Phenomenological Approach to Case Study Analysis

¶ … intersection of ESL learners and ESL teachers, both of whom have specific needs that have to be met in order for a positive and productive interaction to take place.

Educators of a high percentage of English Language Learners (ELLs) students are faced with financial concerns as the cost of training has increased significantly in recent years (RPS, 2015) while students are impacted by the pressure of needing to become proficient in academic English in order to be prepared and to excel at secondary studies. Furthermore, neither of these situations is static but rather is dynamic and affects each other, as needs change on an individual basis. Moreover, the new ESL curriculum places new demands on both, further affecting the issue. The problem is how to measure the effect that the two (student and teacher) have on one another in terms of impacting preparation and effectiveness.

The research question is two-fold and inter-related: First, how does the new English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum impact the students' language proficiency and academic progress? And, second, what is the process of the curriculum committee in making decisions about courses? These two questions reflect the core considerations at the heart of the intersection of the ESL student-teacher relationship. (Creswell, 2012)

2. Research Design and Approach

The instrumental case study approach will be utilized in this study in order to provide a description, analysis and interpretation of the phenomenon that exists at the intersection of ESL students and ESL teachers regarding the new culture surrounding the new curriculum. The instrumental case study is helpful in isolating a specific area of concern and utilizing a single case "to illustrate this issue" (Cresswell, 2012, p. 74). Likewise, Baxter and Jack (2008) report that the instrumental case study allows the researcher to gain insight on an issue (p. 549). Thus, the research design is based on phenomenological analysis, which gains insight by observing the interactions of the particular persons affected by the intersecting issues (Merriam, 2002). The design includes in-depth interviews with participants (teachers and students) and immersion by the researcher into the world of the ESL teacher and student so as to better understand this situation.

3. Sampling Procedures

The sampling procedure that will be used in this study will be convenience sampling. This will allow the researcher to utilize the resources that are available to him at the school where the new curriculum is taught. Thus, this study will be most important to the individual school as it will reflect on the relationship between the teacher and the student as well as the needs of each. Therefore, the sampling will be convenience, using the ESL teachers and students at this particular college, so long as there are no objections on their part.

4. Data Collection Methods

For this qualitative study the data was collected by way of an interview with a teacher as well as by classroom observation. The social connection helped established intimacy and rapport, which is essential in a phenomenological study (Obeng, 2002). Both open-ended and close-ended questions were utilized.

Closed-ended questions are helpful for gathering precise, basic information, while open-ended questions are helpful for gathering information that allows the researcher to develop a more in-depth understanding of the participant. Open-ended questions include, for instance:

1) How would you describe your economic condition while training for ESL teaching?

2) What are you feelings on the new curriculum?

3) What is your perception of the needs of the students?

4) How do you feel challenged as an ESL teacher?

5) What could be done to better prepare you for this position?

6) What could be done to better prepare the students?

The in-depth interview is the main focus of the phenomenological study. These interviews will be conducted in person when possible (time and traveling costs permitting). If face-to-face interviews are not possible, the researcher will suggest conducting interviews using a vis-a-vis Internet platform, such as Skype or Facetime. The purpose of visual connection is so that the researcher can record or note communicative cues that might otherwise go unobserved were the interview to be conducted over the telephone.

5. Data analysis methods

As the "basic purpose of phenomenology is to reduce individual experiences with a phenomenon to a description of the universal essence" (Creswell, 2007, p. 58), the methodology described herein should provide the researcher with the necessary approach for immersion into the world of the ESL teacher and student.

The data collection instruments will be the interview questions and the observation method in the classroom. Data analysis will be used to find common themes and patterns using standard phenomenological coding, as identified by Lin (2013).

Eidetic reduction will be employed, which helps the researcher to filter out "noise" on top of gathered information and uncover the core layers of information that exist "between the lines" where the ESL student and ESL teacher intersect (Lin, 2013, p. 471). The study also will use open coding in order to identify concepts and categories for better analysis as well as imaginative variation which allows the researcher to "employ polarities" in order to better establish the frame for analysis (Lin, 2013, p. 472).

6. Justification of strategies

The data to be reported include the perspectives of ESL teachers and students on the subject of the new curriculum and how they are impacted by their various needs regarding ESL training. The data will be presented in a case study analysis from a phenomenological approach, which is helpful in understanding on a deeper level the intersection of the two perspectives.