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Introduction
What is Qualitative Research?
Merriam (2009) in her book Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation explains that qualitative research is a type of exploratory research than in that it tries to examine and explain particular aspects of a scenario through an in-depth method of examination (Merriam 2009, 3-21). While it is applicable to numerous disciplines, it is normally applied to instances which attempt to explain human behaviour and the varying factors that influence and govern such behaviours into forming what they are at present (Merriam 2009, 3-21). Thus, it can be stated that qualitative research focuses more on exploring various aspects of an issue, developing an understanding of phenomena within an appropriate context and answering questions inherent to the issue being examined. Some of the types of qualitative research are as follows:
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Interviews
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Focus Groups
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Surveys
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Case Study
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Journaling
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Narrative Analysis
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Observation
When examining the article of Farber (2006) in conducting qualitative research, it can be seen that a qualitative research design attempts to answer the question why (Farber 2006, pp. 367-375). For example, instead of trying to determine the number of obese people within a given sample, a qualitative research design would attempt to answer what particular behavioural or social attributes cause people to become obese in the first place. As such, a qualitative research design attempts to be more exploratory in its approach rather than the more black and white nature that can be found in quantitative methods of examination.
What is being examined?
The attitude of multicultural English language teachers on teaching disengaged Arab students has raised a lot of attention from researchers due to its potential in affecting the education of future generations. As such, various researchers have taken a keen interest in how disengagement of students would affect teachers and how the affected teachers would respond to the disengaged students. In this examination, the primary focus would be on qualitative analysis done by previous scholars. This study seeks to identify the best qualitative methods for research on perspectives and attitudes of multicultural English language teachers on teaching English to disengaged Arab students.
The concept of intercultural communication is an important starting point when it comes to researching the perspective and attitudes of English language teachers on teaching English to disengaged Arab students. The reason behind this assumption lies in the fact that the inherent culture of a group that is being taught to determines how each individual student encodes a particular message, the specific medium that they utilize in order to transmit such a message and finally the means by which such a message is interpreted. By understanding how ESL (English as a Secondary Language) teachers perceive such a necessity within their teaching practices, a researcher will be able to determine whether current practices, attitudes and perspectives are in line with what is necessary to actually successfully teach a foreign student the English language. Without such an understanding in place, it is likely that any educational progress would be slow, and in the case of disengaged Arab students, the level of disengagement would increase even more.
It is based on this that this paper will be arranged via the types of a qualitative instrument utilized in various studies in order to show which qualitative method would be the most ideal in examining the identifying the best qualitative methods for research on perspectives and attitudes of multicultural English language teachers on teaching English to disengaged Arab students.
Possible Methods of Analysis
Survey
A survey-based qualitative study works through a sampling technique wherein a small segment of the population is utilized in order for a statistical inference to be made on the population as a whole (Merriam 2009, 55-270). The Sercu (2005) study was chosen as an initial starting point due to its focus on intercultural communication. The main aim of the Sercu (2005) study on the intercultural investigation was to enquire into how the current professional self-concepts of Flemish teachers of English, French and German relate to the envisaged profile of the intercultural foreign language teacher and into the extent to which their teaching practice can be characterized as directed towards the attainment of intercultural communicative competence instead of towards communicative competence (Sercu 2005, 87 105).
Basically, this study attempted to determine the perspective of Flemish language teachers towards their current teaching styles and whether it was in line with the necessary competencies needed to impart proper intercultural communicative competence to their students. The inherent value of the results from this study lies in the fact that the inherent culture of a group that is being taught to determines how each individual student encodes a particular message, the specific medium that they utilize in order to transmit such a message and finally the means by which such a message is interpreted. By understanding how ESL (English as a Secondary Language) teachers perceive such a necessity within their teaching practices, a researcher will be able to determine whether current practices, attitudes and perspectives are in line with what is necessary to actually successfully teach a foreign student the English language.
The method of analysis the Sercu (2005) study utilized in this endeavour was primarily that of a survey wherein an electronic questionnaire was utilized with a series of 5 to 10 point scale items related to the knowledge, attitudes and skills of the teachers in relation to their present professional self-concepts and their present culture and language teaching practice. Merriam (2009) explains that using a survey enables a researcher to understand a particular population by making a statistical inference through sampling (Merriam 2009, 55-270). As it can be seen in the Sercu (2005) study, having surveys use 5 to 10 point scale items is an effective means of gathering data and opinions on specific points of interest in a manner that can be easily quantifiable.
Utilizing this method, a researcher can then compare and contrast various aspects of the research results collected and come up with conclusions that are effectively backed up by quantified data Merriam 2009, 55-270. This is particularly advantageous in cases where numerous factors need to be examined and then correlated into succinct answers that can be easily understood Merriam 2009, 55-270. Going back to the Sercu (2005) study, it was seen that the questionnaire then had them rank phrases such as teachers need an adequate socio-cultural knowledge of the target language community or my pupils are knowledgeable about the culture of the foreign language I teach . Overall, when examining the qualitative method of research utilized in this paper, it proved to be an effective means of evaluating Flemish language teachers and their perspectives and attitudes towards teaching English.
The effectiveness of the 5 point scale system can also be seen in the case of the Iashnova (2004) study; in it, teachers were asked to answer two main questions: What do you consider to be the most important in the teaching and upbringing process? and What do you see as the end goal of your pedagogical activity? (Iashnova 2004, pp. 15-22). The relationship between the Iashnova (2004) and that of the identification of the best qualitative methods for research on the perspectives and attitudes of multicultural teachers is that the Iashnova (2004) focuses on the perspectives and attitudes of teachers regarding the proper way in which children should be taught in school and what they perceive to be the most appropriate outcome of such a teaching process (Iashnova 2004, pp. 15-22).
Such a style of research is quite similar to the study that the researcher will attempt to accomplish; however, with a distinct emphasis placed on teaching English to disengaged Arab students. Further examination of the study revealed that another survey was conducted. However, in this instance, what was examined was the general attitude that students were bringing towards the learning process and their reaction to their teachers. To accomplish this, 350 students within grades three and four were asked to complete the phrase I am going to school in order to&.. as well as were asked what they thought about their teachers (Iashnova 2004, pp. 15-22). The end result showed a distinct connection between general social attitudes and the desire of children to conform to what was expected of them.
Comparison between Surveys and Interviews
When comparing the work done by Iashnova (2004) and that advocated for by Merriam (2009) the survey-based method utilized by Iashnova (2004) can be considered somewhat sloppy given that it would be hard to quantify results that are based on random responses, the end results were somewhat impressive given that they in effect showed the perspectives of students. Such a qualitative method could be potentially be utilized by the researcher wherein teachers could be asked to answer certain phrases and questions based on their own personal opinion rather than a predetermined sequence of listed answers created by the researcher beforehand. Such a method of examination is somewhat similar to that advocated by Merriam (2009) in her books section on ethnography wherein a researcher immerses himself/herself into the culture and environment that he/she is attempting to examine (Merriam 2009, 27 35).
What must be understood is that teachers themselves have their own internal culture when it comes to teaching and engaging students and this differs significantly depending on the country, region and type of school they are teaching at. This is especially true when it comes to instances where multicultural teachers are concerned since the internal culture they have is significantly different than that of other teachers within the same school. As such, it is at times necessary to conduct some method of examination wherein a researcher is able to more directly experience the attitudes and perspectives and teachers. The inherent problem though with utilizing a survey, as stated by Merriam (2009), is that the sheer potential randomness of the responses could result in a haphazard study that would need to find some way of categorizing random responses in a way that can be properly analyzed, a task which could take a considerable amount of time depending on the number of respondents utilized. It is based on this that interviews represent a possible alternative method of examination that can be pursued.
As explained by Kvale and Brinkmann (2008) interviews allow the researcher to draw on multiple sources of information in order to explain a particular subject or problem and, as such, allows for the creation of a far more succinct explanation of actions and events since it comes from multiple sources instead of single primary sources (Kvale and Brinkmann 2008, pp. 1-57). As such, from their perspective, interviews allow researchers to more directly analyze the subjects they are examining since an interview allows for a certain degree of give and take wherein while the interview is being conducted a certain degree of feedback is given by the research subject involving not only that topic being researched but other aspects that the researcher may have missed (Kvale and Brinkmann 2008, pp. 81-151). It is the reciprocal nature of interviews as well as the fact that the research is more able to directly observe the reactions of the respondents and react accordingly that make interviews a decidedly superior method when it comes to instances where a researcher is trying to develop a more in-depth perspective about a particular population that is being examined (Kvale and Brinkmann 2008, pp. 201-267).
Semi-structured Interviews
The Poveda et al. (2007) study is unique in the sense that it combines both recruitment and semi-structured interviews in order to gather the research data necessary for the study (Poveda et al. 2007, pp. 423-441). This particular study focused on the afterschool activity of literature devoted children and how this subsequently impacted their language development skills. Data collection by Poveda et al. (2007) was done by having the research participants fill out a variety of small surveys, give photographs of their daily lives and was followed by a series of semi-structured interviews which included both the children and their parents (Poveda et al. 2007, pp. 423-441). What must be understood is that in a study that focuses primarily on recruitment and semi-structured interviews, it is usually the case that the recruitment process is largely informal (as seen within the study) while the data that is collected through the semi-structured interviews are rarely considered academic . It is based on this that a research process that focuses on a combination of recruitment and semi-structured interviews is usually best for the collection of the personal views of the respondents rather than information with strong academic merit (Poveda et al. 2007, pp. 423-441).
Structured Interviews
Another potential avenue of approach when it comes to utilizing an appropriate qualitative study in investigating the research topic is the use of a combination of open-ended survey questions and structured interviews. Such a tactic can be seen in the study of Zan & Goh (2011) which focused on investigating the difficulties that teachers encounter in teaching oral English in higher education in English as a foreign language (EFL) context (Zan & Goh 2011, pp. 333-345). The advantage of utilizing open-ended survey questions and semi-structured interviews in a research study is that it allows the research subjects to give a variety of opinions, arguments and generally accepted notions regarding a particular research subject without having the same restrictions found in structured and close-ended survey questions. As such, while this at times results in responses that are harder to categorize, it does enable a researcher to better understand issues from the perspective of those who constantly experience them and, as a result, enables the creation of far more accurate conclusions regarding the various problems that are occurring.
Such a case can be seen in the Zan & Goh (2011) study whose findings showed that teachers suffered from a series of problems not limited to little pedagogical knowledge, low self-efficacy, lack of sufficient teaching resources as overly large class sizes which restricts the ability of teachers to teach well (Zan & Goh 2011, pp. 333-345). These are all a direct result of the views garnered from the open-ended surveys and structured interviews and, as such, shows the effectiveness of this particular method in utilizing the personal opinions of research subjects into developing an effective method of examination. When it comes to any qualitative research study, it is usually immensely helpful if a similar study to the one that is currently being researched exists in order to examine the arguments, process and methodological procedures that were utilized so that any possible problems that were identified in that study could be avoided.
In the case of research on the perspectives and attitudes of multicultural English language teachers on teaching English to disengaged Arab students, the rather recent Sekharan et al. (2012) article ICT and Teachers Attitude in English Language Teaching is an ideal starting point to identify what research arguments, questions and procedures to utilize. Dealing primarily with ICT (internet and computer technology), the Sekharan et al. (2012) study utilized an interview-based method of examination to check on the attitudes of 60 teachers towards the adoption of ICT in their English classes (Sekharan et al. 2012, pp. 8-12). Overall, the study was able to show that teachers did indeed have a satisfactory attitude towards the adoption of ICT in their classes. The importance of this study is that it delves into a research methodology that is quite close to that of the topic of the researcher. As such, it acts as an ideal starting point for research along the same vein as the topic currently being examined. By first reading the Sekharan et al. (2012) study and examining the veracity of the research methods utilized, it would be possible to effectively design a study along the same lines in order to examine the perspectives and attitudes of multicultural teachers.
Surveys Part 2
Another possible route that should be taken into consideration when conducting a survey type of study can be seen in the case of Sekharan et al. (2009). In this study, the researcher attempted to explore the impact of literature components in stimulating students interest in learning English (Sekharan et al. 2009, pp. 114-121). This was done through an investigation that assessed their perceptions and attitudes towards literature and whether its incorporation in the secondary school syllabus helped to improve the students grasp of the language (Sekharan et al. 2009, pp. 114-121). In order to accomplish this type of assessment instead of the questionnaires being given to the teachers, what was done was a slight shift in the type of research subject that was evaluated wherein the students themselves were the primary respondents of the questionnaire which evaluated their overall capability based on the literary components they were exposed to. Through the study, it was determined that perceived learning literature as an important component in their styles, yet the success of the internalization of the literature depended on the teaching style and approach of the teacher.
This, in particular, is relevant to the investigation on the perspectives and attitudes of multicultural teachers since it shows the necessity of utilizing questionnaires in examining the impact of the teaching styles of the teachers on the overall level of engagement of the students. Other examples of effective survey use can be seen in the case of Mak & Chik (2011) wherein the authors examined 324 mixed-ability Grade 7 Hong Kong ESL students and 37 ESL secondary school teachers with the different background. The main focal point of this particular study was to examine the differences in perceived approaches to learning and teaching English and, as such, a comparison between the results given by the students and that of the teachers was conducted in order to determine the impact of various perceptions and attitudes towards the practice of teaching (Mak & Chik 2011, pp. 195-218). The result of the study revealed that teachers with different qualifications and number of years of teaching experience had significantly different performance levels on the ITA (Information Transmission Approach) and on collaborative approaches to teaching English (Mak & Chik 2011, pp. 195-218). Such an aspect can actually be utilized when it comes to examining multicultural teachers, however, in such a case what will be examined will not be the years of experience, rather, one possible route would be the cultural affiliation of such teachers and how this impacts their method of teaching English and its acceptance by disengaged Arab students.
