This paper explores the research design, methodological decisions, sampling issues and the development of an analytical framework for the analysis of educational stakeholders’ perspectives on PT. In an exploration of the various methodological choices available for researching PT, the paper argues that a variety of methods are needed in order to appropriately investigate the phenomenon. First, initiating debate about PT and the development of possible policy options would not be possible without the availability of clear and unambiguous quantitative data. At the same time, however, it would be impossible to understand how the phenomenon is perceived by important stakeholders and what possibilities exist for its regulation in specific contexts without the richer and descriptive data collection suggested by the present project. The qualitative orientation of the present research demanded that special attention be given to issues of sampling and the manner in which sampling decisions and choices were made comparable across all countries. Finally, the paper offers an exploration on the development of a common analytical framework based on interview transcriptions in five different languages and the collaborative effort of five research teams to make this framework applicable across all contexts.