Methodology
Research Questions
The research question to be answered by this study is :
1 . What are the reasons for choosing a technical apprenticeship as a career path and the barriers to this path for learners with disadvantaged backgrounds ?
Research Design
The study adopted an interpretivist viewpoint , with the intention to understand " the world of human experience " ( Cohen & Manion , 1994 , p . 36 ), in this specific case , the experiences of careers advice and guidance from the perspective of a group of Y10-11 NCOP school pupils . The study used qualitative methods to answer the research question , namely semi-structured interviews . The benefit of such an approach being that whilst it allows a level of structure to enable research questions to be answered , it affords a level of flexibility that enables the experiences of participants to shed new light on the topic ( Galletta , 2012 ).
Sample
Seven local SUN target schools located along the south coast of England were approached ( initially via an email to the head / principle from SUN staff ) to take part in the research . Schools were selected on the basis of their over or under representation of NCOP learners progressing into apprenticeships . In total , four schools 1 responded to the request ( as detailed below ).
1
All schools are participant names were anonymised . Page 6 of 25