El proceso de formación de la estrategia

It is important when designing a study to consider issues around reliability and validity in data collection and analyses. One key way to do this is to use different methods of data collection (Richards, 2005) so as to triangulate data (Creswell & Plano-Clark, 2011; Minichiello et al., 2008; Patton, 2002; Richards, 2005) as used in this study. Other ways of exploring reliability and validity with each of the measures used are explored in the paragraphs that follow.

In relation to the questionnaire, I first established face validity to see whether “the measure apparently reflects the content of the concept in question” (Bryman, 2012, p.

98 171). In order to do this, I asked an EFL teacher to check the questionnaire items.

Feedback was then used to make some minor or surface changes to the wording and order of the items in each scale. Some overlapping items were also deleted from the

questionnaire. I then piloted the questionnaire with 22 teachers from several Vietnamese higher education institutions, including some EFL teachers from Hanoi University. Responses from the pilot were “briefly analysed”, and “blank answers [were] looked for” (Mertens, 2005, p. 183).

In analysing questionnaire data, I consulted the statistician from RMIT University to check the accuracy of data entry and results. I also investigated the internal consistency of the three scales in the questionnaire, “which is the degree to which the items that make up the scale are all measuring the same underlying attribute” (Pallant, 2011, p. 6) via Cronbach’s alphas after exploratory factor analysis, which are detailed in Chapter Four of this thesis.

In terms of the semi-structured interview, I built validity into the interview questions by piloting them with two Vietnamese teachers (who were studying in Australia) to see whether they understood and interpreted the questions in the way the questions were intended. Feedback was used to make a few surface changes to the wording of the interview questions.

To establish “credibility” (Mertens, 2005, p. 254) of the data analysis, that is “the correspondence between the way the respondents actually perceive social constructs and the way the researcher portrays their viewpoints” (Mertens, 2005, p. 254), member- checks was used with interview data. Overall, there was good agreement from the respondents, so no further clarifications were needed. Also, because the interviews conducted with seven EFL teachers were in Vietnamese, all interview quotations used for

99 data analysis that were translated into English were audited and then verified by a

NAATI-accredited professional translator (Appendix 11). 3.3.4 Ethical considerations

A number of measures were put in place to ensure there was no potential harm or risks to the participants including making participation voluntary; ensuring their right to

withdraw; gaining informed consent; and maintaining anonymity and confidentiality of the information obtained (Groves, Fowler, Couper, Lepkowski, Singer, & Tourangeau, 2009; Lodico, Spaulding, & Voegtle, 2010).

To begin with, I ensured that participation in this study was voluntary and that participants could withdraw at any stage of the study. The advertising flyer, the Plain Language Statement accompanied the questionnaire and the interview, as well as my own comments at staff meetings/events, reiterated that this was the case. Additionally,

transcripts of the interviews were sent for member-checks (Mertens, 2005).

Informed consent was given by all participants. The questionnaire package contained both a Plain Language Statement (Appendix 7) and hard copy of the questionnaire instrument. The Plain Language Statement (Appendix 9) was given to participants who chose to further participate in this study via interview, and consent forms were signed. To maintain anonymity, no names were recorded on the questionnaires. While some demographic data was obtained, identification of individuals was highly unlikely. To protect the participants’ identities in the semi-structured interviews, pseudonyms for the EFL teachers such as Mary, Daisy, etc., were used.

In handling the data collected, the questionnaire responses and interview transcripts have been kept in a secure place at RMIT University, and will be retained for a period of

100 at least five years. All electronic files are stored in a password-protected computer in my research office at RMIT University.

3.4 Chapter summary

This chapter has documented the researcher’s worldview, research questions, and the choice of the mixed-methods approach for this study involving EFL teachers at Hanoi University in Vietnam. It has described the data-collecting instruments, namely a quantitative questionnaire administered to 81 EFL teachers and qualitative semi- structured interviews with seven teachers. The chapter also described the choice of descriptive (percentages, mean score and standard deviation), correlational statistical techniques (Spearman Rhos) and exploratory factor analysis for the questionnaire data analysis, as well as analytical coding for the data obtained from the interviews. The strategy of using a weaving approach in integrating findings through narrative has also been discussed. Issues of validity, reliability and ethics have also been considered. In the next chapter, the Findings Chapter, I will report on the findings of this study. The organisation of the discussion is framed by the research questions. These findings will be integrated for interpretation purposes in a later chapter, Chapter Five: Discussion of Findings.

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