DATA COLLECTION METHODS

Questionnaires were handed out for respondents to complete on their own, while the personal interviews were carried out by the writer of this thesis and an assistant.

Although it was intended that focus group discussions would follow this first phase of data collection, in order to validate the findings from the questionnaires, all respondents — without exception — turned down the request to participate, due to fear of victimization if they were found out or reported. This difficulty was a result of the negative publicity that the hospitals were experiencing at the time.

The self-administered questionnaire method of data collection was advantageous in that it enabled respondents to remain anonymous.

The personal interview and the self-administered questionnaire method complement each other in the following ways: responses obtained can be confirmed and checked, possible gaps in the data can

be filled and uncovered ground can be identified more easily. The questionnaire items that were used required both qualitative and quantitative interpretation. Self-administered questionnaires were also structured to include checks for reliability of responses. However, it was deemed unnecessary to translate the questionnaire into isiXhosa since all of the respondents had a reasonably high educational level.

The questionnaire and the interview items included both open- and closed-ended questions covering demographics, work-related factors, job performance, and job and life satisfaction. Work ethic was measured using the Multidimensional Work Ethic Inventory (Miller et al., 2001; 2002) which measures work ethic on seven dimensions: morality, hard work, centrality of work, wasted time, delay of gratification, self reliance, and leisure.

Table 3.1 below lists the seven work ethic dimensions together with their definitions as given by Miller et al. (2001; 2002).

Table 3.1

The Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile by Miller et al. (2001/2002): dimensions and their definitions

Dimension Definition

Self-reliance Striving for independence in one’s daily work

Morality/ethics Believing in a just and moral existence

Leisure Pro-leisure attitudes and

beliefs in the importance of non-work activities

Hard work Belief in the virtues of hard work

Centrality of work Belief in work for work’s sake and the importance of work

Wasted time Attitudes and beliefs

reflecting active and productive use of time Delay of gratification Orientation toward the

future; the postponement of rewards

Table 3.2, below, presents the seven dimensions together with the items by which they were measured. These items are numbered as they appear in the questionnaire. The first five dimensions in the table have ten items each and the last two dimensions (wasted time and delay of gratification) each have eight and seven items, respectively.

Table 3.2

The Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile by Miller et al. (2001/2002): Dimensions and their items

Item No. Dimensions and their items Self-Reliance

68 To be truly successful, a person should be self-reliant 83 Self-reliance is the key to being successful

88 People would be better off if they depended on themselves

90 As much as possible, one should live one’s own life, independent of others

94 One must avoid dependence on other persons whenever possible 96 I do not like having to depend on other people

106 I strive to be self-reliant

112 Having a great deal of independence from other people is very important to me

117 Only those who depend on themselves get ahead in life

121 It is important to control one’s destiny by not being dependent on others

Morality

69 One should always take responsibility for one’s actions 77 One should always do what is right and just

78 I would take items from work if I felt I was not getting paid enough 87 One should not pass judgment until one has heard all of the facts 99 You should never tell lies about other people

110 Stealing is alright as long as you don’t get caught

113 It is important to treat others as you would like to be treated

116 It is never appropriate to take something that does not belong to you 119 There are times when stealing is justified

123 People should be fair and just Leisure

67 Life would be more meaningful if we had more leisure time

70 I would prefer a job that would allow me to have more leisure time 76 The more time I can spend in leisure activity, the better I feel 80 The less time one spends working and the more leisure time one

has, the better

89 Work takes up too much of our time, leaving little time to relax 93 More leisure time is better for people

105 The world would be a better place if people spent more time relaxing

111 The job that provides the most leisure time is the job for me 120 People should have more leisure time to spend in relaxation 125 Leisure time activities are more interesting than work

Hard Work

79 Nothing is impossible if you work hard enough 82 Working hard is the key to being successful

84 If one works hard enough, one is likely to make a good life for oneself

86 Hard work makes one a better person

97 By working hard, one can overcome every obstacle that life presents

100 Any problem can be overcome with hard work 107 If you work hard you will succeed

109 Anyone who is able and willing to work hard has a good chance of succeeding

115 A person should always do the best job possible

122 By simply working hard enough, one can achieve one’s goals Centrality of Work

64 I feel uneasy when there is a little work for me to do 66 I feel content when I have spent the day working

72 Even if I were financially able, I would never stop working 75 A hard day’s work is very fulfilling

92 It is very important to always be able to work

95 Even if I inherited a great deal of money, I would continue to work somewhere

102 Even if it were possible for me to retire, I would still work 103 Life without work would be very boring

114 I experience a sense of fulfilment from working

126 A hard day’s work provides a sense of accomplishment Wasted Time

63 It is important to stay busy at work and not waste time 71 Time should not be wasted, it should be used efficiently 74 I schedule my day in advance to avoid wasting time 85 I constantly look for ways to productively use my time 98 I try to plan out my workday so as not to waste time

101 How a person spends their time is as important as how they spend their money

118 Wasting time is as bad as wasting money

127 Distaste for hard work usually reflects a weakness of character Delay of Gratification

73 I get more fulfilment from items I had to wait for

81 Things that you have to wait for are the most worthwhile

91 A distant reward is usually more satisfying than an immediate one 104 I prefer to save until I can buy something instead of buying it on

credit

108 The best things in life are those you have to wait for 124 The only way to get anything worthwhile is to save for it