Research consultancy

CHAPTER THREE

Methodology

Introduction

This chapter explains the approach and methods used in executing this study. It presents, among other; the research design, area of the study, population sample and sampling technique, data gathering procedure and instruments to be used, validity and reliability of research instruments, procedure for data collection, and ethical consideration.

Research Design

Ojo & Adu, (2018), described a research design as, the procedure used by a researcher to conduct any study with the intention of finding suitable answers to research questions. The design used for this study was a cross sectional survey design. Cross sectional survey design is used when the researcher aims at collecting data at a single point in time (Creswell,2012). This research study adopted a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather comprehensive data. The use of both quantitative and qualitative methods concurrently is emphasized by Amin (2005), as so when the study involves investigating opinions of people. However, the study was largely quantitative and the qualitative data was used for purposes of triangulation. Triangulation was done in order to obtain a more comprehensive view about the problem by comparing and contrasting qualitative and quantitative findings and drawing valid conclusions.

Study Population

Population refer to the specific group from which the researcher intends to collect information relevant to the stated problem  (Sandra et al., 2016). The target population in the study came from all the teachers in the seven government aided secondary schools in Nakasongola that have existed over time and have considerable ICT infrastructure. Respondents included; the head teachers and teachers. Therefore, the study population comprised 205 Classroom teachers and seven (7) head teachers of the Government Aided Secondary Schools in Nakasongola district (School Records, 2023). Head teachers were targeted because they bear the responsibility of carrying out administrative tasks and allocation of ICT resources in their schools while the teachers from the government aided schools made up the target group because they are at the core of teaching and learning.

Sample Size

Sample size is a research term used for defining the number of individuals included in a research study to represent a population. The sample size was based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) Table of sample determination for each of the population sizes in order to effectively determine the sample size of a given population and comprised 7 head teachers and 160 class room teachers.

Sampling Techniques

According to Kalton (2011), a sampling technique is described as a systematic procedure for selecting a smaller, representative subset of objects or individuals from a predefined population. This subset serves as the subjects or data sources for observation or experimentation, in accordance with the study’s objectives. The study employed both Census Inquiry and Simple Random Sampling. Particularly, Census Inquiry technique was used to select head teachers. Census inquiry refers to a study of all units in the population; it is also referred to as a complete count(Creswell, 2007). Census inquiry was used to select head teachers from each of the schools. Utilizing a census inquiry in research studies is crucial, as it can be assumed that when every item is included, no aspect of chance remains, resulting in the highest level of accuracy (Gakure et al., 2013). Additionally, census inquiry produces authenticated information, gives specifics of information about a unit, and allows for more in-depth questioning.

In choosing teachers, the method employed was simple random sampling. This method, as defined by Kalton (2011), is the most straightforward and widely used approach to selecting a sample. It involves the unit-by-unit selection of the sample, with each unit having an equal likelihood of being chosen at each draw. This technique was utilized in gathering data from classroom teachers in each school, ensuring that every member of the population had an equal opportunity to be part of the sample. By employing simple random sampling, individuals were selected to represent the target population in a manner that evenly distributed any potential bias within the population (Creswell, 2007).

To ensure that every member of the population had an equal probability of being selected, minimizing bias and allow for accurate representation and generalizability of the findings to the entire population, a Lottery Method was used as follows; Each individual in the population was assigned a unique ticket or label. These tickets were identical in appearance and contained a unique identifier, of a code. The number of tickets assigned corresponded to the size of the population. All the tickets representing the population members were placed in a container and the tickets thoroughly mixed or shuffled to ensure that they are in a random order. From the mixed container, the required number of tickets were drawn without replacement. This means that once a ticket is selected, it is removed from the container and not placed back in. This ensured that each selected ticket represented a unique individual or item in the sample. As each ticket was drawn, its unique identifier was recorded or noted down. These recorded tickets represented the individuals included in the sample.

Table 3.1: Population, Sample Size and Sampling Strategy that will be used

Source: School Records (2023) for Population, Krejcie and Morgan (1970) for Sample Size

Data Collection Methods and Instruments

Primary data was obtained directly from the field and collected through observation, surveys, and interviews.

