this case, the use of open-ended questions was considered more appropriate as,
according to Cohen and Manion (2000: 381), they are more flexible, encourage
cooperation and create a friendlier atmosphere between interviewer and interviewee.
2.3 Methods of analyzing evidence
As referred to above, the research comprises collection and analysis of a
variety of data both quantitative and qualitative and, therefore, it can be characterized
as a mixed-methods research (Creswell, 2003). Each kind of data requires a different
kind of analysis, as it is explained below.
2.3.1 Analysis of quantitative data
Quantitative data were made available from the teachers’ responses to the
closed questions of the questionnaire. These data were analysed in three different
ways, as follows:
As one of the aims of the research was to give an account of the teachers’
beliefs and classroom practices, a first step of analysis was to present the proportion
of teachers who adopt a particular theoretical approach or resort to certain classroom
practices. This was made possible by converting the number of responses into
percentages and by displaying the results in the form of charts as suggested in Kumar
(1996: 237-238).
A second step in the analysis of quantitative data was to look for a causative
relationship between variables, more specifically between those referring to studies or
further training (questions 5, 7, 8, and 9 of the que 7F