CUARTA ENTRADA EN VIGOR.

This single case study shows its validity through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). In the following paragraphs, I evaluate my research study using these constructs to show validity.

The first construct, “credibility”, is achieved when the inquiry accurately

describes the subject of the case study. The inquiry must be “credible to the constructors of the original multiple realities” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985, p. 296). In my research, I have taken the responsibility to ensure that the “multiple realities” of the participants are represented through descriptive details of the participants’ experiences. This descriptive detail was achieved through my time frame of six weeks. Using the research questions as a guide, I observed three participants, which included two students and head teacher and founder Erin Kenny. I took field notes digitally with a camera and also used a handheld audio recorder to collect both video and audio footage to document my observations of the participants. I was able to witness and record extremely rich data of the Cedarsong Nature School students interacting and learning from their forest classroom. My site visit in this context gave me an opportunity to hear and see, through each participant’s eyes, what their creative play-based activities entailed. During this period, I checked and re- checked with participants and clarified other details through interviewing their parents, clarifying with Erin Kenny, and taking every opportunity to spend time with them while they were immersed in their Forest classroom. For example, snack time was a valuable point in the day when I could ask questions without disrupting the flow of the morning’s activities. This was a non-invasive method of data collection, as snack time conversation and reflections with the students was encouraged and contributed to their sense of community.

The second construct, “transferability”, may be achieved through thick, rich description that describes the participant’s experience and context in which the data were collected. The researcher’s goal in providing this rich description is to provide a vicarious experience for the readers of the study (Stake, 1995).

Above, I shared a depiction of how I organized my study, my role as the researcher while at Cedarsong Nature School. This purpose was to ensure that my audience has a vicarious experience of my research setting. In doing this, other

researchers may consider how applicable the findings are to another setting or group of students (Lincoln & Guba, 1985).

Another way in which transferability or generalization of qualitative studies may be achieved is through triangulating multiple sources of data. Marshall and Rossman (1989) define triangulation as “the act of bringing more than one source of data to bear on a single point” (p. 146). The collection of data for this study was through a number of data forms, including observation and interviews; reviews of selected literature were used “to corroborate, elaborate, or illuminate the research question” (Marshall & Rossman, 1989, p. 146).

To review Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) third construct, “dependability”, I looked at changes in the participants, the context, and the data collection as it proceeded. The dependability of the research is achieved through an “audit” whereby researchers make the data (e.g. in my case, transcripts of interviews, observations, as well as emerging themes) available to the participants to critically review as the research progresses. More specifically, the participants have the opportunity to audit your work and correct any misconceptions. In this study, I invited participants to clarify their meaning through my

reading the data to them and responding to my questions for clarification to ensure that that data accurately represented the younger participants. In taking this measure, I am able to ensure an accurate representation of the participant’s play experience practices.

Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) construct of “confirmability” questions whether the findings of the study could be confirmed by another person associated with the study. Through conducting a member check, I asked the head teacher, Erin Kenny, for her reflections on the collected data. Students were also asked to verify my interpretations of the data, and I also had my advisor read through my data. Therefore, based on the steps taken above, I was able to measure exactly what I had intended throughout this

qualitative study. 3.6 Summary

Methodology is defined as “the science of method or orderly arrangement; specifically, the branch of logic concerned with the application of the principals of reasoning to scientific and philosophical inquiry” (Duke & Mallette, 2004, p. 1). Yet methodologies do not have to fall into inflexible categories, as “some research can be considered more than one type of research or may combine methodologies in various ways” (Duke & Mallette, 2004, p. 1). This study explored if Forest Kindergarten programs meet the learning opportunities of the specific curriculum outcomes specified for the kindergarten curriculum in Newfoundland and Labrador. A qualitative approach was the best design for this particular study because it allowed me the methods to capture such rich data. This study used interviews and observation as primary sources of data. Validity of data was achieved through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability; thus, what I had intended to measure was achieved. It was important that

my data correspond with and reflect the real world and Cedarsong Nature School. I was able to compare my data with past and current peer-reviewed studies. I collected my data in a qualitative approach to guarantee I achieved validity throughout the duration of my study.

As a result, Chapter 3 describes my study as a descriptive narrative case study, which includes topic-centered narratives and introduces themes with rich descriptions. In Chapter 4, I will tell the story of two students (Elodie and Clive) and founder Erin Kenny in narrative form. Each story tells a unique Cedarsong Nature School tale.