Chapter 2: The methodology of the research
In order to collect evidence concerning the teachers’ beliefs and classroom
practices which would help the researcher provide answers to the research questions
as they were stated in chapter 1, a small-scale research was carried out. The aim of
this chapter is to discuss the methods which were used for the collection and analysis
of data and to refer to the limitations this study is subject to. Finally, there is a brief
reference to the ethical issues which were taken into consideration during all stages of
the research.
2.1 Time and area of the research
The research was carried out in the District of West Macedonia, Greece, which
comprises the Prefectures of Kozani, Grevena, Kastoria and Florina. The population
of the above area is estimated to 250,000 people, of which the great majority is
gathered in the capitals of the above prefectures and in just a couple of smaller towns.
As a result, most of the schools which include the teaching of English in their
curriculum (according to law, such schools are the ones which have more than three
classes) are urban. There is also a small number of rural schools which are situated in
big villages. From a consultation with the Local Educational Authorities it was
revealed that the total number of schools in the area under consideration which are of
interest to the researcher is approximately one hundred. However, the number of
teachers working in the above schools does not exceed that of seventy-two, as some
of them cover the needs of two schools.
The research took place from November 2005 to January 2006. More
specifically, the questionnaires were prepared and posted during November 2005 and
were collected during December of the same year. Classroom observations and
interviews with the teachers observed were carried out from 22 to 31 January 2006.
2.2 Methods for collecting evidence
In an effort to increase the accuracy of results, and provided that one of the
basic aims of the research was to find potential inconsistencies between what teachers
believe they do in class and what they actually do, it was considered that more than
one methods of collecting evidence should be used, an approach known as
‘triangulation’(Bell 1999: 102). According to Creswell (2003: 217), triangulation uses
a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in an attempt to confirm, cross33