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In this study, primary data was collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interview guides while secondary data was collected through documents review.

3.8.1 Questionnaire

A questionnaire is a carefully designed instrument (written, typed or printed) for collecting data directly from people. A typical questionnaire consists of questions and statements (Fitzpatrick, Sander & Worthen, 1997). The set up and administering of the questionnaire in this study were guided by Borg and Gall (1989) who suggested that in designing a questionnaire the first step is to define the problem and list the specific objectives to be achieved. They went further advocating that methods of data analysis, the returned questionnaire as well as identification of the sample of respondents who were willing to give the information had to be considered well in advance. The study instrument used in this study was designed to measure four major variables: Students’ indiscipline behaviour, communication procedures, School Board decision making procedures, and the school climate.

The researcher designed and constructed a set of appropriate items in the questionnaire to facilitate the collection of quantitative data about dominants students indiscipline, communication methods, the extent to which the use of discipline regulations influence students’ discipline and the outcomes of decisions made by school boards to school climate. This questionnaire was administered to teachers and members of school board regarding their perceptions towards the School Board decision making on managing students’ discipline matters in Lake Victoria Zone in

Tanzania. Again this choice drew their guidance from Borg and Gall (1989) that the questionnaire enabled the researcher to reach a large group of informants such as secondary school teachers and members of the school boards within a short period of time with reasonable cost and the speed of dissemination and collection. Another strength which led to the selection of questionnaire in this study was its ability to cover a wider geographical area compared to other instruments such as the interview or experimental research (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2003).

However, the instrument had serious weaknesses even though they were not able to offset the advantages explained above. For example, the problem of non-response, since the study involved a large sample which actually consisted of volunteers and the researcher had no power to force them to return the questionnaire (Borg & Gall, 1989). This problem was resolved by researcher’s self-administration of the instrument. Secondly, the researcher conducted a pilot study to pretest the questionnaire before actual data collection exercise. The instruments were fine tuned to fit the study.

Therefore, the questionnaire enabled the researcher to collect all the relevant information for the study on the personal experiences on decision making process by School Board on students’ discipline matters. The questionnaire designed by researcher himself and was approved by supervisors. Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed with various aspects of School Board decision making in managing students discipline in government secondary schools

using a five-point Likert scale from (1) Never (5) Always for section B, C and D and section E from (1) strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree.

3.8.2 Interview Guide

Cohen and Manion (1989) advocate that the interview is a commonly used technique in quantitative and qualitative research, they argued that interview is used to gather data and develop hypothesis through communication. According to Khan and Cannell (1968) as quoted by Borg and Gall (1989) research interview is defined as a two-person conversation initiated by the interviewer for the specific purpose of gaining relevant information.

In this study, the interview was employed mainly to enable respondents to express their feelings and beliefs about the School Board decision making process in managing students’ discipline. Furthermore, interview was employed together with other research methods as a follow- up to unexpected results, to test the validity of other methods (Kerlinger, 1970).

Again, Kerlinger (1970) identifies four kinds of interview used specifically as research tools: the structured interview, the semi-structured interview, the non- directive interview and the focused interview. They argued that for the purpose of educational research usually only the two are used. In this study the semi-structured interview was employed. The semi-structured interview guides is a device consisting of a set of questions, which are asked and filled in by an interviewer in a face-to-face situation with the interviewee. The formulation of semi-structured interview guides in this study was guided by Bryman (2004) that the specific topic that the interviewer

intended to investigate during the interview should be thought in advance. The interviews intended to collect the data from Heads, chairpersons of school boards and parents. The focus in this study was on dominant students’ indiscipline acts which required the intervention of the school board, methods that the School Boards used to communicate with the parents and students on issues related to students discipline, decision making procedures which School Boards employed to manage the students’ discipline and the effects of decisions made by School Boards on students’ discipline to the school climate.

It was well thought-out that it was advantageous to the researcher to prepare and administer the semi-structured interview guides to obtain more in-depth information. Moreover, the semi-structured interview guide helped the researcher to pose similar questions to Heads, chairpersons of school boards and parents about decision making on managing students’ indiscipline case (Merriam, 2009). Items were framed in such a way that they allowed further probing whenever clarification was necessary on issues related to school board decision making process on students discipline context. Interviews were conducted in places that were convenient to the individual respondents to avoid interruptions from other people. After the interviews, the instruments were well edited to ensure that they were fully completed.

3.8.3 Documents Review

Documents can be written or visual for example meetings minutes, office practices diaries and the like. Documents can reveal what people do in the office and what they value (Kasomo, 2007). This behaviour of documentary review occurred in a

natural setting, so the data has strong validity (Sarantakos, 1998). This study collected data by conducting a documentary review. The researcher developed a documentary review guide with the assistance from supervisors.

The documentary review guide was chosen because it helped the researcher to triangulate and add value to the data collected through questionnaires and interview guides from different informants (Borg & Gall, 1989). During the fieldwork, the researcher critically examined the documents such as punishment administration log book (Black book) and Admission register in order to identify names of students expelled, School Management Team (SMT) minutes on matters relating to students’ discipline. Furthermore, School Board (SB) minutes on decision making process in the context of students’ discipline, Legal documents such Education Act No 25 of 1978 and its underlying Regulations and Education circulars and written official correspondence between Heads of School and other documents which guided decision making on issues relating to students’ discipline. For example, TSS forms for sampled secondary schools were reviewed in order to identify number of students expelled and the reasons for their expulsion in the past three years from 2012 to 2014. These documents helped the researcher to produce a descriptive and analytical work. These documents also were instrumental in cross-validating the data obtained through questionnaires and interviews (Johnson & Christensen, 2008).