Data analysis

The data analysis made up Phase 3 of this research included two main types of analysis including coding written information (transcribed interviews and field observation notes) with elements lending to grounded theory and document analysis of both grey literature and policy documents. These methods are described below.

Grounded theory and coding

Methods for coding followed the grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 1996; Jaccard & Jacoby, 2010).

Grounded theory is often used in qualitative research analysis as a way to let theories evolve from in-depth and rich data collected rather than the researcher having preconceived notions about where the data will lead (Berg, 2001; Jaccard & Jacoby, 2010). Data analysis first started with coding transcribed interviews and field

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observation notes on a line by line basis. Two forms of coding were used; open coding and focused coding.

Open coding produces many codes from the data and the process of ‘focused coding’ helped to define and streamline the open code categories to adequately represent the data (Charmaz, 1996). Codes were

established in terms of relation to the research objective and two research questions. After initial coding, 24 codes were identified. However some codes overlapped with others while other codes appeared infrequently.

To streamline the codes in ‘focused coding’ certain codes were combined as relevant or dropped if

infrequently used with a total of 10 final codes including: community, network & leadership, communication, government, economics, expectation, tension, disconnection, waste management and waste perception.

A system map of the finished codes was drawn to assist in analysis and organizing the final themes that could be extracted from the data as shown in Figure 7. Figure 7 displays three main elements which depicts the three areas of focus for this study and their interactions with one another.

1. The internal system influence signifies the influences that are directly affecting the residents of the DZ community which may have an effect on their level of participation regarding the ONWC initiative.

Sub-codes are used here to illustrate general topics of influences including, background, social network and personal priorities and intentions.

2. External system influence is the lower portion of the figure and is the compilation of codes that can influence the success of a community level ONWC initiative. The codes network and leadership, laws and policy (government) and economics are all interrelated items that were specifically addressed system stakeholder interviews.

3. The potential CSO influence is the area in the middle of the figure where the internal and external systems converge and intends to show where the CSO (Roos at DZ) was placed in this case; a party who was a resident of the community but also had many contacts and information from the external world. The codes in this realm are waste management, waste perceptions and challenges

(expectations, tension and disconnection). They are placed in this overlapping realm because they show common items that were addressed in both system stakeholder and resident interviews.

Communication is the final code and although not written in the figure is visually expressed by the arrows in the figure pointing to the central realm and also from the arrows pointing out from the

‘ONWCI CSO’ bubble in the center. This is meant to show the potential CSOs can have in also influencing both internal and external entities.

29 The previous section includes two different levels that were internal (local) level representing the DZ.

community which are participating in the community ONWC initiative and external (higher) level (local level government workers, and CSO’s; city level government workers, policy informants and CSOs; and a national level government official and an international CSO). These two categories are the focus of the first two chapters concerning results and discussion respectively (Chapters 5 and 6). The intention however is also to emphasize the CSO’s role in addressing categories of overlap as they apply to ONWC initiative which are influenced by both internal and external systems. However the CSO also has the power to influence these systems as discussed in Chapter 7

Document analysis

This research conducted document analysis on gray literature including the DZ community newsletter and rules and regulations, municipal gray literature concerning urban agriculture and urban waste recycling, policy documents relating to ONWC or lack thereof and national level waste policy specifically those pertaining to principles of ‘circular economy’ (Table 5). For policy analysis, Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem’ approach was exercised as a way to determine what aspects were missing from the policy rather than strictly critiquing only the information that was presented (Bacchi, 1999). In order to accomplish this policy documents were read through noting topics that came up often and others that did not. One of the key topics not clearly addressed in the policy documents included decentralized and small scale organic nutrient waste management

Figure 7: Community level organic nutrient waste cycling initiative system map showing internal, external and potential influential role of the CSO implementing the ONWCI (organic nutrient waste cycling initiative). (Color key: red = internal influences, blue = external influences, purple = overlap between the internal and external and therefore potential influential area for CSOs work.

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initiatives. Once these items were noted, evaluation was conducted to determine potential consequences of the emphasis or the lack of emphasis of these topics on the community level ONWC initiatives. Grey literature analysis was completed using the APPARTS scheme. APPARTS is an acronym which calls on main criteria to focus on within the text to conduct the analysis; A = Author, P = Place and time, P = Prior knowledge, A = Audience, R = Reason, T = The main idea, S = Significance (Hierl, 2014).

Table 5: Secondary sources categorized according to system level relevance and methods used for analysis.

Document Title Document Type/ Statuten & Reglementen Statues and Regulations

(De Zuiderhof, 2013)

Composteren Doe Je Zo Municipal website/

(City of Rotterdam, 2014)

Phase 4 of this research included ‘actions and outputs.’ One of those outputs is, of course, this thesis. The second however was to incorporate action research to this thesis. According to Bawden “Action researching is a particular way of critically learning about events in this world in order to change them” (1991, p. 10). His account of action research also emphasizes the importance of individuals interacting within the system at hand (both socially and environmentally) as key to improving the situation. Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) (2000) is rooted in action research and builds on a systems thinking discourse (Flood, 2000) and so fit well as a methodology to apply to this research. It also lends well to ethnographic research as it is a method that enables the researcher to become a stakeholder in the situation. The researcher is meant to act as a facilitator and encourage action toward improvement through methodological analysis and actor participation (Checkland & Poulter, 2006).

DZ Community Composting Workshop

As an effort to encourage lasting beneficial change and also to incorporate the DZ community as not only part of the data collection, but to have their own influence on resulting changes within their community, a

Community Composting Workshop (CCW) was held on the evening of 8 May 2014 inspired by SSM and action research. Residents were informed of and invited to the workshop with individual flyers placed in their