Chapter 2

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the qualitative research methodology. This includes the research method
and design, a description of the research participants, and the cited data collection procedures
and data collection. This chapter delves into the issues of credibility, conformability,
transferability, trustworthiness, and dependability, as well as ethical considerations and data
analysis.

Research Design
We use qualitative inquiry to gain a better understanding and in-depth analysis of the
distressful experiences, coping mechanisms, and insights of the student-informants. This is a
qualitative research approach that focuses on the similarities of a student's experience within a
specific group. The approach's primary goal is to arrive at a description of the nature of the
specific phenomenon (Creswell, 2013).

This qualitative investigation described the experiences of students who have difficulty
understanding English (Creswell, 2009). The qualitative under investigation focused on what
common experiences the participants had encountered while studying English. We used
qualitative because a group of individuals, such as Highlands students, personally experienced
the same phenomenon of difficulty understanding English.

They were able to transform a single idea about studying in English (Creswell, 2012) into more
composite descriptions based on "what and how they experienced the phenomenon"
(Moustakas, 1994; Creswell, 2012).

Role of the Researcher

The role of the researcher is to attempt to access the thoughts and feelings of study
participants. It involves asking people to talk about things that may be very personal to them.
Sometimes the experiences being explored are fresh in the participant’s mind, whereas on
other occasions reliving past experiences may be difficult. However the data are being
collected, a primary responsibility of the researcher is to safeguard participants and their data.
Mechanisms for such safeguarding must be clearly articulated to participants and must be
approved by a relevant research ethics review board before the research begins. Researchers
and practitioners new to qualitative research should seek advice from an experienced
qualitative researcher before embarking on their project. Therefore, the role of the researcher
are important in qualitative research in the matter to be considered in the triumphant pursuit
of interrogation and observation of any social phenomena

Research Participants
This section describes the participants and specifies the criteria for selection and
number of participants, type of sampling, and recruitment strategy. Identifying appropriate
participants is one of the most important tasks in the study design phase because informants
are the people who can provide the best information on their lived experiences, culture,
awareness, knowledge, and expertise regarding the phenomenon under investigation. The
selection process was guided by the research questions and theoretical perspectives.
Furthermore, as Creswell explains, our informants were chosen using purposive sampling
techniques. Purposive sampling considers a specific group of people or when the desired
population for the study is rare or very difficult to locate, it may be the only option (Creswell,
2007; Creswell, 2013; Lingard, Albert & Levinson, 2008). We followed some criteria for selection
of participants like the type or nature of the phenomenon, suitable characteristics of the
subjects and theoretical perspectives. The informants of this study are 5 students studying in
faraway areas for In-depth interview and focus group discussion, in which there are five (5)
participants for in-depth interview and five (5) participants for focus group discussion, and who
have had distressing experiences in school and personal life, but we have been able to cope
successfully. Furthermore, we chose ten informants because this number of participants is ideal
for a qualitative investigation and is already sufficient to provide the best information in terms
of the opportunity to identify and generate the study's themes. It is recommended that
participants in qualitative research. Furthermore, it has been stressed that a large number of
participants will simply dilute the level of detail that a researcher can provide (Creswell, 2013;
Denzin, et al., 2008; Larsen & Diener, 1987; Wolcott, 2008).

Data Collection

The following procedures were used to collect the data:

The participants were first identified using the purposive sampling technique. They were asked
to sign a consent form and agree that their participation was voluntary and that they were
willing to contribute their knowledge as needed to the study.

Second, participants were given an overview of the study and asked to participate in a focus
group interview as a method of data collection. The process began with an introductory phase
in which the moderator welcomed the participants, explained the purpose of the discussion,
and established the length and confidentiality parameters for the interview. In addition, the
researcher spent some time explaining why they recorded the interview and what technical
issues this raises in a group discussion (particularly talking one at a time). Third, because all of
them are studying in faraway areas and are separated by distance, we conducted an interview
via the internet or chatted with them via messenger. Finally, it is critical to emphasize that the
debate is about personal perspectives and experiences, so there are no right or wrong answers
(Dornyei, 2007).

We used thematic analysis to examine the responses of the participants. Thematic analysis is a
method of analyzing and reporting data patterns or themes (Boyatzis, 1998; Roulston, 2001).
Thematic analysis is very useful in this study because it is a flexible research tool that provides a
substantial, complex, and rich account of the data. According to Boyatzis (1998), when
analyzing the data, we followed the following procedure: familiarize the data, generate initial
codes, search for themes, review the themes, define and name themes, and create a report.

