METHODOLOGY Teacher`s belief about English language exposure.

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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

After introducing the research and pointing out the associated theoretical background, it comes to this third chapter where the methodology of the research is discussed . This part consist of several subchapters which include research type, the nature and sources of data, data setting and participants, data collection method, data analysis, and the last one is trustworthiness . A . Research method In order to answer the research question stated in the first chapter, it is appropriate for this study to be included in the domain of qualitative research . Similar with Nunan’s 1992 understanding about qualitative research, the answer of the question research will be relative dependent on the context and object . The way and effort in answering the research question also appears to be in line with the characteristics of qualitative research, as quoted from Creswell 2007, such as taking place in natural setting, using interactive and humanistic multiple methods, having emergent design, interpretive, and holistical . Furthermore, among five types of qualitative research; narrative- biographical study, phenomenological study, grounded theory study, ethnography study, case study; this study can be properly included in the case study research using phenomenological inquiries for the interview. It focuses to answer the 42 research question by the data acquired from the participant’s experiences in teaching. Yin 2009 defines case study as “an empirical inquiry about a contemporary phenomenon e.g. a case set within its real-world context especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident” . Some key words here appear and set the rules about case study. Firstly, case study must contain an empirical inquiry as the core of the research problem and it is already represented by the research question mentioned in the early chapter . Secondly, it must be on the real-world context so that it can be viewed using case study perspective and applying full set of procedures for the case study research . That definition is somehow agreed by Barratt et al 2011 that gives essentially similar classification about case study. It is “an empirical research that primarily uses contextually rich data from bounded real-world settings to investigate a focused phenomenon” p. 329 . Considering the amount of participant in this research, this study is therefore is a single-case study , which refers to “those in which the phenomena of interest are studied using a single subject or a small group of research subjects” Freeman, 2008. By questioning the teacher’s belief in English language learning in this study, it is believed that inquiry list related on the teacher’s experience will cover all aspects that a case study studies and investigates. From the phenomenological inquiry, it is expected that the espoused belief from what is said and the embodied belief from what is done can be both revealed and seen how far they are integrated 43 to explore the authenticity of the teacher’s belief . Deploying case study research with such kind of research question afterward can finally address its descriptive process as one type of case study . B . Nature and source of data The data necessary and required to answer the research question formulated previously were gathered and taken mainly from narration obtained from the in-depth interview with the participant and from the classroom observation where the participant performed her teaching . The narrative data were the main source of documents to view teacher’s beliefs about English language exposure which later on were cultivated, coded, themed, and interpreted . As for the classroom observation, it was conducted to see how this kind of belief is present and reflected in her professional job as an education practitioner . C . Data setting and participant This research took place in a distinguished junior high school located in a rural area in one district in Yogyakarta . This school was well-known for its reputation as once a designated international standard school Rintisan Sekolah Berstandar InternasionalRSBI. This state educational institution had a tradition related to its former status where it required its students to intensify English language learning . However, since the label of RSBI was banned, the curriculum used was changed with the curriculum for national standard school as this school 44 turned back into one now. Hence, the contact hour for English lesson was reduced but it did not lose the tradition to escalate the English learning . Its customs in English related activities, either as a lesson or extracurricular one, indicate that English becomes one of many concerns of a school with such a geographical and social condition, making it distinctive compared to the other similar schools in the area . Although the lesson hour for English was reduced, it still had more than other regular junior high schools . Its achievement in English was also quite high to be compared side by side with the other junior high schools in the similar or opposite geographical and social conditions to be the best in the region . The participant of this study is Teacher E, an English teacher of 8 th grader . She is 35 years old and has already experienced teaching all grades since her first time becoming a teacher . She also experienced teaching before the title of RSBI was pinned, in the time of RSBI, and post RSBI. Therefore, her experience fits to be taken as the participant of this research. The teacher of 8 th graders is chosen because 8 th grade is the time where exposure to English language is at its peak in the level of junior high school . The 7 th grade is the time where the students are in the initial period of taking up to the higher level of education after they graduated from primary school and still in the introduction level of further English . Meanwhile, the 9 th grade is the period where students concentrate on the national exam where mostly the first half year is used to review the material they have ever got in the lower grades and the other half is filled with daily exercises to prepare them for the exam . Therefore, the 8 th graders teacher is considered the most 45 appropriate one for this kind of study seeing the fact that the most exposure to English language in the classroom is given in such condition . D . Data collection method Patton 2002 suggests that the most common sources of qualitative data include interviews, observations, and documents . Based on such definition, the data collected for this research was also taken mainly from interviews and classroom observation . The description of people’s lived experiences, events, or situations is often described as “thick” Denzin, 1989 in Suter, 2012: 344, meaning attention is given to rich detail, meaningful social and historical context and experiences, and the significance of emotional content in an attempt to open up the word of whoever or whatever is being studied Suter, 2012: 344 . Given that this research is a single-case study, teacher’s lived experience is needed to be processed and analyzed to answer the research question . Weiss 1994 puts the significance of interview related to experience since “to talk to someone who listens, and listens closely, can be valuable because one’s own experience, through the process of being voiced and shared, is validated” . By such description, interview can be a way to provide such valuable sources of data accompanied with the observation to see the teacher’s experience directly aside from applying it as a triangulation method. 