Data collection methods

Qualitative researchers typically rely on four methods for gathering information: participating in the research setting; direct observation; in-depth interviewing and focus group discussion as well as analyzing documents and material culture.113 Information is collected from primary and secondary resources. These sources are present during an experience or time period for of a particular event. Some primary sources include: original documents such as diaries, manuscripts, letters, interview transcripts, news film footage, autobiographies; creative works including poetry, drama, novels, music and art; and relics or artifacts including pottery, furniture, clothing and buildings. A secondary source interprets and analyses primary sources and as such they are removed from the main event. Secondary sources mainly contain pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources. Some secondary sources include: textbooks, magazine articles, histories, criticisms and encyclopedias.114

2.2.1. Qualitative interviews

This study relies extensively on qualitative interviewing. An interview is a conversation with a purpose and carried out from purposive samples chosen

from the population115_{. Through in-depth conversational interviews the}

respondents have been asked to discuss their opinions, experiences and expectations of microcredit programs. This is preferred, because the interview has the potential to generate detailed descriptions of the individual’s experience, integrating multiple perspectives, describing processes and flexible enough to allow the discussion to lead into areas that are relevant to the study.

112 _{Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A.M. 1994, ibid, p. 1.}

113 _{Material culture consists of economics and the fulfilment of wants, technology and the} utilization of the natural resources, see Bakker, SJ. J.W.M, 1984, Filsafat Kebudayaan Sebuah Pengantar, Kanisius, Yogyakarta. p. 50.

114 _{Primary vs secondary sources, < http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html>.}

115 _{Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. 1990, Basics of Qualitative Research, Grounded Theory} Procedure and Techniques, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, California.

116 _{Interviews are guided by open-ended questions. It is expected that each}

respondent can and will respond as he or she wishes. Such questions are broad, often specifying a topic and they allow the respondents considerable freedom in determining the amount and kind of information to give.117

The interviews discuss issues with key informants. This study is focused on Bank Rakyat Indonesia Units (BRI Units), Bank Perkreditan Rakyat (BPR) and selected microcredit customers. The respondents were chosen because they had been longstanding borrowers with good financial records. They were relatively easy to contact and they reflected the gender balance of the BRI Units’ borrowers. Their businesses were typical of those in the area. Some of the borrower respondents have experienced problem loans. The other respondents are selected officers (mantri) and managers of BRI Units, loan officers of BPRs and cooperatives in the research areas. At the district level, formal and informal community leaders are also informants.

2.2.2. Focus group discussion

Focus group discussion is conducted to find out as much as possible about participants’ experience and feelings on a given topic and tend to produce conformity. The basic goal is to hear from the group about the topics of interest to the researcher and the topics that are also appropriate for them. Focus group discussion is not used to gather statistical data or for decision making.118 Instead, these discussions explore specific topics, and individuals’ views and expediencies, through group interaction to obtain perceptions about defined areas of interest as discussed by Barbour and Kitzinger and Litosseliti.119

Instead of individual interviews to understand an individual borrower, focus groups discussions are used to investigate group opinion, where members’ interaction is a key element. In comparison to interviews, focus

116 _{Jones, R. A. 1996, Research Methods in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Sinauer} Associates, Sunderland, MA.

117 _{Stewart, C.J. and Cash, Jr. W.B. 2003, Interviewing, Principles and Practices, McGraw Hill,} Boston.

118 _{Morgan, D.L. and Krueger, R.A. 1993, ‘When to use focus groups and why’, in Morgan, D.L.} (ed.) Successful Focus Groups, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, California.

119 _{Barbour, R.S and Kitzinger, J. 1999, Developing Focus Group Research, Sage Publications,} London and Litosseliti, L. 2003, Using Focus Group Research, Continuum, London.

groups have the advantage of enriching the discussion through cross- fertilization between participants. That is how focus group discussion builds group opinion efficiently.120

There were three focus group models used in this study. The first group consisted of small farmers, traders and fishermen (Kelompok Petani-Nelayan Kecil/P4K), who were customers of the BRI branch office of Majalaya, Ciamis and Cirebon. They were participants in the Income-Generating Project for Marginal Farmers and Landless workers in 18 provinces in Indonesia that fell under the responsibility of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Ministry of Agriculture and the

BRI. The second group consisted of 28 BRI Unit mantri who were involved in a

program at the BRI Training Center in the city of Lembang to discuss ethics and bad debt in their Units. A third group were borrowers who had secured their loans through the Pinjaman Kemitraan program at the BRI branch offices of Cibadak and Cianjur.121

2.2.3. Observation

Observation entails the systematic noting and recording of events, behavior and objects in the social setting chosen for the study. The observation record is frequently referred to as field notes including detailed, non-judgmental, concrete descriptions of what has been observed.122 With this data collection method, loan applications analysis, process of delivery and site supervision of microcredit were observed. The researcher also observed the way in which officers of BRI Units, BPR and cooperatives communicated with their microcredit customers.

As the result of the data collection through interviews, focus group discussion and observation, the researcher was able to describe sociocultural

120 _{Schuck, N.G., Allen, B.L. and Larson, K. 2004, Focus Group Fundamentals, Methodology} Brief, Departments of Agricultural Education and Studies of Sociology, Iowa State University, pp. 1-6.

121 _{BRI set aside 3% of its yearly profits to support the development of micro entrepreneurs. See} Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Surat Edaran/Circular Letter, NOSE:S.19-DIR/ADK/04/2007 28 April 2006 Tentang: Program Kemitraan dan Bina Lingkungan (PKBL), Bank Rakyat Jakarta.

122 _{Marshall, C. and Rosman, G.B. 2006, Designing Qualitative Research, Sage Publications,} Thousand Oaks.

experiences of the respondents. We also get a picture of external factors such as local community relationships, local economic conditions, and professions that influence microborrowers’ behavior and attitude to microcredit.