Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to outline the methodology that will be used in this qualitative research study. Specifically, this chapter will discuss the research design, selection of participants, data collection procedures, data analysis procedures, ethical considerations, issues of trustworthiness, and limitations of the study.
Research Design
This study will utilize a basic qualitative research design. Merriam and Tidwell (2015) describe basic qualitative research design as “seeking to discover and understand a phenomenon, a process, or the perspectives and worldviews of the people involved.” The goal of this study is to understand teacher perspectives on implementing culturally responsive practices in the classroom. A basic qualitative approach is appropriate for this study because it allows me to gather rich data on participant viewpoints and experiences through open-ended questions and examination of documents.
The specific tradition being used in this basic qualitative study is case study. Case study research involves “in-depth description and analysis of a bounded system” (Merriam & Tidwell, 2015, p. 172). The bounded system in this study consists of teachers at one middle school implementing culturally responsive pedagogy. Case study design will allow for an in-depth exploration of this bounded system through multiple data collection methods including interviews and document analysis. Teacher perspectives on the implementation process, successes, challenges, and needed supports can be thoroughly examined using a case study approach.
Selection of Participants
Purposeful sampling will be used to select participants for this study. Purposeful sampling involves selecting individuals who can “purposefully inform an understanding of the research problem and central phenomenon in the study” (Creswell & Poth, 2018, p. 158). For this study, the criteria for participant selection are that teachers must have participated in a recent professional development on culturally responsive pedagogy and be currently implementing culturally responsive practices in their classroom at the research site.
I will work with the principal of the research site to identify teachers that meet these criteria. All identified teachers will be invited via email to participate. The goal is to recruit 8-10 teachers from a range of subject areas and grade levels to gain diverse perspectives. Participation is voluntary. Once participants express interest, they will be provided with a consent form that outlines the purpose of the study, procedures, risks/benefits of participation, confidentiality, and their right to withdraw at any time. Signed consent forms will be obtained prior to data collection.
Data Collection Procedures
The primary sources of data collection will be individual interviews and review of relevant documents. Individual semi-structured interviews allow for one-on-one discussion of participant experiences through open-ended questions. An interview protocol with approximately 10 questions will be utilized. Sample questions include:
Describe your experience participating in the recent professional development on culturally responsive pedagogy.
How have you implemented culturally responsive practices in your instruction and classroom environment? What practices have been most/least successful?
What challenges have you faced in implementing culturally responsive practices? What types of support do you need?
With participant consent, interviews will be audio-recorded for transcription and analysis. All interviews will take place either virtually via Zoom or in-person at the research site, whichever the participant prefers, to accommodate schedules and Covid-19 protocols. Each interview is expected to last 30-45 minutes.
The second data source is documents relevant to the implementation of culturally responsive practices at the research site. These may include lesson plans, samples of student work, classroom environment photos before/after implementation, and notes/reflections from the professional development. Reviewing documents will provide contextual information to support interview data on how culturally responsive practices are operationalized in the classroom.
Data Analysis Procedures
Data analysis will occur through an ongoing, inductive process throughout the study. Interviews will be transcribed verbatim by myself shortly after completion. Transcripts will then undergo several rounds of coding. Initial open coding will involve categorizing segments of data related to research questions. Codes will then be combined into potential themes through axial coding. Finally, themes will be analyzed across all data sources through selective coding to develop a comprehensive set of findings. Emerging themes will describe teachers’ experiences implementing culturally responsive practices at the research site.
To ensure reliability, a peer debriefing session will take place after initial coding to gain feedback and insight on code definitions and emerging themes. Manual and computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software NVivo will aid in data organization during coding and analysis. Relevant quotes will be included in the findings to support themes.
Ethical Considerations
This study will follow ethical guidelines to protect research participants. Anonymity of the school setting and participants’ names is essential. The school will be referred to as “the research site” in the report. All participants will be assigned pseudonyms. Audio recordings and transcriptions will be securely stored with access only by myself as the researcher. Participants’ right to withdraw at any point will be made clear through informed consent. Potential risks are minimal but may include discomfort discussing challenges in implementing new practices. Participants can choose to not answer any interview questions. Their involvement poses no risk to employment status. The final report will be shared with participants and administration.
Issues of Trustworthiness
To establish trustworthiness or validity in this basic qualitative research, steps will be taken to demonstrate credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Credibility involves ensuring the findings accurately reflect participants’ views. In addition to transcript validation, the researcher will engage in prolonged time in the field through multiple interviews and document analysis. Transferability is facilitated through rich, detailed descriptions of the research context and findings. An audit trail consisting of field notes, transcripts, coding schemes, and data analysis notes provides dependability. Confirmability is established via reflexive examination of researcher subjectivities and biases through a researcher reflexivity journal. These steps strengthen the rigor and quality of the research design and findings.
Limitations
Some limitations are present in this study. First, the small sample size at one research site limits broader generalizability. Case study design aims for in-depth understandings not generalizability. Researcher subjectivities as a former teacher could influence data analysis despite reflexivity practices. Time constraints restrict observation of culturally responsive practices in action. Participants’ responses may be biased if they feel pressure to report positive implementation experiences. Triangulation through documents helps mitigate this limitation. Finally, the study captures a snapshot in time rather than long-term impacts of the practices, which could be explored in future research. Despite limitations, valuable insight on key aspects of implementation can be gained from this case study.
Conclusion
This chapter detailed the methodology guiding this basic qualitative case study exploring teacher perspectives on implementing culturally responsive pedagogy. Purposeful sampling, individual interviews, and document analysis were described as means for answering the research questions. The procedures for data collection, analysis, and addressing trustworthiness were explained. Ethical considerations were also delineated. Adhering to rigorous qualitative methods will allow for meaningful findings to emerge regarding teachers’ experiences implementing this innovative pedagogical approach.
Andrew Stroud