46 1 . Interviews Interviews open up more understanding about something since it reveal and explore further about everything being asked about . When considered as a method for conducting a qualitative research, interview is a technique that is used to understand the experiences of other Seidman, 1998 . By such meaning, this method of data collection then is the most suitable one and becomes the key to a successful case study research with phenomenological approach since this kind of research emphasize on the participant’s experience . The interview was set to be semi-structured one, meaning that the questions were made to be open-answered and allow more questions to be elaborated based on the respondents’ responses . Related to the topic of the studies, the guideline for the interview is divided into four subtopics which are about the materials, teachers’ talk, classroom interaction, and the use of first language in the classroom . By so, it can also function as themes which are useful to distribute and classify the information before making the analysis about the topic of the research . The interview was done once for around 2 to 3 hours with several breaks when the participant has finished teaching in a day at school so that she would feel comfortable in any means and in a friendly situation to eliminate the pressure . The researcher has constructed a very good relationship and connection with the participant previously so that could be the base in interviewing with questions as free as possible and with answers as details as needed, including her life and teaching experience . For some times, the interview 47 was off topic for this reason . However, it could always go back to the topic of discussion . To maintain the relevancy, the interview transcription is limited on the topic of discussion only . 2 . Observation Observation is a great company for interview . It can bring the idea, construct, belief, and also understanding which the participant possesses based on the interview into the physical form . For this research, observation is done twice; before the research and after the interview . Pre-research observation was performed and meant to see and clarify how the phenomenon occurs in the place where the research is conducted . This step is regarded necessary so that the continuity of the research with such topic can be assured . During this observation, field notes were taken to describe the teaching as well as learning process along with their activity during the class . Later on, post-interview observation would be useful to clarify the findings and to see how teacher’s belief about English language exposure is present and reflected in the teacher’s performance . This observation is done in two classes of the 8 th graders. The school classified the students into two kinds; those who have above average quality and achievement and those who have general or average skill. They are spread into 6 classes. Each class selected for the observation represents each kind of students to see how the teaching learning process differs or is similar. 48 E . Data analysis After the data was gathered, then it came to the process of data analysis . In this phase, the interview result was firstly transcribed . After that, the step of coding was applied . Creswell 2007: 61 suggests this step as the analyst process in highlighting “significant statements”, sentences, or quotes that provide an understanding of how the participants experienced the phenomenon . By coding, the data is organized to be able to provide a means for interpretation or “develop clusters of meaning from these significant statements into themes” Creswell, 2007: 61 . These themes were classified based on the patterns which come up from the process of coding . Later on, the themes were grouped into broader themes or known as subordinate themes . In further analysis stage, those grouped themes were interpreted which resulted into a narrative account . In short, the whole processes of this research described can be visualized in the table below . Figure 3.1: Stages of data analysis adapted from Creswell, 2007: 156-157 Data managing Organized data Reading, memoing Initial codes Describing Description of personal experience Classifying Statements themed into meaningful units Interpreting Interpretation Representing Discussion about narration Process Result 49 F . Triangulation Triangulation is a method of confirming findings . It is “the combination of at least two or more theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, data sources, investigators, or data analysis methods to decrease, negate, or counterbalance the deficiency of a single strategy, thereby increasing the ability to interpret the findings” Thurmond, 2001: 253 . As a key to verification of data, triangulation can give a more detailed and balanced picture of the situation . Cohen and Manion, 2000: 254 . Denzin 1978 provides four ways to keep the accuracy of the data by this triangulation process covering data sources triangulation, investigator triangulation, methodological triangulation, and theoretical triangulation . To complete it, Miles and Huberman 1994 add another one which is data type triangulation . For this research, methodological triangulation in the form of observation was done to see how the teacher’s beliefs were reflected in the participant’s actual performance in the field . The observation was done twice in two different classes of 8 th grade that each represented students’ different quality and characteristics . This was meant to see how the teacher similarly or differently performed the teaching and reflected her beliefs in the classroom . The observation was performed when the classes had more or less similar lesson and situation so that it hopefully could provide more accurate reflection of the teacher’s belief . 50

CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS