0.2 Research design and methodology

• informed consent – the procedure in which individuals choose whether (or not) to participate in an investigation after being informed of the facts that would be likely to influence their decisions. Deiner and Crandall in Cohen, et al (2007; 51) state that the research participant has the right to refuse to take part or to withdraw once the research has begun.
• right to privacy – the greater the sensitivity of the information, the more safeguards is required to protect the privacy of the research participant.
• anonymity – the information provided by the participant should in no way reveal their identity.

Neuman (2006; 00) continues by stating that the researcher should refrain from releasing confidential details of the study with the published results and making interpretations of the results inconsistent with the data. As confidentiality is a prerequisite for credible research, anonymity of the research sites and their principals was guaranteed – during the data collection, analysis and interpretation (findings) no reference was made to the sites or their participants. The sites and participants were referred to as follows: School 1 (Principal 1; Educator 1; Parent 1); School 2 (Principal 2; Educator 2; Parent 2); School 3 (Principal 3; Educator 3; Parent 3); and so on. Additionally participants were allowed to examine the transcripts and make amendments (if necessary).

Research bias

I am a Superintendent of Education in the Pinetown Education District and work in arguably the most progressive, proactive and highest performing circuit in the district, if not in the province – our secondary schools have consistently produced the best academic results in the district and the work ethic of our school principals is second to none.

Managers in the circuit have developed a school monitoring checklist, which has been adopted as the provincial school monitoring checklist. It contains, inter alia, benchmarks for good financial management practices in public schools – all public schools in the circuit have met the minimum expectations in respect of good financial management practices – for this reason the circuit was excluded from the selected research sites.

Pilot study

The purpose of a pilot test is to help to determine that the individuals in the sample are capable of understanding the questions posed in the interview [Cresswell (2008; 402)]. The pilot test allows the researcher to make changes to the research instrument based on feedback from the individuals who evaluate the instrument – it is a mechanism which allows the researcher to refine his or her ideas and to find out whether the questions are workable.

According to Rosnow and Rosenthal (1996; 111-112) the purposes of pilot testing are:

• to prevent the production of flawed data
• to check each question for relevance
• to establish the best sequence of questioning
• to establish the best wording of questions

Many of the proponents of pilot testing agree that the questionnaire or interview schedule should be reviewed by more than one “outsider” who must be absolutely candid (brutally honest) with their responses and comments in respect of the strengths and weaknesses of the questions in the interview schedule.