ADVERSE EMPLOYMENT ACTIONS AND PUBLIC SCHOOL ...

2. Key Facts--“a fact is a key fact when the holding of the court would have been
different if that fact had been different or had not been in the opinion” (Statsky &
Wernet, 1995, p. 47).
3. Issue--“a vital question or problem; a matter of dispute between two or more parties”
(Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law, 1996, p. 263).
4. Holding--is the court’s answer to the question of how law applies to the particular
case and facts (Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law, 1996, p. 225).
5. Reasoning--is “the explanation of why a court reached a particular holding for a
particular issue” (Statsky & Wernet, 1995, p.455).
6. Disposition--“is the final determination of a matter by a court” (Merriam Webster’s
Dictionary of Law, 1996, p. 144).
Data Synthesis
Qualitative data collection is extensive and overwhelming, but it is also rich in detail and
minutia that add to its authenticity. Because the researcher is the instrument of data collection
rather than a survey instrument, this research is more natural and holistic (Creswell, 1998;
Merriam, 1998; Miles & Huberman, 1994). This research study is somewhat different from other
qualitative studies inasmuch that is relies totally upon documents for its database. Glaser and
Strauss explain that in documents “people converse, announce positions, argue with a range of
eloquence, and describe events or scenes in ways entirely comparable to what is seen and heard
during fieldwork” (as cited in Merriam, 1998, p. 120). That is not to say that the documentation
used in this study was without fault. One must remember, as Yin (2003) explained that all
documentation--even court cases--are subject to editing and prior scrutiny before the researcher
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