We will use data reduction to analyze the data, which means deleting unnecessary data and
transforming it into useful material for the study that many readers can easily understand
(Namey et al, 2007; Atkinsol and Delamont, 2006; Suter,2012). We also enlisted the assistance
of an analyst, specifically in handling, sorting, and organizing qualitative data, so that we could
merge, manage, sort, and categorize data in a straightforward manner.

Trustworthiness
We took our informants' responses into account when conducting the qualitative
research. We also meticulously consider all of the data's details. We double-checked all of the
transcriptions and the significance of the data they relate to each of their themes.

Creswell and Miller (2000) proposed choosing the legitimacy of the procedures to establish
trustworthiness and credibility in the study. The research lens and its paradigm assumptions
govern the discussions about trustworthiness, which can aid the procedures in the study. We
are pleased that the informants' responses determined the plausibility in this study. Silverman
(2007) asked, "Does it matter?" and "How can creadibility be sustained and recognized?"
Credibility
According to Lincoln and Guba, this is an assessment of whether the research findings
represent a "credible" conceptual interpretation of the data drawn from the participant's
original data (1985). We used two techniques to address credibility. First, we described the
phenomenon that includes our participants. Second, when designing the research procedure,
we held a focus group discussion to extract ideas on the evolution of students from the
highlands studying in town; our goal was to create layers of data from each participant.

Transferability
is the degree to which the findings of this inquiry can apply or transfer beyond of the
project according to Lincoln and Guba (1985). To address transferability in this study, we have
include in the Appendix about several of the analysis, document used to give answer to the
research question in order to gain access to the possible inquiry. This will give other researchers
the facility to transfer to conclusions or recommendation as bases for further study.

Dependability
is an assessment to the quality of the integrated process of data collection, data analysis
and phenomenal explanation. Confirmability is a measure of how well inquiry's findings are
supported by the data collected according to Lincoln and Guba (1985). To address the issues of
dependability and confirmability in this study, we banked on an audit trail of the participants
responses where in their identity where treated with confidentiality. After list of the
participants and the audio tape was transcribed, the text were given back to the respondents
for authentication and were asked to sign a verification form. After the completion of our data
analysis, the results in chapter four, and the discussion in chapter five, our auditor had assessed
carefully our audit trail with original Interview transcripts and data analysis documents By
signing the report, the auditor had assessed the study's dependability and confirmability
Ethical Consideration
Our study's main concerns were individuals who adhered to the code of ethics, were
students, and were, in general, innocent. As a result, we must ensure their safety and provide
complete protection so that they do not lose faith in us. We followed the ethical standards
outlined by (Boyatzi, 1998; Mack et al, 2005) in conducting this study, which are as follows:
respect for persons, beneficence, justice, consent, and confidentiality.

Respect for Persons

Persons require a researcher obligation not to exploit the researcher participants'
weaknesses. Self-sufficiency was avoided in order to maintain friendship, trust, and confidence
among the researcher's participants. We first obtained permission from the principal of Sonlon
National High School, where the data was collected. (2012) (Creswell). This was done to show
respect for the people involved in the study.

Consent
Is another crucial way to show respect to the person while conducting research
(Creswell, 2012). This is to make all participants aware of the purpose and objectives of the
research study in which they will be involved. For their approval, they were given written
consent. They actively participated in the in-depth interviews and focus group discussions after
receiving their approval. Of course, they were informed of the study's findings and results.

Beneficence
Requires a commitment to minimizing risks to research participants rather than
maximizing profits to them. To avoid putting each participant at risk, the interviewee's identity
was kept anonymous. Participants were always protected, so no files of information were left
unprotected (Brick I and Green, 2007 ).
Confidentiality
A coding system was used to help with the results and findings, as well as the safety of
the participants. That is, the identities of the participants, Maree and Vander, were concealed
(2007). According to Maree and Vander (2007), after data analysis, all materials, including
videotapes, encoded transcripts, notes, and others, should be destroyed. Some of the
informants were initially hesitant to be interviewed because they were unsure what to say, but
after our assurance, they gave us the opportunity and showed comfort in answering the
interview questions. We are extra cautious with our questions, and this study has been given
due consideration.

Justice
As a result of the research, a reasonable allocation of risks and benefits is required. It is
critical to recognize the contributions of all participants because they are all important to the
success of the research. They must be given credit for their efforts (Bloom and crabtree, 2006).
During the interview, they were able to spend any armour they had, and sensible tokens were
given to them as a token of appreciation for their efforts on the study. We hope that by
participating in this study, they will be set free from any negative experiences they may have
had while struggling to learn English and will be able to maintain a good reputation for the
positive contributions they can make to this study.