Narrative Analysis
Based on an examination of the types of qualitative studies by Merriam (2009), another possible alternative approach that could be pursued is the use of narrative analysis in presenting information to readers. Merriam (2009) states that narrative analysis is actually one of the oldest methods of analysis that makes use of experiences and methods of communication with others in order to better understand the various facets of particular situations and external events (Merriam 2009, 32-50). As explained by Merriam (2009) this method of qualitative analysis utilizes a variety of methods of examination, not limited to biological, psychological or linguistic approaches and, as such, can utilize several different perspectives in order to explain a particular issue (Merriam 2009, pp. 33-50).
Such an approach can be seen in the case of the article Beyond Content: How Teachers Manage Classrooms to Facilitate Intellectual Engagement for Disengaged Students wherein Schussler (2009) interspaces her views with that of the students utilized in the study in order to identify specific problems in intellectual engagement and what could possibly be done to resolve them (Schussler 2009, pp. 114-121). This particular approach is somewhat similar to the case of Iashnova (2004). However, the main difference lies in the method in which the data is presented. Within the Iashnova (2004) study, student responses are at least quantified to the extent that the author utilizes specific percentile-based information in order to place student responses under specific categories. This is not the approach utilized by Schussler (2009). Instead, she combines direct quotes, views and perspectives from students and blends them with various types of academic sources in order to create a written output that is best described as an academic narrative since it seemingly seems to be an elaboration on the experiences of students when it comes to academic engagement and through such narratives helps to indicate what the specific problems and failings are in the processes teachers use when it comes to managing intellectual engagement within their classrooms (Schussler 2009, pp. 114-121).
Based on the approach of Schussler (2009) when it comes to qualitative research, it can be stated that the means she utilized in her research lacks the level of academic veracity shown in research studies that utilize quantitative-based approaches in explaining data. However, her approach shows a degree of insight that is lacking in quantitative studies since it shows information directly from the perspective of students and, as a result, feels far more intriguing as compared to mere rote data. Due to the approach necessary in researching the perspectives and attitudes of multicultural English teachers, the Schussler (2009) study may seem to be the best approach to utilize so far in terms of the way in which it is able to present the views of the respondents in a more direct fashion. One of the more unusual types of narrative-based qualitative methods of research can be seen in research papers which focus on delivering recommendations on how to proceed on particular issues or problems based on the researchers personal perspective on the subject.
From a certain standpoint, the topic Identifying the Best Qualitative Methods for Research on Perspectives and Attitudes of Multicultural English Language Teachers on Teaching English to Disengaged Arab Students can actually be considered a type of narrative-based qualitative study since the researcher in effect recommends various strategies and qualitative methods to utilize when it comes to researching a particular topic. One example of a narrative based paper can be seen in the Chen (2011) study which focuses on recommended strategies by the author to improve the listening comprehension of non-native English students (Huaru 2011, pp. 68-71). While the article itself is rather short and uses very few literary references, it does show the general format that will be utilized when it comes to the creation of the study on identifying the best qualitative methods for research on multicultural English language teachers (Huaru 2011, pp. 68-71).
One of the oldest forms of qualitative narrative studies comes in the form of a critique which focuses on highlighting the views and opinions of the author against either another expert within the same field or against an idea/theory within their field of specialization. When it comes to a critique, it is normally the case that a particular method or way of doing things is dissected, its individual parts scrutinized and its end result evaluated in order to show either its strength or weakness. This particular type of qualitative study is more common in the social sciences; however, it does happen to encompass various aspects of education as well as Merriam 2009, 32-50. Such a case can be seen in the article Lets Talk About Talk for Learning: Oracy and the New Nation Curriculum wherein the author focuses on the debate over teaching Standard English exclusively versus appropriating non-standard dialects to encourage student engagement.
The author, in this case, criticizes the teaching of Standard English without taking into consideration non-standard dialects and how teachers should take into consideration the local culture before teaching anything related to English. Such a facet is actually rather important given its similarity to the main research topic of the researcher involving disengaged Arab students. Going back to the methodology utilized, it can be seen that the author layers his critique with academic literature and his own personal opinions. While the amount of literature utilized in this article is rather sparse, it does help to support the critique created by Coultas (2012) and helps to further enhance the paper. Overall, it can be stated that a critique based method of analysis is ideal for any researcher looking to showcase the inherent weaknesses/problems in the current way of doing things and what appropriate steps must be taken in order to resolve such an issue.
