University of Applied Sciences, Fulda

Openness in social science terminology: grounded theory does not deliver any incontrovertible theories. The terms, concepts, categories and hypotheses which it develops must repeatedly demonstrate their suitability for the scientific decoding of reality. [2000:74] “

In the next chapter qualitative methods of data collecting and analysis will be looked at in more details.

Chapter 3

Methodology

Education is becoming more and more internationalised; that is, there is a great amount of mobility among the students. Each year, many students choose to move to another country to continue their studies. The tendency towards offering courses for international students, especially MA courses in English or partly in English, is also gaining momentum in Germany. This study aims at finding out more about the feelings, attitudes and expectations of the foreign students and their experience of studying in a different educational system. In fact, the writer believes that foreign students have certain expectations of studying here in Germany, which are rooted in the educational and cultural system familiar to them. Facing another system whose rules, regulations, expectations, evaluation as well as teaching system is based on another cultural perspective can cause an education culture shock.
The writer’s approach to data collection and analysis is based on qualitative methods of research and evaluation, which have been explained in detail in the previous chapter. To carry out this research, the writer decided to interview fellow students, using open-ended questions and, as a supplement the subjects were asked to fill in questionnaires. In this chapter, first the grounds for choosing interview will be discussed. This will be preceded by describing the open-end- interviews. Next, the aim of the writer in choosing certain questions will be explained, followed by more detailed information about the interviewees, and the MA program. Finally, the analysis procedure will be briefly discussed.