Ecotonos urbanos como márgenes del crecimiento informal y

Namibia is divided into fourteen regions, of which the researcher selected Hardap region as the field of study. This Hardap region consists of three educational circuits, namely, Auob Circuit, Naukluft Circuit, and Aonab Circuit (See Figure 1.1).

The Hardap Region has 18 secondary schools with a population of 318 teachers. This study was confined to one circuit only (Auob Circuit). Out of the 18 secondary schools found in the Hardap Region, six secondary schools are located in the Auob Circuit which were purposively selected from the list of 18 secondary schools supplied to the researcher by the Hardap Directorate of Education Arts and Culture. Three of these secondary schools are located in the town of Mariental while the other three are located in more remote areas approximately 100 to 140 km from the nearest major town. Out of the population of 318 secondary schoolteachers found in the Hardap Region, 100 teachers are found in the Auob Circuit. Out of these 100 teachers, 24 teachers from six secondary schools found in Auob Circuit were purposively selected as the sites had had poor Grade 10 and 12 results for the past five years (2014-2018). This means four teachers from each of the six secondary schools formed part of this study as participants, totalling 24 participants. The Auob Circuit has primary as well as secondary schools, but the focus was on secondary schools. These sites (schools) remained anonymous and are identified as School A, B, C, D, E and F.

4.7.2 Sampling

When using qualitative research, sampling takes place after investigating the background of the problem, because the researcher can then determine who should be involved in the field research. Sampling is therefore done after the research has started. Sampling is defined by Patton (2018), Nieuwenhuis (2015), Maree (2015) and Abbott and McKinney (2016), as the process that is used to select a portion of a population for the study. This is echoed by Merriam (2016) who referred to the sample as a minor group that is representative of the bigger population. Makendano

(2016) agrees. Mouton (2016) states that this is done to provide the researcher with a group of individuals which is more manageable than trying to use the whole population as participants. Belle (2016) described sampling as the procedure of choosing a small number of participants for a study in such a way that the chosen persons will be data-rich and will improve the researcher’s comprehension of the actual phenomenon. The primary aim of sampling, according Neuman (2015), is to gather the actual events, cases or actions that could clarify and deepen the comprehension of the problem being investigated. In this study, the researcher’s purpose is to have an in-depth understanding of the way teachers manage learner behaviour in their schools in the Hardap Region, Auob Circuit. To gather the required data, the researcher used a small sample which enabled him to engage with the participants over a short period of time. This view is supported by Davies and Hughes (2014) who explain that small samples have value because the researcher can pick up biases, emotional states and subconscious ideas that are not overt but could influence the findings if not noted.

Even though some researchers believe in using bigger samples, the researcher agreed with Davies and Hughes (2014) who believe that using a small sample permits the researcher to reflect profoundly on the gathered data; the evidence gathered mirrors the reality of the participants’ lives; and the researcher can explore the participants’ emotional state and familiarity with the phenomenon through probing and prompts. Brundrett and Rhodes (2014) are of the view that a small sample is more convenient since the planning and administration of open-ended qualitative questionnaires and interviews and a case study inquiry normally take considerable time. In this regard, the researcher was employed full-time and in trying to find in-depth insights into the approaches that teachers develop and adopt in their schools, considered the advantages of using a smaller sample as appropriate.

4.7.3 Method used for sampling

In this study, one circuit (Auob) and six secondary-school learning sites were purposively selected from the list of schools supplied to the researcher by the Hardap Directorate of Education, Art and Culture as they would be able to provide the relevant information which will assist the researcher to answer the research question.

During this inquiry, non-probability sampling was employed by the researcher. Non- probability sampling means that the units of analysis in the population do not have an equal chance of being selected (Maree, 2018). This technique of sampling is often used in qualitative research, as it is relatively inexpensive and convenient and makes it possible to gather rich information (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Rich information means a broad and diverse range of the data gathered over a relatively short period of time for the researcher to better understand the phenomenon of learner behaviour as well as the strategies the teachers have developed and adopted to better manage learners’ behaviour. The researcher’s long experience as a senior secondary teacher enabled him to identify six secondary schools which would be information-rich sites. Furthermore, the researcher purposively chose the participants in the sites whom he believed to be informative, thoughtful, articulate, knowledgeable, experienced and comfortable with the topic under investigation, as well as the setting of the schools where they taught. This is consistent with the approach of Belle (2016) and Davies and Hughes (2014) to drawing the sample from the people who are most likely to have information about the topic under investigation.

