The research employs ethnographic methods which emphasises the 'real world, real time’, everyday character of work. This involves our researchers shadowing education sector leaders in various institutions for extended periods as they go about their everyday work. The central characteristic of ethnographic enquiry is the researcher’s detailed observation of how the work actually ‘gets done’. Its focus is upon the circumstances, practices and activities that constitute the ‘real world', situated character of work. The defining feature of the 'ethnographic' study is the immersion of the researcher in the work environment where a non-presumptive record is made of all aspects of the day-to-day work over an extended period of time. In this way a 'thick description' is built up of the situated working practice.

Since the beginning of the project in January 2004 we have conducted fieldwork in a total of 12 sector institutions (including FE, 6th Form colleges and work-based learning providers).

The project has conducted research in educational institutions in the following geographical areas:

Buckinghamshire
Bedfordshire
Cumbria
Greater Manchester
Lancashire
Merseyside
Hertfordshire
Northumbria
Avon
Shropshire
Durham

4 sites from the above were chosen for more detailed and longitudinal ethnographic fieldwork. The others participated in shorter-term periods of data collection such as interviews, focus groups and diary studies. The data itself takes broadly three forms:

1)     Taped transcripts of interviews/observations/focus groups etc.

2)     Fieldnotes made by the researcher (including notes made by one college principal conducting a diary study on our behalf).

3)     Documentation: including photographs, diagrams, paper and electronic information provided by colleges during periods of fieldwork.
 

The following table details methods of data collection employed and the settings

and contexts of fieldwork undertaken as part of our ethnographic study:

 

 

Data Collection and Analysis	No.
Formal interviews	40
Focus Groups (including CEL conference workshop)	4
Diary studies	1
Informal (or ‘ethnographic’) interviews	24
Staff appraisals observed	15
Senior Management Team (SMT) meetings observed	40
Staff briefings observed	12
External meetings (i.e. meetings with funding bodies, visitors to the college, parents, etc.)	27
Governors meetings observed	6
Misc. practices, tasks, protocols observed (i.e. office work, checking e-mails, working with MIS/ICT, informal meetings, gatherings, jokes, personal observations of the researcher etc. that have subsequently been recorded and categorised for analysis.	60
Documents collected (college newsletters, agendas, promotional materials, photographs, diagrams, financial/administrative documentation etc.)	Over 100 documents (including photographs taken by the researcher.)

 

Total weeks spent in field

Approx.  30 weeks

 

 

On to 'Findings...'