Inconstitucionalidad de la ley

Using key themes from the literature review, linked to the research questions, a table of initial coding was set up:

Table 3.5 Initial coding template – sub-set codes from initial coding

Initial codes Initial sub-set codes Research question link

CLD

(Concepts of learning and development) A – Acquisitional model P – Participation model C – Construction model (changed to ‘developmental’ as analysis progresses)

RQ1a. How do practising secondary school teachers conceptualise the terms “professional learning” and “professional development”? RQ1b. How do practising secondary school teachers describe their own learning and development?

KSB

(Knowledge and skills base) SK – Subject knowledge PK – Pedagogical knowledge ScK – School knowledge RQ2. What do practising secondary school teachers think they learn and develop?

AF / AI Activity “formal” Activity “informal” O - Observations of others C – Courses M – Meetings

W – Working with others

RQ3. What activities impact secondary school teachers’ learning and development?

The interview transcripts were then coded. An example of how the initial main codes were developed can be seen in figure 3.2 (see page 99)

99 Figure 3.2: An example of initial coding

Two sections of text have been highlighted to contain data that are relevant to a section of the template:

1. Initial code KSB – identifies a section of text that discusses how the participant feels that behaviour management is part of a teacher’s skills base that “sticks in her mind”.

2. Initial code AI – the participant discusses how mistakes made in training form a part of an informal activity that influences learning.

After all six transcripts were coded (using the initial codes in table 3.5) the sections of text were revisited, re-read and interpreted. This allowed further sub categories to emerge from data and formed the basis of further analyst constructed typologies to form (Patton, 2002, p.393). I practised coding manually. A tension with coding, described by Cohen et al. (2003, p.283), is that there is a tendency for researchers to ‘atomise’ the data and ‘lose the synergy of the whole’. To avoid this, and also promote credibility, I annotated parts of the transcript with themes that were not categorised but were

100 interesting. I attempted to change and refine the coding as the analysis continued. This promoted credibility and dependability (as an insider-researcher) by allowing new

perspectives to be highlighted and not hidden through a rigid template. The template was altered to incorporate the new themes that arose from the data. An example of additional categories arose when participants considered learning about management; there were not initially any categories that covered this theme. I created a new sub category and then revisited transcripts as more patterns come to light particularly when analysing data

between transcripts as well as within transcripts.

Comparing the data between interviews (inter-interview) needed a process that could view the data holistically and create categories based on common themes throughout all six interviews (King, 2012). Data from participants were collected and organised on coloured card. Each time a piece of data wasread it would be written on a card that matched the theme. Each theme had a different colour. If no theme was available a new theme would be written on a new piece of card. Figure 3.3 (on page 101) demonstrates how the category “knowledge and skills base” and the sub category “subject knowledge” were populated with data.

101 Figure 3.3 Evidence of merging coded interview data to create distinct themes.

The interviews, as a source of rich data, allowed the basic template to be tested. Data from other sources like the questionnaire could now be matched to the coded themes from the interview. The questionnaire became a source of both detailed and “shallow” data.

Detailed data was sourced from open questions and “shallow” data from closed questions, for example:

4. Consider the list below. Circle any activities that have helped your learning and development

since you qualified as a teacher.

Lesson observation (Formal) Lesson observations (informal) Whole school training sessions Department training sessions Informal meetings with colleagues Co-coaching sessions

Newspaper articles

The circled words became a source of information. The other purpose of the

questionnaire was related to improving credibility (see section 3.6). The questionnaire allowed the data from the interviews to be verified and compared against the wider

Theme number. Evidence location Template code: Knowledge and Skills Base (KSB) Sub code (SK)

102 population of the case study school. The analysis was completed when data from all evidence points were coded and matched to key themes. Matching themes from questionnaires was not always clear. Some data from the questionnaires were easily matched to a particular theme; for example, considering teacher knowledge. Others were not as easily matched:

1. Knowledge of how to structure a lesson was classified as classroom

knowledge as some staff who taught lots of different subjects may apply similar structures to their teaching regardless of the subject taught. However, knowing how to structure a lesson requires scaffolding of concepts. Knowledge of appropriate scaffolds could come under pedagogical and subject knowledge. Alternatively, some schools could require teachers to structure their lessons in similar ways across all subjects and all staff – this would require structure of lessons to come under “school knowledge”.

2. Marking could be considered as subject-knowledge, classroom- knowledge and school-knowledge for similar reasons as above. It was classified as school knowledge in this example as the participants differentiated their answers clearly as marking that is required by the school. Assessment was distinguished

separately despite some who may consider marking a form of assessment.

Chapter 3 presented the arguments for an interpretive case study approach to this research. Following was a section outlining the initial study and its impact on the main research. The chapter concluded with a justification of the use of template analysis. Chapter 4 now presents both the analysis and discussion of the key findings.

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