Surveys

The instrument of Self-Administered Questionnaire (SAQ) was employed. The researcher designed an ICT Support Systems and Teachers’ Effectiveness in Instructional Management Questionnaire (Appendix II), for the classroom teachers to respond to the questions and then return the questionnaire. A questionnaire is a self-administered data-collection tool that every research participant fills out as a component of the research investigation (Johnson & Christensen, 2017). The questionnaire was designed in a manner that could avail the information according to the objectives set in the study. The researcher set both open and closed ended questions which was sent to the respondents particularly teachers. The researcher preferred questionnaires because it gives clear and specific responses and enable the respondents to express themselves freely. Furthermore, questionnaires can easily collect data simultaneously from a large sample in a very short period of time and minimizes costs.

A five-point Likert scale, incorporating the options of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Neutral (N), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD), was formulated. This scale was comprised of five sections, starting with Section A which gathered details regarding the respondents’ Demographic Information, section B containing information Perceived usefulness of ICT on teacher’s effectiveness in instructional management, section C consisting of information on Perceived Ease‐of‐Use on teacher’s effectiveness in instructional management, section D on Teacher’s ICT knowledge and skills on teacher’s effectiveness in instructional management, and section E on Teacher’s Effectiveness in Instructional Management.

The researcher esured that the questions were clearly set to avoid false interpretation and responses. The questionnaires were delivered in time so as to allow the researcher to get clarifications which enabled the researcher to collect much data in a short time and also minimize on costs.

Interview Guide

A structured and semi-structured interview guide (Appendix I), was used to help the researcher maintain consistency and ensure that all relevant topics and questions are covered during the interview. The interview guide included a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions, to allow for both detailed responses and specific information. The researcher prepared interview schedules for conducting interviews with respondents. Additionally, an interview guide was developed to be used as a reference during the interview sessions. According to, Cohen, Manion, and Morrison (2002), interviews serve as a valuable tool for probing into participants’ responses, allowing for a comprehensive collection of data regarding their experiences and emotions.

Accordingly, in-depth face to face interviews were conducted with selected teachers, particularly head teachers to gain deeper insights into their experiences, challenges, and perspectives regarding the use of ICT in instructional management. Oral questions were posed by the interviewer and oral responses were elicited by a standardized recording from the interviewees.

Observation Checklist

Observation Checklist (Appendix III), was used to provide a framework for capturing data in a standardized and systematic manner, ensuring that important aspects are not overlooked. The observation method allows for first hand data collection, providing an opportunity to gather rich and detailed information about the subject being observed (Driscoll, 2011). Observation method was used to collect data so as to support the findings in the questionnaire. Observation is utilized to enhance other methods and provide first-hand information (Amin, 2005). The direct observations of classrooms and ICT support systems provided valuable insights into the levels of availability and accessibility of physical ICT infrastructure and their use for Instructional Management in Government Aided secondary schools in Nakasongola district. This enhanced the reliability, comparability, and depth of the collected data.

Data Collection Procedure

The researcher obtained a letter of introduction from the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training at the Islamic University in Uganda, seeking authorization to conduct the study in the Government Aided Secondary Schools in Nakasongola District. Once in the field, the researcher also requested permission from the head teachers to proceed with the research in these schools. The researcher then administered the prepared questionnaires and conducted interviews with the designated respondents to gather the necessary information. Throughout this process, the researcher maintained the utmost confidentiality.

Data Quality Control

This included validity and reliability

Validity of Research Instrument

Validity, according to Amin, (2005), means accuracy of research tools used to collect relevant and accurate data. The researcher worked with three research experts who guided on credibility of instruments. The expert opinions of supervisors and other proficient professionals in research matters were instrumental in assessing the content validity of the instruments. The experts established the instruments’ validity by evaluating the relevance of each item in the instruments to the objectives. The experts vetted the items on research tools and there after content validity index (CVI) was calculated for each expert and after deriving an average.

Table 3.2 Showing validity of the respondents

The content validity index was calculated using the content validity formula; CVI=  x100% . Where, n was = 64 (number of items rated as relevant) and N was = 72 (total number of items in the instrument).

CVI=  x100% =88.9%. According to Amin, (2005), the content that scores above 70% is considered valid. The findings of the content validity assessment therefore indicate that the items in the instrument adequately represent the content domain and therefore, the research instruments were declared valid by the research experts.

