Complete thesis - Murdoch University

this interpretation can never be complete, but rather always include elements of uncertaintyand open-endedness. This demands an iterative interweaving of multiple interpretations untila sophisticated understanding is negotiated (Merleau-Ponty, 1962; Polkinghorne, 1988).I have adopted a mixed method approach to data collection and analysis as the most appropriatefor the development of the multiple interpretations required. This approach isguided by the concept of complimentarity that reflects the intention to use the results of onestrand to elaborate, enhance, and illustrate the results from the other strand. In this study,the predominant approach is qualitative but containing smaller quantitative data collectionphases that are considered interpretively. As Creswell (2003) indicates, the value of a nestedconcurrent approach is that it provides broader perspectives than by using the predominantmethod in isolation.Qualitative data are predominantly those provided by the participants – the students enrolledin the Requirements Engineering unit over the duration of the study, and the practitionerssurveyed in the lead up. This data was freely available to the researcher: as co-ordinator of theunit, the School- and University-level data are required to be considered in administering theunit. Where data collection was more difficult or intrusive, additional feedback mechanismswere built into the components of the unit. Practitioner data was solicited through a formalstudy conducted as part of this research.Quantitative data focus on the assessment elements of the unit, and on the responses todiagnostic instruments undertaken by students, either in the normal course of their studies,or specifically as part of this research. Information from the student database was alsoavailable.Other resources were also easily available: as a member of the academic staff I was involvedwith the development of the unit from its conception, and therefore had access to policy,design and review documentation whenever it existed. As academic staff I was also able toaccess the appropriate policies (eg for assessment) of Murdoch University, and to draw onthe expertise of the Teaching Learning Centre (TLC) for guidance where required.The data collected was interpreted primarily by means of thematic analysis, or throughdescriptive statistics where these were considered appropriate. However, in accepting themetaphor of this research as a journey, annotated ‘postcards’ are provided from the datathemselves wherever possible.Issues to be consideredEducational research within a discipline is cross-discipline: the discipline-specific perspectivesmay align or be dissonant to the perspectives accepted within an educational research14