are included (Bell, 1999:118). Denzin (2002:188) adds that questionnaires allow a survey with no or little personal interaction, with the aim of establishing a broad picture of the respondents’ personal experiences and perceptions.

For the SGB members who are parents, questionnaires containing two sections, namely Section A and Section B, were designed. Section A consisted of biographical data, such as age, gender, academic qualifications, home language, years of experience on the SGB and training programmes attended. These questions enabled the researcher to construct a profile of each individual member of the SGBs, indicating the member’s educational background, experience as an SGB member and skills training acquired that could contribute to his or her effectiveness as an SGB member. Section B consisted of questions relevant to the research problem. The purpose of this open ended section of the questionnaire is to indicate to the researcher how members of the SGB perceive their role and purpose as member of the school’s SGB. A separate/different questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions has been drafted for educators and learners, with the purpose of establishing how they view the SGB’s current performance regarding the maintenance of discipline at the selected schools. The entire process was personally administered by the researcher.

Opportunity was given to respondents to ask for clarification on questions they had difficulty in understanding. After completion, questionnaires were immediately collected by the researcher.

Subsequent to data-collection, were the recording and decoding of information retrieved from the questionnaires. After all the data was collected through all the different means, it was analysed in order to identify main themes or trends.

• Observations

Clarke (1999:79) notes that the main characteristic of observations is that the observer becomes the main instrument of the data collection. Clough and Nutbrown (2002:46) and Gay (1992:234) agree that through observation, the observer looks critically and purposefully for evidence and information to find possible answers to the research questions. Observing furthermore includes intense social interaction between the observer and the participants in their

natural setting, during which the observer inconspicuously and systematically collects notes (Wilkinson and Birmingham, 2003:116). For this research the researcher acted as observer as well during specific observation sessions.

Wisker (2001:178) points out that observation can be a rich source for data collection, because it enables the researcher to capture what people actually do rather than what they say. In this study, participants were observed in the context related to the research questions.

Strydom (De Vos, 2002:279) is of the opinion that the real world of the participants in a research study can be reconstructed only if impressions on aspects under scrutiny in specific situations are accurately captured and revealed. The emphasis is on the dispassionate role that the researcher has to adopt. It involves merely watching what is happening and recording events on the spot (Burns, 2000:413). In this study, the behaviour of learners from the respective participant schools were observed in their natural school environment (outside of the classrooms eg. during breaks), with the purpose of making notes on their behavioral patterns. Notes were also made on the environment, condition of buildings and grounds. As observer, the researcher had to proceed, as unobtrusively as possible in order not to have any influence on the learners that would alter their behaviour, especially at the schools other than his own (Wisker, 2001:180).

Observations regarding the socio-economic environment each school was part of as well as of the physical condition of the school buildings and the school grounds in general were captured by means of field notes. This formed part of a structured observation checklist to structure and guide what had to be recorded specifically.

Secondly, the researcher used the technique of participant observation, which implied that the researcher had to enter the social world of the participants as suggested by Clarke (1999:79). Maykut and Morehouse (1994:69) suggest that the observer must attempt to enter the lives of those observed, to inhabit their

way of viewing their world, suggesting that all preconceived ideas about participants must be disregarded. This by implication suggests actually becoming a participant in the situation to be observed and so registered the experiences and behaviors at first hand, from an inside perspective. The researcher had to obtain permission from the different SGBs to attend formal meetings as well as disciplinary hearings of learners. In this study, the reason for attending these meetings was to make observation notes on how the SGBs were carrying out their duties as governing and disciplinary bodies of their respective schools. This study will be a basic reflection of the functionality of the SGBs as the governance of the school and, more importantly, how they conducted themselves as the disciplinarian bodies of the schools.

