BUILDING UP A THEORY USING MULTIPLE CASE STUDIES AND ICT IN A STUDY ON THE TRANSITION BETWEEN PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY EDUCATION

This presentation details the method used in a recent research study on children’s transition from preschool to primary education.

The method used a Grounded Theory approach with nine simultaneous case studies carried out over the final three months of the school year 2008-2009 in six states of Mexico. For each case study, codes and categories were built up in order to identify and analyze meaningful information emerging from the data. These codes and categories were also explored in the remaining eight case studies so that their applicability could be compared in other settings. As a result, emerging categories were examined and contrasted in all nine case studies.

In Phase One, case studies were developed in preschool settings using interviews, observation and documentary analysis. Participants included students, teachers, family members, head teachers, supervisors and members of support NGOs for people with lower incomes. For each case study, a field diary was used to record evidence and corresponding reflection. Every field researcher e-mailed their field diary to the coordinating team on a weekly basis so that reflection on this information was the result of a collective effort. The results of this collective reflection were sent back to the field researchers. Reflection took place around decisions on how to develop field work (choosing participants, designing interviews and focusing observations) as well as decisions on coding emerging data. The coordinating team had an overall view of the ongoing case studies and used this information to direct and feed into the other case studies. In this way, codes and categories were robust and consistent. Results were obtained both for individual case studies and for the study as a whole. The results for the whole study were presented in the form of a model which explains the main categories common to the nine case studies while taking diversity into account in its potential explanations.

Phase Two followed primary school pupils from the 2009 intake during their first three weeks at school. Some of the students included in Phase One were also among those included in Phase Two. Using the categories of the emerging model from Phase One, closed interviews were carried out and focused observations made in the nine primary school settings. In this way, the emerging model includes a follow-up application in primary school of the categories obtained in preschool settings.

Thus, the emerging model identifies the main categories contributing to the model and tracks the evolution of those categories across school levels.