The sampling technique determines the choice of participants for the study. The overall population for my research consisted of Turkish-German, secondary school students in Berlin who were enrolled in theatre classes. The research took place in Berlin for two reasons: firstly, Berlin-Brandenburg has the highest Turkish-German population in Germany; and secondly, I was most familiar with the cultural context of Berlin, having lived there previously for four years, which made it relatively easier to locate schools and seek permission from the Ministry of Education in Berlin to conduct this research. Ms. Isabella Sedlak at the Gorki Theatre, Gorki X, helped us in reaching out to a number of schools in Berlin. A sample size of two schools was decided on and the target population size was restricted to Turkish-German students enrolled in secondary schools taking a theatre class.
One of the main criteria for selection was schools where theatre is taught to high school students, and a determining factor was to select a school in which students would be willing to perform a text specifically for the purposes of discussing issues of cultural identity. It was imagined that finding a group of students who would be willing to do so won’t be easy. The willingness and openness to accept a project where a classical piece would be transformed as a medium for cross-cultural dialogue was difficult. However, two schools were discovered where theatre teachers for each class showed willingness towards such a project. It was decided with the class-teachers that the students will be able to use materials from the rehearsals for end of the school year presentations.
The size of the sample was selected according to the non-probability, purposive sampling strategy which involved deliberate selection of the sample, hence, the selection was not random.80 Two secondary schools which offered theatre classes to Year 12 and 13 were targeted. In the initial search, five different schools were short-listed, out of which one of the schools did not follow-up on our further communication. Among the rest of the four schools, two schools were selected according to the income background of the students. Hence, a representative sample was selected which would reflect the total population.
According to the official demographic report, the five districts in Berlin which have the highest number of Turkish-German population: Mitte, Neukölln, Kreuzberg, Tempelhof- Schöneberg and Reinickendorf.81 My target was to find two different schools within these districts with a majority of Turkish-German students in the theatre classes. The decision to
80 Cohen, Manion and Morrison, p. 217
target two schools was taken to diversify the sample. The main criterion for choosing the two different schools was based on the nature of educational goals in these schools. Hence, a comparison between a comprehensive integrated high-school and a comprehensive vocational high-school was desired for my study.
The first school selected was called OSZ Lotis, which is listed as an Oberstufenzentrum, which focuses on the vocational or occupational training of students. The school was located near the intersection of Tempelhof-Schoeneberg and the type of education which it offers is ‘Fachoberschule, Berufsschule, Berufsfachschule, Berufsoberschule, Berufliches Gymnasium’ [ Skills-based or Vocational Training school]. 82 The school attracted a high number of students from migratory backgrounds, primarily from Turkish-German families.
Fritz-Karsen-Schule was the second school selected; it is listed under the category of ‘Sekundarschulen mit gymnasialer Oberstufe’ [secondary schools which offer the Abitur (the equivalent of A-levels)].83 This distinction allowed me to diversify my sample and include students who had variety of learning goals and motivations. Since the focus of OSZ Lotis was more on vocational training than Fritz-Karsen-Schule. I was able to explore the outcomes of reading and performing Faust with students from similar ethnic and racial backgrounds but with differing learning goals and motivations.
A sub-category within non-probability style sampling is purposive style sampling, which best suited the needs of my research. The primary reason for using purposive strategy was to focus on the specific group instead of the total population. The research explores if theatre-based approach can allow us to gain more insight into a cultural pattern of the target samples. Since the study is small scale and only two schools were chosen for this, the students only represented themselves: their attitudes, insights and engagement with Faust. By using purposive sampling strategy, I wanted to select the schools where it was possible and feasible to conduct a study:
In purposive sampling, often (but by no means exclusively) a feature of qualitative research, researchers handpick the cases to be included in the sample on the basis of their judgment of their typicality or possession of the particular characteristics(s) being sought. They assemble the sample to meet their specific needs…:to achieve representativeness, to enable comparisons to be made, to focus on specific, unique
82 OSZ Lotis information on Berlin State Website, in German only: https://www.sekundarschulen-berlin.de/osz-
lotis
83 Fritz-Karsen-Schule information on Berlin State website, in German only:https://www.sekundarschulen-
issues or cases, to generate theory through the gradual accumulation of data from different sources. 84
Using a purposive sampling strategy allowed me to work with the majority of students from the desired Turkish-German background. It was also necessary to purposively select classrooms that represented both Turkish-German and German students, in order to reduce the sampling bias or the over-/under-representation of each. I avoided making the common mistake of creating bias due to the focus on one type of population sample. In order to reduce this bias, critical case sampling was used:
A widely used sampling technique, akin to extreme case sampling, in which a particular individual, group of individuals or cases is studied in order to yield insights that might have wider application…focusing on small states and territories, which treats one small territory as a critical case study of issues in the fields in question, which are felt to be their strongest, and which can illuminate issues in the topic which are of wider concern for other similar small states and territories; 85
In order to reduce the limitations of the purposive sampling strategy, certain measures were employed. To reduce the bias or voice of one group only, a strategy called boosted sampling or negative case sampling was used; by this method, according to Cohen, Manion and Morison, ‘the researcher will deliberately seek to include a sufficient number of them [unrepresented individuals] to ensure appropriate statistical analysis or representation in the sample, adjusting any results from them’.86 Hence, students from other Muslim and non-Muslim/non-German backgrounds were included in the study in order to get a wider and more inclusive picture on issues of cultural differences.
84 Cohen, Manion and Morrison, p.218 85 Cohen, Manion and Morrison, p.219 86Cohen, Manion and Morison, p.220