an innovative approach

The attempt to understand and interpret the world in terms of its actions
mainly concerns observable phenomena. It uses the process of participant
observational field work (Erickson, 1986; Denzin and Lincoln, 1994). This work,
however, is guided by a set of beliefs and feelings held by the researcher about the
world and how it should be understood and studied (Denzin and Lincoln, 1998).
Erickson (1986) suggested that a basic assumption of this work is recognizing that
people in everyday life take action together in terms of formal and informal status and
roles e.g. the teacher-student role in a classroom.
The characteristics of interpretive research are identified by Cohen, Manion
and Morrison (2000: 35). These include human actions which continuously recreate
social life and the personal involvement of the researcher. The interpretive research is
also interpreting the specific and understanding actions rather than causes, and
practical interest. Guba and Lincoln (1998: 210-213) identify the research quality
needed to show the trustworthiness, such as credibility, transferability, dependability,
and conformability, and authenticity such as fairness, ontological authenticity and
catalytic authenticity. Accomplishing interpretive research in context needs both
useful qualitative and quantitative methods.
The interview is a research method which can be used in conjunction with
other processes to help provide a wider meaning of actions (Cohen and Manion,
1994). Interpretation of people’s conversations, initiated by the interviewer for the
specific research purposes, may be used to clarify relationships of that action. Guba
and Lincoln (1998) also suggested that research activities which are generated should
pay careful attention to the communicative relationship that the researcher establishes
with the participants.
Bogdan and Biklen (1982: 27-30) defined qualitative methods as those which
1) are carried out in the natural setting as the direct source of data with the researcher
as the key instrument 2) are descriptive 3) are concerned with process rather than
simply with outcomes or products 4) tend to analyze the data inductively and 5) are
essentially concerned with “meaning” as interpreted by researchers. In education,
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