Informed consent

William (2004) states that prospective participants must be fully informed about the procedures and risks involved in research and must give their consent to participate in the

study. The purpose of the study was explained to the participants so as to ensure that they were willing to participate in this study. Verbal consent was granted by both the foster parents and the adolescents. The participants were made aware that they are not obliged to participate in this study. Hence, should they feel uncomfortable their request to withdraw will be respected. The researcher felt that as the adolescents were young it was important to gain permission from the foster parents. It was also important to respect the adolescents as people who have rights, hence it was important to confer with these adolescents who had lost their parents through AIDS.

Consent forms were given to participants once they had been provided with all the information pertaining to the study and had expressed their willingness to voluntary participate. The caregivers were also requested to sign consent forms (see Appendix).

3.9.4 Debriefing

HIV/AIDS is a very sensitive topic. It was critically important for the researcher to be aware that the interviews could have touched on very sensitive topics. This could have resulted in the participants having difficulty dealing with issues, for example they could have recently lost their loved ones and were still struggling with the loss. The researcher then had to ensure that arrangements for debriefing for those who might need this service were available. This was then arranged with the social workers of Ikamva Labantu.

3.10 Trustworthiness

According to Patton (2002), validity and reliability are two factors which any qualitative researcher should be concerned about, while designing a study, analyzing results and

judging the quality of the study. Validity and reliability are often known as trustworthiness (De Vos et al., 2005). Lincon and Guba (1985) cited in De Vos et al., (2005) propose four alternative constructs that more accurately reflect the assumptions of the qualitative paradigm. Gray (2005) informs that researchers from the naturalistic tradition argue that trustworthiness is more important than concerns over validity and reliability. Gray (2005) continues by saying that trustworthiness focuses on credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability.

The first alternative is called credibility. De Vos et al., (2005) state that this is the alternative to internal validity in which the goal is to demonstrate that the inquiry was conducted in such a manner so as to ensure that the participants were accurately identified and described. The participants identified within this study were orphans who had lost parents through HIV and AIDS. They all resided in Gugulethu. The second alternative is called transferability. Transferability is an alternative to external validity or generalisability. De Vos et al., (2005) state that in qualitative study transferability and generalisability to other settings may be problematic hence recommending triangulation as a multiple source of data. Additionally, designing a study in which more than one data gathering methods are used can greatly strengthen the study’s usefulness for other settings. In this study an interviewing method was used. This was further enhanced by observation regarding the participants’ behaviour during the interviews. Evidence was done by means of reviewing the captured data of the transcriptions. Lastly, the experience of the researcher of working with orphans and vulnerable children in the field of social work also enhanced her authority during the study. De Vos et al., (2005) state that conformability captures the traditional concept of objectivity. Lincon et al., (1985) cited

in De Vos et al., (2005) stresses the need to ask whether the findings of the study could be confirmed.

3.11 Reflexivity

Reflexivity is an approach that is derived from a humanistic approach, as a researcher this then meant that the researcher had to become self conscious and reflect on her actions during the interviews. Banister, Burman, Parker, Taylor and Tindali (1994) state that reflexivity is one of the important characteristics of qualitative research through which knowledge is produced and constructed. Miles and Huberman (1984) state that flexibility provides the researcher with means of collecting rich and complex data regarding different topics. Flexibility was useful in this study as I made use of a pattern that suited me and this helped me to gain rich data from the engagements. The experience in the field of social work and working with orphans and vulnerable children helped in the way the researcher conducted herself as the researcher is guided by professional ethics. The selection of the participants was also conducted at an organisation that worked within the study’s required criteria. The interviews gave the researcher an opportunity to collect the most extensive data on each participant interviewed. They allowed the researcher to explore the meaning of central themes in the life of the participants. The interviews provided the necessary flexibility to adapt methods to the needs of each individual research situation. Any misunderstanding on behalf of both parties was immediately checked. Flexibility enables the interviewee to answer the questions as fully as he or she chooses and motivate their responses when required (Brenner, 1985; Mouton and Marais, 1991). Interviews were facilitated at a neutral and user friendly venue, where participants felt free to participate without fear of intimidation.

3.12 Conclusion

This chapter focused on the methodology, of the study. The following areas were discussed, namely: sampling, instruments, data collection, data analysis, trustworthiness and reflexivity. The following chapter will present the findings and discussion that emerged from the data collection strategies.