REQUISITOS DEL SISTEMA DE GESTIÓN DE CALIDAD ISO 9001

To further the search for understanding, qualitative researchers separate what is happening in “key episodes or testimonies” from those “presenting these episodes with their own interpretation and narratives” (R.E. Stake, 1995, p. 40). Qualitative research uses narratives “to optimize the opportunity of the reader to gain experiential

understanding of the case.”

Along with the careful selection of those who could provide rich details of their experiences with the EIA movement, open-ended questions were used to explore their narratives. As previously noted in the discussion of case study and qualitative research

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methods, these questions sought information as to the “what” and “how” of the interviewee’s experience.

Specific interview questions included:

1) How were you or your organization involved in the strategy to build support for passage of the 1984 S.C. Education Improvement Act?

2) What strategies did you or your organization employ to build educator, legislative, business, and citizen support for passage of the legislation? 3) What obstacles did you or your organization encounter when organizing and

implementing this support effort?

4) In your opinion, what was the most effective strategy used to win legislative approval?

5) In your opinion, what was the impact of citizen engagement on passage of the legislation?

Follow-up questions were used to encourage the interviewee to expand on his or her observations. The interviews were conducted at a place and time convenient to the participant.

Interview requests were made by email. When requesting an interview, the participants were informed that the session would be digitally recorded and later

transcribed by the researcher. Interviewees also were advised in writing that information or opinions expressed during the interview might be directly quoted and attributed to them by name as part of the written dissertation. These stipulations were repeated in follow-up confirmation emails.

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In order to verify the accuracy of a quotation and its context, each participant was given the opportunity to read and comment on the section or sections of the case study in which they were quoted. Specifically, each was asked to examine the section to ensure the accuracy of the quotation and interpretation of their comments. This member

checking was essential to the validity of the researcher’s understanding and presentation of the interviewees’ statements.

By return email, the participants either approved their statements as accurate or edited the section to better reflect their thinking. If there were corrections, the changes were copied into the dissertation document with no alternation by the researcher. The member checking protocol and digital recordings of the interviews were used to ensure the accuracy of the narratives, reflections, and opinions of the participants interviewed.

3.4.2 Document collection.

In addition to in-depth interviews, both public and private documents were an important source of the research findings. Collected data included the examination of news accounts, public documents, business and association communications, and public relations material used during the EIA initiative. Most of the documents examined were from the Riley gubernatorial administration files, housed at the S.C. Department of Archives and History. Additional articles and documents were accessed through public or academic databases.

The private papers of some interviewees were made available for this case study. These included internal memoranda, organizational charts, drafts of speeches, press releases, publicity literature, videotapes, background information, and personal written reflections.

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Document review is an important facet of triangulation. Public documents are valuable to qualitative research methods because they can contribute a more objective account of events, as well as fill in faulty or faded memories of interview participants. According to Stake (1995), documents can serve as “substitutes” for activities the

researcher could not observe directly. Additionally, documents may provide more precise information than either the case study participants or the researcher can. This was true in researching this case study.

To support objectivity in the research and findings, news accounts and editorials from 1983 through 1984 were used. These news accounts and editorials were from South Carolina’s daily and weekly newspapers and some out-of-state newspapers, such as The Charlotte Observer, The New York Times, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since most newspapers in the 1980s had morning and afternoon editions, each edition from the same city had separate reporters and editorial boards. This allowed a wide variety of reporting perspectives on the EIA.

While some news articles were found through electronic databases, most were found in copies of the Governor’s News Summary from the Riley administration files at state Archives. (Richard W. Riley Gubernatorial Papers (1979-1987). News Summaries. (S554026, July 1983– September 1984). South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia S.C. Retrieved July 24, 2014 – October 15, 2014.)

The news summaries were produced daily by members of the Riley Press Office, including the researcher, from daily and weekly newspapers and distributed to the

governor and senior staff members. All articles and editorials on local, state, and national issues were included in the summaries, whether or not they reflected positively or

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negatively on the Riley administration. The news summaries were a valuable research source for this case study for three reasons.

First, articles included in the summaries were not limited to public education but focused on important local, state, and national issues, giving greater context to the EIA effort. Next, the summaries included articles from newspapers no longer readily

accessible in print or digital format. Third, the articles provided objective content for the study, particularly the editorials and op-ed columns.

Providing a negative case analysis was essential to this study, not only to balance information from the interviewees, but also to counteract the researcher’s subjectivity while researching and writing the case study. Early in the research, it became apparent that locating and interviewing individuals to support a negative case analysis would be difficult. Because the EIA reform movement is over three decades ago, many of the opposing key legislators and businessmen are dead. In addition, some interviewees declined to be interviewed, citing faulty memories of the period. Therefore, the news articles and editorials provided an important counterbalance to interviews of EIA supporters, as well as questions regarding the researcher’s trustworthiness.