Comparison between Narrative Analysis and Document Analysis
Merriam (2009) explains that narrative research hand combines direct quotes, views and perspectives from the research subject utilizing biological, psychological or linguistic approaches (though it can, of course, encompass even more approaches) and blends them with various types of academic sources in order to create a written output that is best described as an academic narrative since it seemingly seems to be an elaboration on the experiences of those writing and those being examined (Merriam 2009, pp 32-100). It is somewhat of an informal method of presentation. However, it is an ideal method if the purpose of the research is to showcase the views and experiences of both the author and the research subjects through the lens of a variety of academic methods of examination (Merriam 2009, pp 32-100). In comparison, when looking at chapter 7 of her book, Merriam (2009) elaborates on document-based research by stating that document-based methods of analysis primarily concerns itself with an examination of various academic texts in order to draw conclusions on a particular topic Merriam 2009, pp 139-165.
While each method of analysis does have its own level of strengths such as in the case of a narrative analysis that enables a researcher to utilize cultural and linguistic approaches in order to examine various types of data, it should be noted that a document analysis that is far easier to do and has a higher degree of academic veracity as compared to narrative-based research which can often result in mistaken conclusions Merriam 2009, pp 32-165. The fact remains that when it comes to the type of research needed when examining the attitudes and perspectives of multicultural teachers a document analysis based research is far more preferable since it relies on several views and opinions from various academic researchers in order to create a means of comparison that would yield results that show some similarity when it comes to particular issues Merriam 2009, pp 135-165. The reason behind this is connected to the fact that observing teachers within their classroom environments may actually result in them displaying attitudes which may or may not be how they really are since they know they are being observed. In the case of document analysis, the researcher can examine numerous perspectives from other researchers to see if there is some sort of overarching theme among multicultural teachers in their teaching methods and whether it affects the level of engagement among their students.
Document Analysis
Despite the effective methodology shown by the Sercu (2005) study, another possible method would be to rely almost entirely on document analysis. As explained by Merriam (2009), a research study that relies almost entirely on academic literature without other methods of external data collection runs the risk of being confined primarily to the results exhibited by the research studies utilized Merriam 2009, pp 135-165. This results in a study are severely constrained in terms of the number of factors that it is capable of encompassing especially in situations where the research subject that is being examined is focused on a narrowly specific topic Merriam 2009, pp 135-165. On the other hand, relying purely on academic literature in order to investigate a particular study does have its advantages since it reduces the amount of time need during the initial stages of preliminary research and enables the research to more effectively justify the results presented by indicating that they had already been verified by previous researchers Merriam 2009, pp 135-165.
One example of such a strategy in the plan can be seen in the Olson (2012) study which focused on barriers and bridges to effectively learning the English language (Olson 2012, pp. 26-32). The primary method utilized by this study focused on utilizing a qualitative method which utilized information collected from 25 different articles on ESL teaching and learning in order to discover barriers to teaching English and what methods were implemented in order to address them (Olson 2012, pp. 26-32). Taking into consideration the needs of the study on the perspectives and attitudes of multicultural English language teachers, this particular qualitative research method seems to be the most appealing so far given that the method of data collection is simple, effective as well as efficient while at the same time staying with the necessary level expected from a PhD level study.
In the Barton & Dean (2011) study, The Future of English: One Subject, Many Voices , the authors attempt to conceptualize the future of teaching the English language within Great Britain by comparing 28 articles from various teachers, researchers and consultants in the field of education. This is a classic example of document analysis since it shows how this method of analysis can be utilized to examine dozens of different viewpoints regarding a particular subject. Barton and Dean (2011) were able to show that teaching English to students should be re-conceptualized within the broader field of rhetoric and communication arts (Barton and Dean 2011, pp.15-44). What this means is that teaching English should not be primarily limited to communicating the methods by which a person can effectively communicate in the language, rather, it is also necessary to teach it in such a way that it can be understood within the appropriate context of the person/culture that it is being taught to. The advantage of utilizing individual article comparisons when presenting data is that it helps to show in succession the views of various experts within the field of English language tutelage and helps readers to understand prevailing opinions on how a particular subject is to be taught.
Case Study Analysis
The article Flagged for Success by Jackson (2010) differentiates itself from the other research methods that have been presented so far by utilizing three distinct case studies as a method of analysis in order to examine the system the author devised whose purpose is to help students cope with her 11th-grade curriculum (Jackson 2010, p. 18). Various research guides define a case study as a type of research method that investigates various issues, problems
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