Reliability

Reliability refers to the consistency of a study method or tool (Buchanan, 1981). As stated by Mugenda and Mugenda (2003), a research instrument is considered reliable when repeated measurements under similar conditions yield consistent results. The researcher conducted a pilot study with a small sample of teachers similar to the target population, to test the clarity and reliability of the adapted or modified measurement tools. The research instruments were administered to these participants to assess their understanding of the items, clarity of instructions, and any potential ambiguities. The reliability analysis was calculated by running a statistical test using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient which measures the internal consistency of a set of items. The results are shown in table 3.3 and table 3.4

Table 3.3: shows case processing summary

Table 3.4: Reliability Statistics

According to Buchanan, (1981), results above 70% shall be considered reliable. The Cronbach’s Alpha value obtained from the analysis was 90.7%, indicating a high level of internal consistency.

Data Management and Analysis

Data analysis involves the task of condensing a substantial volume of gathered data in order to extract meaningful, valuable, and comprehensible information (Kawulich, 2015). The collected data was precisely processed and analysed to derive appropriate and understandable insights. This entailed organizing the collected questionnaires, and categorizing/coding them, and then entering them into a computer using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to produce summarized frequency tables and visualizations for better presentation and analysis.

Quantitative Data Analysis

Coded questionnaire items, as well as the responses from each respondent were entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The analysis of quantitative data included; running descriptive statistics and percentages regarding responses to the major variables in the research study Creswell, (2007), performing a cross-tabulation to examine the relationship between the independent variable (ICT support systems) and other relevant variables related to instructional management. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient were used to analyze the statistical relationship between the dependent variable (Teachers’ effectiveness in instructional management) and the independent variable (ICT support systems).

Qualitative Data Analysis

Oral interview recordings were transcribed into written text and transcripts read through multiple times to become familiar with the content and gain a general understanding of the responses. A coding framework was created to categorize the data. In this case, codes related to each of the questions and topics discussed were created. These codes included: “Age Brackets,” “Education Level,” “Employment Status,” “Teacher’s Effectiveness,” “Perceived Usefulness of ICT,” and “Challenges in Integrating ICT.”  Coded data was reviewed to identify common themes or patterns that emerged across the responses related to the research questions. The data were organized and condensed using themes that align with the defined objectives. This helped the researcher draw conclusions concerning the research results.

Measurement of Variables

Teachers’ effectiveness in instructional management, the dependent variable was measured using a ICT Support Systems and Teachers’ Effectiveness in Instructional Management in Government Aided Secondary Schools Questionnaire, using a scale with ordered categories (1 to 5). All items were coded in SPSS. The researcher used a nominal scale of measurement for certain common set of characteristics, such as age, level of education, and category of respondent.

The ordinal measurement was used for categorizing variables of educational attainment into four distinct groups: “diploma,” “degree,” “masters,” and “PhD,” and ranking the level of agreement with the Likert scale responses used to measure the perceived usefulness of ICT, perceived ease-of-use, and teacher’s ICT knowledge and skills and Teachers’ effectiveness in Instructional Management, using a scale from 1 to 5, where “1 = Strongly disagree (SD),” “2 = Disagree (D),” “3 = Neutral (N),” “4 = Agree (A),” and “5 = Strongly Agree (SA).”

Ethical Considerations

The researcher upheld a strong sense of moral conduct throughout the entire research process, starting from its inception to the presentation of findings. Initially, the researcher obtained official authorization from the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) to conduct the study within the designated Government Aided Secondary Schools in Nakasongola. Subsequently, formal requests were made to the respective head teachers of the seven selected schools in Nakasongola district, seeking their permission to carry out research in the area.

Once permission was granted, the researcher took care to secure the consent of the respondents before involving them in the research. This involved providing a comprehensive briefing on the research objectives and the roles expected of the respondents, as well as the potential benefits they could derive from participating. By clearly communicating the study’s purpose, the researcher ensured that individuals were free to make their own decision regarding participation.

Furthermore, the researcher reassured respondents about the strict confidentiality measures in place for the information gathered from them. To safeguard anonymity, unique identifiers or codes were assigned to questionnaires and any collected data. The researcher also demonstrated honesty, fairness, and respect towards all other stakeholders involved in the study.

In the pursuit of originality, the researcher adhered to universally accepted research norms, actively avoiding plagiarism. Proper crediting of various authors was accomplished using the American Psychology Association (APA) format. Additionally, the researcher conducted a plagiarism test to assess the uniqueness and originality of the study’s conceptual framework