Triangulation of Data
In our research we used drawings to investigate how an informal science education internship influenced undergraduate teacher candidates' beliefs about science teaching and about themselves as teachers of science. In addition, triangulation of data sources and methods allowed for us to develop a better understanding of our participants.
Drawings provided a rich data source for analysis for our study. In order to build on this data and provide a means for triangulation of data, we also conducted interviews. Each participant was interviewed about their drawings from the beginning of the semester with their drawings done at the end of the semester. They were asked:
"Describe your drawings. What similarities or differences do you see in your drawings? To what do you attribute any changes? Explain."
As participants discussed their drawings, additional questions specific to each participant were asked. In addition to in-person interviews, we also conducted follow-up emails in order to member check our interpretations as an additional means of triangulation of data. These questions were submitted via email with teacher candidate's drawings.
To the first email, we attached five open-ended questions as well as electronic scans of their original drawings in response to the prompt, "Draw yourself teaching science." The second email contained the same questions and scans of original drawings from the prompt, "Draw your students learning science." For the final email, we sent personalized questions based on our interpretations of the intern teacher's responses to the questions. We also asked interns about how the informal science education experience changed or supported their ideas about teaching science and whether or not they believed the effort to participate in an afterschool, informal science education internship was worthwhile.
Open-Ended Questions from Member Check
1. Describe what is happening in your drawings(a) Pre-internship
(b) Post-internship
2. What similarities or differences do you see in how you illustrated hands-on science learning in your pre- and post-internship drawings? To what do you attribute any changes?
3. What similarities or differences do you see in how you illustrated collaborative science learning in your pre- and post-internship drawings? To what do you attribute any changes?
4. What similarities or differences do you see in how you illustrated science inquiry in your pre- and post-internship drawings? To what do you attribute any changes?
5. Please share any further thoughts on your internship experience and how that experience may have influenced your thinking about science teaching.