4.7.4 Size of the Sample

In this regard, the sample is described by Merriam and Tisdell (2016) as a small selection of all the events, persons or objects that fall within the ambit of the research. Merriam (2016) states that the size of the sample depends on the questions that need to be asked, the information that is needed, the process of analysis as well as the materials needed to support the investigation. Owing to the massive size of the Hardap Region, the shortage of time and a lack of funds, the researcher purposively selected the sample.

Belle (2016) states that the chief consideration in determining the size of the sample remains the degree of accuracy one needs to achieve in the approximation of population values. McMillan and Schumacher (2015), Maree (2018) and Belle (2016) claim that qualitative research usually uses small samples to get rich information on the problem being investigated, and there is no specific size for a sample. The size of the sample therefore depends on what the researcher would like to know, the aim

of the research, the issues at stake, what will have credibility and what could be accomplished with the resources and the time available.

Creswell (2015) states that the size of the participants to be included in the sample is generally related to saturation, meaning the point where enough information exists to give a complete explanation of the phenomenon being investigated (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) and gathering information beyond this point yields no further useful information (Creswell, 2015; Patton, 2015). Maree (2015) states that representativeness is not the purpose of a qualitative sample.

4.7.5 How Participants were Selected

In this inquiry, participants were selected because the researcher believed that they met the criteria for the inquiry. Purposive sampling was used to select schoolteachers to participate in the study.

This kind of sampling means that the researcher decides, during the design stage of the inquiry, the distinctive characteristics of the participants to be involved (criteria to be met) and the number of participants. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) state that, in purposive sampling, a researcher has to principally decide what attributes of his/her sample are crucial to the study and then find people or sites that meet those criteria. As stated by Patton (2015), purposive selection has components of theoretical sampling, but that both look towards the individuals who suit the criteria established by the researcher. Van As (2016) argued that, in the process of choosing participants, the main thing to consider is the researcher’s rationale.

In this inquiry, the researcher sought to understand how teachers experience and manage learner discipline and more specifically, what factors contribute to the challenges they face, what government policies exist and what strategies they develop and adopt when maintaining learner behaviour in their schools. The discipline problems experienced by teachers are prevalent among secondary-school learners in the Hardap Region, Auob Circuit, and are depressing, distressing and shocking. Hence, I chose secondary-school teachers to be participants in the investigation. To ethically adhere to the requirements, the names of the 24 participant teachers remained anonymous and their names were coded as P1 to P24 respectively.

4.7.5 Criteria used for Sampling

The participants were chosen from among 318 teachers of six selected school of the circuit of Auob in the region of Hardap of Namibia. The participants were chosen since they met the criteria set by the researcher for his inquiry. In this inquiry, four teachers were purposively-selected from each of the six secondary schools. The researcher selected the 24 participants based on their age, gender, teaching experience, professional teaching qualifications, knowledge about learner discipline issues, and they needed to be involved in the management of learner behaviour at their school so that they could perhaps give their views, understanding and experiences in more detail. It is also necessary to choose sites which are information-rich so that a person can learn better about problems of great significance to the criteria of the investigation, therefore the word purposive sampling (Pillay, 2014). They were from one circuit (Auob Circuit) as well as one ministry, namely, the Education, Arts and Culture Ministry. The teachers were selected to participate in semi-structured individual interviews or open-ended qualitative questionnaires.

This was regarded as adequate to gather the needed data and to triangulate the results to have a better comprehension of the phenomenon of improper learner behaviour. Since the selected participants were not representative of the whole population, the results cannot be generalised to other sites as the circumstances at other schools may be entirely different (Belle, 2016:186; Ferreira, 2015:37).