3.1. INTRODUCTION
The first chapter introduced the study, its background and the context, the research problem, the research objectives and the significance of local economic development to alleviate poverty in Blue Crane Route Municipality. It concluded by delimiting the study and clarifying concepts by defining them within the context of this study.
This chapter describes the research design and methods used in this study. The research design presents the methodology and methods used in this study. The methodology and method outlines the research approach and instruments used to collect data respectively. The research design enables the researcher to use data collection techniques that suit the research problem. The purpose of this chapter is therefore to outline and clarify the research design, the target population, the sample, data collection techniques used in the collection of data in this study, and the rationale for choosing them. The chapter concludes by outlining how the collected data was analyzed.
3.2. PERMISSION TO DO RESEARCH
Bak (2004: 28) explains that any research that involves people must show an awareness of the ethical considerations and an agreement to conduct the research in accordance with ethical procedures.
3.3. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study is the area in which the research was conducted and includes the following:
3.3.1. The survey area and the study unit
The Blue Crane Route Municipality is located in the western portion of the Cacadu District Municipality. Blue Crane Route Municipality is bordered by the Makana Local Municipality to the southeast, the Sundays River Valley Municipality to the southwest, Ikwezi
Municipality to the west and Amathole District Municipality and Chris Hani District Municipality to the east. Blue Crane Route Municipality has three commercial centers namely, Cookhouse, located on the N10 and Somerset East and Pearston, located on the R63.
3.4. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
Research design is a plan of how one intends to conduct the research. Welman et al, (2005: 52) define research design as, “the plan according to which we obtain participants (subjects) and collect information from them. According to De Vos et al (2005: 132) a research design is a plan or blueprint according to which data are collected to investigate the research hypothesis in the most economical manner. Maree, (2007:70)simplifies the definition of research design as, “a plan or strategy which moves from the underlying philosophical assumptions to specifying the selection of respondents, the data gathering techniques to be used and the data analysis to be done. Bless and Higson-Smith defines research as the planning of any scientific research from the first to last step. They further define the research design as a programme to guide the researcher in collecting, analyzing,
interpreting and observing facts. In order to ensure the reliability and validity of data, the research design for the study will include both qualitative and quantitative designs. Strauss and Corbin (2000: 1) writes that research methodology can be described as a
scientific process that seeks to provide answers to questions through a systematic approach with the support of credible data. It is a way to systematically value the research problem. Hence, according to Strauss and Corbin (2000: 1) methodology is a way of thinking about and studying social reality.
3.4.1 Quantitative Research Method
According to Bless and Higson (2002: 86) quantitative research method uses quantifying data to record aspects of society. It makes collected data to be reduced to some numerical representation of what is being measured. Babbie and Mouton (2001: 49) points out that the best way to measure the properties of phenomena is through quantitative
measurement, which is by assigning numbers to the perceived qualities of things. In this quantitative approach the researcher utilized questionnaire surveys, in which closed ended questions were computed and graphically analyzed.
3.4.2. Qualitative Research Method
Qualitative research can, theoretically speaking, be described as an approach rather than a particular design or set of techniques. According to van Maanen (1979:520), it is an
“umbrella” phrase “covering an array of interpretive techniques which seek to describe, decode, translate and otherwise come to terms with the meaning of naturally occurring phenomena the social world.” The study will make use of qualitative approach since not all the data can be quantified.
3.5. TARGET POPULATION
According to Mouton (1996:34) a population refers to a collection of objects, events or individuals having some common characteristics that the researcher is interested in
studying. Bless and Higson-Smith (1995:87) defines a target population as a set of elements that the researcher focuses upon and to which results obtained by testing the sample should be generalized. Thus a target population is that group, usually people, from which the researcher require to draw conclusions. In this study, the target population will consist of the municipal management officials, LED officials and the citizens within the community will be used by the researcher as target population so that the researcher will gain more understanding on whether the services offered to them by Blue Crane Route Municipality will lead to reduction of poverty.
3.6. SAMPLING AND SAMPLING METHOD
Sampling is that part of statistical practice concerned with the selection of a subset of individual observations within a population of individuals intended to yield some knowledge about the population of concern, especially for the purposes of making predictions based statistical inference. Sampling is an important aspect of data collection. Researchers rarely survey the entire population for the two reasons (Ader, Mellenbergh & Hand, 2008): the cost is too high, and the population is dynamic in that the individuals making up the
population may change over time. The three main advantages of sampling are that the cost is lower, data collection is faster, and since the data set is smaller it is possible to ensure homogeneity and to improve the accuracy and quality of the data.
3.7. DATA COLLECTION METHOD
Data collection is a form of collecting information from various sources. This can be done through a number of instruments. In this study, two sources of data will be used, that is, interviews, questionnaire as a design and a method of gathering the useful data.
3.7.1 Questionnaires
De Vos (2005:89) asserts that a questionnaire is an instrument with open or closed questions or statements to which a respondent must react to, and it is used in the quantitative research. In this study structured questionnaires were designed by the
researcher and completed by the LED officer, portfolio head councilor, municipal manager, representatives of stakeholders and the chief executive officer of the development agency.
3.7.2 Documents
According to Maree and Pietersen, when you use documents as a data gathering technique you will focus on all types of written communication that may shed light on the
phenomenon that you are investigating. Written data sources may include published and unpublished documents, company reports, memoranda, agendas, administrative
documents, letters, reports, email messages, faxes, newspaper articles, or any document that is connected to the investigation.
3.8. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
According to Babbie (2007), “a voluntary participation is a basic ethic rule of social research”.
Before an individual becomes a subject of research, he/she shall be notified of:
The aims, methods, anticipated benefits and potential hazards of the research;
His/her right to abstain from participation in the research and his/her right to terminate at any time his/her participation; and
The confidential nature of his/her replies.
No individual shall become a subject of research unless he/she is given the notice referred to in the preceding paragraph and provides a freely given consent that he/she agrees to participate. No pressure or inducement of any kind shall be applied to encourage an individual to become a subject of research.
The identity of individuals from whom information is obtained in the course of the Project shall be kept strictly confidential. At the conclusion of the Project, any information that reveals the identity of individuals who were subjects of research shall be destroyed unless the individual concerned has consented in writing to its inclusion beforehand. No information revealing the identity of any individual shall be included in the final report or in any other communication prepared in the course of the Project, unless the individual concerned has consented in writing to its inclusion beforehand.
3.9. DATA ANALYSIS
Mouton (1996:108) describes data analysis as involving ‘breaking up’ the data into manageable themes, patterns, trends and relationships. Babbie and Mouton (2001:50)
define quantitative analysis as the numerical representation and manipulation of observations for the purpose of describing and explaining the phenomena that those observations reflect. On the other hand qualitative analysis is a non-numerical
representation of data. The data collected will be coded and categorized using computer software in order to see their patterns and interrelatedness as this will allow for
comprehensive analysis, interpretation and discussion of collected data. Data display techniques will be used in this study. Kumar (2005:248) contends that the main purpose of using data-display techniques is to make the findings clear and easily understood.
3.10. CONCLUSION
This chapter provided an account of the methodology used in this study. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The chapter further described the sampling procedure used to select the respondents and to ensure representativeness, dependability and relevance of the target group for this study. Questionnaires were made use of as data collection tools. Ethical issues observed in this study were depicted and justified and data was analyzed was also discussed.
Chapter 4 deals with data presentation, analysis and interpretation.