Methodology
Research Questions
The research questions to be answered by this study are :
1 . Who do students talk to ? 2 . What are the main drivers behind their decisions ? 3 . What factors contribute to the decision-making process ? 4 . What could be improved to enhance the decision-making process ?
Research Design
The study used qualitative methods to answer the research questions .
Three interviews were conducted with 8 second year business and sport Uni Connect BTEC students ( In October , January and July ) from what can be classified as “ poorer ” areas in Portsmouth and the surrounding area ( Coughlan , 2017 ). A semi-structured interview approach was selected to encourage individuals to share their experiences , insights , attitudes , feelings , and passions . This was done to gain a richer understanding of the decision-making processes of BTEC Level 3 students . Interviewers paid careful attention to the suitable interpersonal skills required before embarking on the interview process as this can have a major impact on the engagement / honesty of the participant ( Flick , 2009 ). The interview process represented a “ flowing conversation ” ( Choak , 2012 ) where the interviewer probed gently and incisively using tone / body language to maintain the engagement and trust of the participant ( Rubin & Rubin , 2005 ). This was particularly important as the interviews were all conducted digitally due to the Covid situation and facilitated an effective way to complete the study ( Lo Iacono , Symonds & Brown , 2016 ). Individual interviews were also chosen to give participants confidentiality from their peers , with the interviews following a naturalist approach which focused on the personal choices and experiences of those involved ( Gubrium , Holstein , Marvasti & McKinney , 2012 ).
Connelly and Clandinin ( 1990 , p . 8 ) discuss the functioning of stories and storytelling as ‘ arguments in which we learn something essentially human by understanding an actual life or community as lived ’. They suggest that narrative inquiry can be utilised within educational research to construct and reconstruct personal and social stories , where “ stories are the tools with which people build a sense of their experience of the world and the vehicle by which they share that sense with others ” ( Berry , L . 2016 . p . 1 ). It is also noted by Connelly and Clandinin ( 1990 , p . 2 ) that one of the most frequent criticisms of this approach is that it can unduly stress the individual over the social context . In addition , they point out the dangers of ‘ the Hollywood plot ’, acknowledging how the narrative can seem to make it ’ all work out
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