Microambiente (5 FUERZAS DE PORTER)

Figure 10 illustrates the research process for this study. The data were collected via a

qualitative approach using (1) focus groups discussions for preliminary study and (2) two phases of accompanied shop observations and in-depth interviews. The study was conducted at a university in South East of England using a sample of international students1.

Figure 10: The research process

1 _{The preliminary study used a sample of existing international students already in the UK, and the main data}

used sample of new international students only. Defining research problem •Food acculturation process Literature review •International students •Acculturation •Food choice Defining Research methodology •Research paradigm •Qualitative method •Sampling procedure •Data collection strategy

Preliminary study

•Focus group discussion •Piloted accompanied

shop observation

Preliminary data analysis and interpretation

•Transciption •Coding

•Thematic analysis •Observation checklist and

interview guide

Main data collection (Stage 1)

•Accompanied shop observation

•Semi structured interview

Main data collection (Stage 2)

•Accompanied shop observation

•Semi structured interview

Data analysis and interpretation

•Transcription •Coding

•Thematic analysis •Findings & interpretation

Discussion and conclusion

87

5.4 Research Philosophy

This study aimed to address the research question from an interpretivist point of view. Choosing a research methodology that is “how of research” necessitates not only practicalities but most importantly the philosophical solution to “why research?” (Holden et al., 2004). Research philosophy is a perspective to help researchers develop understanding and knowledge in order to collect data in an effective and appropriate manner (Johnson et al., 2010). A review of research philosophies is vital because it helps to (1) open minds to possibilities that may lead to the enrichment of research skills and (2) provide confidence that the right methodologies are applied (Holden et al., 2004). The philosophical ideas or paradigm influence the practice of research and need to be identified and these beliefs lead to embracing a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed method approach (Creswell, 2009).

A firm philosophical position allows researchers to match the philosophy, methodology, and the research problem. Science and research parameters of ontology, epistemology, axiology, rhetorical structure, and methodology are discussed across philosophical views of positivism, postposivitism, and interpretivism (Guba et al., 1998; Ponterotto, 2005; Miller et al., 2009). These views offer a perspective of human behaviour, assumptions about the nature of reality, and the researcher’s opinion regarding the ability of these concepts to be measured (Miller et al., 2009). The researcher’s philosophical assumptions will consequently affect the choice of methodology and significant impact on what to research (Holden et al., 2004).

5.4.1 Interpretivism

The methodology for this study is framed within the philosophy of interpretivism. The interpretivist position views that the world does not exist independently and that individuals and groups create realities based on social constructions and how they view the world (Grix,

88 2010; Miller et al., 2009). According to Snape et al. (2003), an interpretivist emphasises the understanding and studying of people’s lived experiences in order to reveal the connections between social, cultural, and historical aspects of people’s lives and to see the context in which particular action takes place. Mere observation is not adequate for understanding social phenomena (Grix, 2010).

There is a need to understand the differences in human roles in life and an interpretivist has to adopt an empathetic stance by entering the social world and understanding it from the view of the research subjects (Saunders et al., 2009). Interpretivists support the view that there are many truths and multiple realities that exist within human experiences.

5.5 Rationale

This section discusses the rationale of the interpretivist’s view adopted in this study based on the literature. The major barrier towards acculturation research involves a persistent use of simplistic one-dimensional conceptualisations and measurement, which can be surpassed by framing under the “real world” approach, which includes analyses of the actual case of acculturation changes across multiple domains (Lopez-Class, Castro & Ramirez, 2011). Lopez- Class et al. (2011) commented that acculturation changes, when viewed under a comprehensive dimensional analyses, would provide a deeper understanding on the complexities of acculturation whereby some changes may occur faster than the other. Individuals and communities are constantly changing in the process of acculturation and the influences of life course events and experiences can compromise or accelerate the process. Therefore, acculturation studies require a methodology or approach that are responsive to the

variations of populations and context that can demonstrate the dynamics of the

89 decisions after migration and the life course perspective warrants a multidimensional

approach to uncover the dynamics of life course events and experiences in the food choice

trajectories of the international students.

Within this study, the interpretivist paradigm informs the qualitative approach for exploring the life course experience and perception of the new food choice for the international students when they first came to the UK. Diverse cultural backgrounds, skills and competencies, as well as past experiences in food culture have brought different meanings in the students’ exposure and experience of the new environment. The students possessed different values, experiences, and meaning-making of food choice decision and therefore their acculturation experience were varied. The basic assumption behind interpretivism is that all individual actions are meaningful and in order to understand the actions, they have to be viewed from social context (Scott & Usher, 2010). The multidimensional approach and the interpretation of meanings behind individual’s actions is possible from an interpretivist’s stance, whereby the viewpoint pays

interest in the understanding the different perspectives and meanings behind the food

choice decision and acculturation changes within this study’s context, which is in contrast

to a positivist’s interest in prediction and control (O’donoghue, 2006). The methodology that frames this study within an interpretivist’s paradigm and qualitative approach qualifies to serve the purpose of exploring the food acculturation process of international students.

5.6 Research Method

This study employed qualitative methods for the preliminary and main study. The preliminary study involved focus group discussions and a thematic data analysis. For the main study, accompanied shop observation and in-depth interview were adopted and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. The qualitative approach was considered appropriate to explore the

90 food acculturation process using the life course perspective model because such an approach fits with the purpose, aim, and objectives of the present study.

There are three research approaches: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. The approaches differ according to the following factors: (1) the researcher’s basic philosophical assumptions of the study, (2) types of research strategies used in the research, and (3) the specific methods employed in conducting the strategies (Creswell, 2009). Crossan (2003) argued that the distinction between qualitative and quantitative philosophies and research methods are sometimes understated and that triangulation or mixed methods in contemporary research is common. This study concerns the lived experiences of international students when deciding food choice in order to understand food acculturation process. Hence, a qualitative approach is considered the most appropriate to address the issue.

5.6.1 Qualitative research

Denzin and Lincoln (2000) in their Handbook of Qualitative Research offers the following definition of qualitative study:

Qualitative research is a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that makes the world visible. These practices ... turn the world into a series of representations including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings and memos to the self. At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. (2000:3)

The purpose of qualitative research is to explore the meanings people give to their experiences and highlight the importance of understanding phenomena from the perspective of the research participants (Beto et al., 2009). Qualitative methods may be more useful for exploratory study of beliefs, behaviours, or phenomena. It uses detailed, thick description and analysis of the quality of experience to represent human experiences (Guba et al., 1994; Miller et al., 2009).

91 General data using qualitative approach may be applied to individual cases to avoid ambiguity of generalisation imposed in a quantitative approach (Guba et al., 1994). The complex and dynamic process of food choice and acculturation are explored with the application of

qualitative approach, framed within an interpretivist paradigm, which emphasises the

understanding of the lived experiences and exploration of each international students’ interpretation of their actions, beliefs, experiences, and understanding of food choice and acculturation. The qualitative method also allows for further probing into factors that motivate the international students to procure certain acculturation strategy during their adjustment.

5.7 Strategies of Inquiry

This study employed a qualitative research strategy to explore food acculturation from the perspective of international students. The strategies of inquiry for qualitative research adapted from Creswell (2009) are shown in Table 4.

Strategies of Inquiry

 Narrative research  Ethnography

 Grounded theory studies  Case study

 Phenomenology

Table 4: Strategies of Inquiry for Qualitative Method (Adapted from Creswell, 2009)