Description of research methods

The goal of this study is to investigate the availability of protective wear that is ergonomically designed to suit women’s physique.Table 3.1 below illustrates the research questions that the study will attempt to answer, the objectives, the methodology and the literature that will be used to answer the stipulated questions. The research methods employed included an investigation of individual and collective views and perceptions of the research problem tackled in this research.

Table 3.1: Research question, sub-questions and objectives (Author’s construct, 2012.)

In order for the above-mentioned goal and objectives to be achieved, the manner in which the research has been conducted is outlined. The design and the methodology to be pursued during the research will assist in answering the research questions outlined above.

The research problem revolves around the designs and fit of the available protective wear that does not adequately accommodate women when performing outdoor activities within the construction industry. As argued in Table 3.1, this research study seeks to investigate the Research problem

Women’s structural differences from those of men are not accommodated by the designs and fit of the available protective wear.

Research question

Why do design and fit of available protective wear not adequately accommodate women when performing outdoor activities within the construction industry?

Research sub-questions Research method(s) Objectives

What is the current situation with respect to available women’s protective wear in the Cape Town construction industry?

 On site observations

 Interviews

 Questionnaires

Investigate the availability of protective wear that is specifically designed to suit women’s physique.

Identify the possible limitations in the product offering of protective wear for female construction workers.

Why do the current designs and fit in the available protective wear not adequately accommodate women in the construction industry?  Literature review  Protective wear manufacturer and supplier visits  Interviews  Focus group

Investigate the practicality and usability of available protective wear designs, their construction, and how suitable the fit is for women.

How can relevant ergonomic considerations better inform the design of feminine and more appropriate protective wear for women?

 Interviews

 Focus group

 Anthropometric data collection through body measurements

 Development of a prototype

 Fitting Trials

 Videography

Establish the viability and practicality of designing and manufacturing protective wear that is suitable, comfortable and fit for purpose with respect to women’s physique.

availability of women’s protective wear that is designed to suit women’s physique. It also aims to investigate the practicality of the current protective wear designs, construction and fit suitable for women. Therefore an investigation has been done using a qualitative research methodology in order to identify different approaches for collecting and analysing data to answer the research question.

Remenyi, Money and Twite (1995:65) explain that the qualitative research consists of specific phases, which can be applied to a research study. These phases include reviewing the literature, with the aim of finding out what the most widely accepted findings in the field of study are. This was echoed by Wilson (2009) stating that “an inductive approach to gathering, analysing and reporting information seek[s] out the ‘why’, not the ‘how’ of its topic through the analysis of unstructured information – for example, interview transcripts, open- ended survey responses, emails, notes, feedback forms, photos and videos”. A model of data collection (Table 3.2) outlines how the qualitative methods have been used in order to discover the underlying meanings.

Table 3.2: A model of data collection, (Author’s construct, 2013). Tools and methods

used for data collection Data analysed by these methods Relevance or use of data analysis methods Subjects/Informants

a) Literature Review Theoretical discourse

Familiarising with the construction industry and the design of protective wear

Books and journals

 Contextual analysis Qualitative analysis To the conceptualisation of protective wear for women

Books, journals and internet

Fieldwork research

b) Questionnaires in Cape Town, South Africa

Content analysis Grouping and categorising of data to establish levels of awareness/knowledg e about the current protective wear

25 Female construction workers (different age groups) and 2

protective wear manufacturers  One focus group

in Cape Town

Conversation Categorising data and establishing levels of

awareness/knowledg e about the current protective wear

25 Female construction workers, different age groups.

c) Interviews Conversation

analysis

Establishing the need for protective wear that is ergonomically designed to suit women Protective wear manufacturers and female construction workers

3.1.6.1 Qualitative research and data collection methods

Visits to the construction sites, manufacturers of protective wear, interviews and documentation in the manufacturing sites have been done. Unstructured and semi- structured interviews were conducted with an aim of gaining new knowledge of and new insight into certain unexplored qualitative aspects of the problem. An interview generally started with the few explicit questions and then followed the individual tangent of thoughts with the interviewer. Therefore, unstructured interviews informed structured interviews as well as questionnaires. Additional aims of conducting the interviews with the personal protective clothing (PPC) manufacturers and suppliers were to gather information on the production methods used in the manufacturing process and also to track whether there are female protective wear production lines that are being produced.

An additional data collection instrument was questionnaires, as it falls within the broader definition of “survey research” or “descriptive survey” (Remenyi et al,1995). Questionnaires were developed and distributed to protective wear manufacturers and female construction workers. Questionnaires for manufacturers (see Appendix E) encompassed the issues about the design of the current protective wear. A fixed or closed response type questionnaire was drafted where a subject was asked to check the answers that fit the best and alternative answers were given in a multiple choice type and rank order type of questions. Due to the nature of the research where human beings are involved, it is important that participants are assured about their security, therefore, consent forms were designed and distributed to both manufacturers and female construction workers and both research participants willingly signed the forms (see Appendix D).