All the teaching sessions therefore resulted in data sheets that recorded the main activities occurring in the classroom sessions (including verbatim notes of key exchanges where possible) were tape-recorded whenever this was possible (roving teachers were not easy to fully record). These audio recordings were then transcribed and the transcripts used as supplementary/verifying data sources for the manually recorded data. The data-sheet contents were then transferred into an Excel spreadsheet to enable collation of quantitative data. In addition, the tutor interviews were also recorded (except for three that were carried out by phone) and transcribed.
All of the data from the observation sessions was manually checked and clarified (sometimes in the teacher interviews) as soon as possible after the session, the quantitative data was entered in the spreadsheet and tapes sent away for transcribing. Both researchers involved in the observations reviewed each of the sessions on a periodic basis, reviewing the methodology, data recording and discussing possible themes that were emerging from the observations. These themes were then recorded in a Word file (including additional notes and cross-references to specific examples in the transcriptions and datasheets) and were added to and modified following subsequent observation sessions. The resulting theme file was then fully reviewed several times by the researchers and became the basis for the analysis in the latter part of the Findings section of this report.
Because the intention was to observe literacy, numeracy and language teaching in a broad range of contexts, we drew up an initial matrix of possible dimensions found in literacy, numeracy and language programmes. The matrix included: types of providers (e.g. Private Training Establishments (PTEs), community providers and workplace), sources of funding (e.g. Training Opportunities, Adult Literacy Learning Pool), types of teaching (e.g. integrated, 1:1, classes) and geographical location (e.g. urban/rural, South/North Island). We were also aware of several other literacy, numeracy and language research studies underway who were recruiting participants, so we liaised with these researchers to ensure that we were not ‘doubling up’ on providers.
A tentative list of provider organisations that would satisfy the above dimensions was then compiled. The following matrix indicates the range of dimensions covered by the final sample of participants.