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The research was designed around a case study, using both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, the results of which were triangulated and consolidated. The research design is described as a triangulated mixed methods case study. It was based on the philosophy that quantitative and qualitative methodologies are complementary and not in direct opposition to each other (Onwuegbuzie & Teddlie, 2003; Brannen, 2005).

3.4.1 Mixed methods

The research questions of this study were addressed by means of a case study which included the quantitative analysis of numerical data collected using questionnaires and the qualitative analysis of interview responses and observations made in natural settings. Quantitative analysis is most usually applied within the positivist paradigm that reality can be explained in terms of statistics (numbers that summarize samples) parameters (numbers that summarize populations) and hypotheses (predictions based on the laws of probability) that exist outside human feelings (Giddens, 1974). Most social scientists, however, appreciate that positivism cannot explain all cases of

analyze information from part of a phenomenon but in so doing misses many important aspects. Although information relating to a defined group of people may be summarized, predicted and generalized in terms of statistics, parameters, and the laws of probability, it is much more difficult to explain the perceptions and behaviour of each individual person (Cohen, 2007). The qualitative analysis used in this study addressed this difficulty by applying the interpretivist paradigm that to understand a phenomenon better, the wider picture must be examined. Interpretivism aims to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the whole, through exploring the richness, depth, and complexity of information, assuming that knowledge is socially constructed through the perceptions and experiences of each individual (Palinscar, 1998). The use of interpretivism also implied that I must reflect personally upon what role I played in constructing knowledge and how and why I came to certain conclusions (Holland, 1999).

Onwuegbuzie & Teddlie (2003:379) recommended that “researchers undertaking mixed methods techniques should seek to defend explicitly the approaches they are employing”. I argue that the mixed method approach used in this study was essential, since the research questions were demanding, and required a broad methodology, in which the best available tools had to be employed.

3.4.2 Case study approach

Flyvbjerg (2006) in a review of misunderstandings about case study research pointed out that although our knowledge of situations will be strengthened by the execution of more case studies, there appears to be no common

consensus as to what actually constitutes a case study. Accordingly, I could find no single holistic definition of a case study in the literature. The term has different meanings to different researchers, in different disciplines, depending upon their variable perspectives. A selected range of examples, to illustrate the diversity of definitions and terminology, is presented here. Some researchers, particularly psychologists, define a case study in terms of the history of an individual person (Ray, 1997). Fraenkel & Wallen (2007) referring to research in education, defined a case study in terms of qualitative research on one or more individuals. Feagin et al. (1999) considered that the main characteristic of a case study is that it achieves a holistic understanding of the inter-related activities of individuals participating in a social situation. Creswell (2003:15) described a case study as a method “in which the researcher explores in depth a program, an event, an activity, a process, or one or more individuals”. Merriam (1988) refers to a case study as gaining an in-depth understanding of a situation, adding that it can include gathering data by a survey. Yin (1994:13) defined a case study as “an in depth inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context”.

There is clearly a disagreement about how to define a case study, but the definition of Yin seems to be a common feature of this and most other case studies. Since the road appears to be open to proceed with a personal definition, it is my opinion that a case study is not so much a method or an investigation as a strategy. This case study is defined as a strategy involving the development of theory and the collection, analysis, interpretation, and consolidation of multiple sources of information from different perspectives

leading to an in-depth knowledge and understanding of a social situation at a specified location.

Case studies have been classified as illustrative, exploratory, cumulative or critical instance (Yin, 1994). This case study was essentially exploratory, implying that it provided new information about a subject of interest, at a location that has not been studied before, and it included a pilot study, performed to develop and determine the final protocols (i.e., the instruments, participants and research questions) employed in the main case study. The local significance of this case study was that it contributed specifically to exploring the opportunities and constraints of a WBDL programme for Saudi learners of the English language.

A major criticism of case study methodology is that its dependence on a single object of interest may render the results incapable of generalization to other cases. The conclusions may have local significance but do not have external validity, i.e., they cannot be extrapolated to situations and/or populations outside the boundaries of the study (Yin, 1994); nevertheless, it is suggested that the results of this case study may also be of value to teachers and learners of English as a foreign language using WBDL programmes outside KSA. The rationale underpinning this suggestion is that the research questions of this case study may be identifiable to other teachers and learners operating in similar e-learning settings elsewhere.