When deciding on the design approach to be used in this research the methodology
used in three other similar studies was considered. Research with a similar focus is
discussed to understand and evaluate the methods used to gather the data. The first
study discusses students’ perceptions of written feedback (Dowden et al., 2013), the second looks at the use of portfolios in teacher education (Meeus et al., 2008) and
the third explores a criteria and standards framework (Brooker et al., 1998). In
analysing the research methods used in these three studies I was able to use the
information to help inform the choice of methods to be used in my study.
Dowden et al., (2013) studied two cohorts of students in the final year of a four year
teacher training course to find out their perceptions of written feedback as an
assessment strategy. One cohort was university based and the second cohort was a
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participation in the study was voluntary and therefore self selecting. The main data
collection tool was a questionnaire with a mixture of closed and open questions
preceeded by focus group interviews. The focus group interviews were used after the
pilot questionnaire was trialed and the responses to the interviews were then used to
inform the design of the questionnaire used in the study thus the focus group was
used to develop themes for the questionnaire (Robson, 2002).
One issue identified by Dowden, et al., (2013) was the low response rate to the
questionnaire with only 10% of the on-campus cohort responding and 14% of the
disctance learning cohort responding. However this low response rate was not
regarded as having a negative impact on the data:
‘The survey response rates were relatively low but this was not deemed to be problematic because the project sought to gain qualitative insight into
students’ perceptions, as opposed to generating generalisable quantitative data’
(Dowden, et al., 2013, p. 353).
A contributory reason for holding this view was that the results were similar to
another large scale study where several hundred teacher training students
completed a comparable study designed by Ferguson (2011).
The use of questionnaires in Dowden et al.,’s (2013) study generated a substantial amount of quality data which enabled the research question to be addressed; this
indicates that it would be a useful part of the research design for my study. However,
I would be concerned with such a low response rate and intend to adopt strategies
to achieve a better response rate.
The second study (Meeus et al., 2008) adopted a quasi-experimental design to
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Two cohorts of students on an initial teacher training course were compared before
and after their teaching practice using pre and post experiment measures. The
students’ teaching practice grades and assignement grades were analysed. The main strength of using a quasi-experiment design is the ability to identify the
effect the intervention i.e. the portfolio, has on the outcome i.e. the assessment grade
(Newby, 2010). The control group were assessed using the traditional dissertation
model and the experimental group using a portfolio assessment tool. Since the
participants for the study are not selected randomly, as they would be in a true
experiment design, the research design is classed as quasi- experimental.
Tutors were also key participants in this research project; they completed a
questionnaire about their experience and concepts of learning. This data was then
used to explore the differences in supervision provided by tutors in the control and
experimental group. The main research instrument used was a questionnaire which
included closed questions about learning styles. All data collected was quantitative.
Having examined this study (Meeus et al., 2008) I recognise that quantitative data
alone would not address the research questions and a quasi-experimental design
would not be appropriate as there is no intention to measure the effect of an
intervention. I decided to plan a research project to gather data about the
stakeholders’ perceptions of the assessment strategies and in exploring the key research question I collected qualitative data in the interviews, open ended questions
in the questionnaire and focus groups. Quantitative data was collected from the
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The third project which was used to determine the research design is the study
conducted by Brooker et al., (1998) into the use of a standards framework to assess
teaching skills. The participants in this study were teacher training tutors with
responsibility for supervising trainee teachers. The supervising teachers were
interviewed after the teaching practice to find out their perceptions of the newly
introduced assessment framework. The study generated a rich source of qualitative
data from a group of 20 tutors which indicated a positive response to the new
framework. However, Brooker et al., (1998) noted that:
‘Further helpful insights in the evolutionary process could be obtained from a trial which captures the perspectives of students and other stakeholders’ (p.
18).
This view has resonance with my study as I intend to explore the views of trainees,
university based tutors and school based tutors. As a result of reviewing Brooker et
al’s., (1998) research design I intend to collect data from the three groups of stakeholders involved in the process.
The exploration of the methodology used in these three related studies has provided
a critical consideration of the research design to be used in this study. The research
design selected for this study is related to the context and is a pragmatic approach to
the area of study. The cross sectional research design was used as it provides a
reasonable framework to gather data quickly, economically and is a practical
approach to answering the key question. A definition of a cross sectional design is
offered by Cohen et al., (2007) in their seminal research text Research Methods in
Education; ‘A cross-sectional study is one that produces a ‘snapshot’ of a population at a particular point in time’ (p. 213).
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It provides a structure to collect data at a specific time by exploring differences which
already exist. One advantage is that the research is completed in a narrow time
frame; in this study the data was gathered between December 2013 and March
2014. A largely cross sectional design provides a descriptive account of the
assessment process used to assess trainees on teaching practice. The data can be
analysed for the existence of relationships between the information gathered.
Another advantage of a survey is in ‘...its appeal to generalizability or universality
within given parameters, its ability to make statements which are supported by large data banks...’ (Cohen et al., 2007, p. 207).
This research design is most commonly used for a national census where a
representative sample of the population is surveyed at the same time.
The final advantage of the cross sectional design is that patterns of association can
be identified. It will be possible to identify relationships between one or two variables
because the data has all been collected at a single point in time.
The disadvantage of a cross sectional design is that I will be unable to identify with
certainty any causal links between the variables but it may be possible to infer causal
links (Bryman, 2008, p. 59). It is also an ineffective research design for studying
change.
There are four aspects to the research:
Survey: 93 respondents from a cohort of 180 Year 3 BAQTS trainee teachers (undergraduates in the final year of their training mainly aged between 20-22.
The majority of the cohort is female.)
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Teacher survey: 19 school based tutors from an invited group of 20 involved in the assessment of the trainee teachers on teaching practice (aged between
25-55, mainly female)
Tutor interviews: 6 university based tutors involved in the supervision and assessment of the trainee teachers on teaching practice (aged between 32-
55, all female).
An explanation as to how these sample groups were selected will be provided later in
this chapter.
Three research tools were used: questionnaire, interview and focus group. The
specific questionnaire tool is the Bristol on line survey (BOS) software which can be
accessed on line and completed electronically. This process enables the data to be
collected anonymously and analysed in an economical manner. The software was
used in a pilot trial and this has enabled practical issues to be rehearsed and refined.
A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect qualitative data from
university tutors. The participants involved in the research project are trainee
teachers, university based tutors and school based tutors.