• Focus group interviews

Kitzinger in Oates (2000:186) defines focus groups as ‘group discussions organized to explore a specific set of issues such as people’s views and experiences’. Dexter in Clarke (1999:72) describes interviews as a ‘conversation with a purpose’. In this study, the researcher got the opportunity to get more insight into the experiences of individual participants and to analyse the interaction between participants by being part of focus group interviews (Catterall and Maclaran in Oates, 2000:187). Morgan in Oates (2000:187) states that focus groups are useful when it comes to investigating what participants think, but excel at uncovering why participants think as they do. During such interaction, participants think and reason aloud and their changing attitudes within the group and the group dynamics as a whole can thus be observed and documented.

Focus group interviews are a method used to gather rich, descriptive data in a small group format from participants who have agreed to focus on a topic of mutual interest. For the purpose of this study, learners, educators and parents serving on the SGBs of the sampling schools got the opportunity to express their views and concerns. Anderson in Wilkinson and Birmingham (2003:90) vie that a focus group is a carefully planned and moderated informal discussion

where one person’s ideas bounce off another’s, creating a chain reaction of informative dialogue. The purpose of such dialogue is to address a specific topic in depth, to elicit a wide range of opinions, attitudes, feelings or perceptions from individuals who share common experiences relative to the dimension under study. Madriz (2000:835) adds to this that participants have the opportunity to share ideas, beliefs and attitudes in the company of people from the same socio-economic environment, ethnicity and/or background, making the experience more gratifying and stimulating than individual interviews.

For the purpose of this study, the researcher as the facilitator of the discussion made use of open-ended questioning. Steward and Shamdasani in Oates (2000:190) suggest that the ideal number for a group is between eight and twelve members. Two groups of learners of between five and ten learners from each sample school were questioned on their perceptions and experiences on the state of discipline at their particular school and what role the SGB played in maintaining discipline at their school. Educators of the sampling schools were also divided into groups of five to ten members and had the opportunity to express themselves on their experiences and perceptions regarding the state of discipline at their schools and the role the SGB were playing with regard to discipline.

All parent SGB members who agreed to take part in the study, were divided into groups of approximately eight members each. Questions posed to them focused on their training, their perception of their role as members of the SGB of the school, and their experiences, particularly regarding discipline at their school. The researcher constructed an open-ended questionnaire, and the purpose of such questioning was to stimulate and aid respondents’ perceptions, understandings, feelings and interpretations around the research topic and to augment the participation of all participants. During the interactions, the researcher used a tape recorder to capture all responses. The recordings were subsequently transcribed for easy access during the analysis phase.

• Scrutiny of relevant documents

Documents can be defined as mute evidence that have to be interpreted without the benefit of indigenous commentary (Hodder, 2000:703). As secondary data, relevant documents have been used to further supplement the other data collected. Scrutinising of relevant documents denotes the analysis of any written material that contains information about the phenomenon being researched (Strydom and Delport in De Vos, 2002:321). The researcher requested the SGBs of the sample schools to make available specific documentation that could contribute to a better understanding of how they operate. Official documents that were compiled and maintained on a continuous basis by the school, such as the Constitution of the School Governing Body, the Code of Conduct for learners, the minutes of previous School Governing Body meetings and the minutes of disciplinary hearings of learners, were scrutinised. The researcher used the documentation from the different SGBs as evidence to evaluate against theory on the functioning of SGBs in general. These documents were valuable sources of information that mirrored the work and effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of the specific SGBs.

Problems encountered in data collection

One of the main problems encountered, was the difficulty in getting the completed questionnaires back from educators at sample schools. The initial intention was to visit schools and sit in while educators completed the forms. This was not possible, because some educators could not attend the sessions to complete the questions immediately and so took the questionnaires, promising to return them promptly, but failed to do so.

Secondly, the interviews sessions with parents serving on the SGBs of the sample schools were not well attended. Various meetings were scheduled at times that they pronounced convenient, yet many did not turn up. When interview sessions eventually took place, groups were small. In one case, only the Chairperson of the relevant SGB was interviewed.