The survey findings informed the qualitative stage of the research process. The phase two interviews allowed for an exploration of the lives and identities of research participants as well as feelings and emotions (Fontana & Frey, 1994; Kvale, 1996). Limited research into the experiences of Pasifika and Māori people in sport governance exists and the individual interview was chosen as the best way of gaining this in-depth and interpretative information. Both Pasifika (Macpherson, Spoonley, & Anae, 2001) and Māori culture (King, 2003) are rooted in an oral heritage so the interview method offered an ideal means by which to capture the emotion, experiences and stories of Pasifika and Māori people, and enabled full exploration of complex issues such as the motivations, barriers and facilitating factors around governance in sport.
All Pasifika (n=4) and Māori (n=33) individuals identified in the phase one survey as having a governance role within NSOs were initially approached to participate in the second phase of the research. In addition, two more Pasifika board members were identified by a Pasifika interviewee and, in light of this; they were subsequently approached to participate in the research. This resulted in six Pasifika board members being interviewed, one of whom was a woman.
Participants
Interviewed Male Female
Pasifika 6 5 1
Māori 18 12 6
Total 24 17 7
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Of the thirty-three Māori approached, eighteen consented to participate. As the identified Māori board member from this sport was unavailable, they recommended that there place be taken by a Māori board member who was not on an NSO board, but rather on the Māori board of that NSO. This individual had extensive experience in sport governance at the national sport level. In total 24 Pasifika and Māori board members were interviewed, 7 women and 17 men, ranging in age from 25 to over 60. Participants were sent information sheets (Appendix 13) and the semi-structured interview schedule (Appendix 14). The semi-structured interview schedule was informed by the literature review, survey results, and the research aim which was to determine the current status of Pasifika and Māori in governance roles in New Zealand sport. Interviews involved predominately open-ended questions aimed at encouraging the participants to express their motivations, challenges and facilitating factors that affect Pasifika and Māori in sport governance roles. In particular, the findings of the interviews were broadly categorised in terms of their personal background, challenges, facilitating factors, opportunities and future endeavours. The consent, confidentially and tape transcript forms (Appendix 15, 16, 17) were completed before the interview.
Interviews were conducted at locations and times that suited participants and were completed either face-to-face or via telephone. Selection of interview mode was dictated by concerns regarding travel convenience; cost and practicality. The limitations of conducting interviews via telephone versus face-to-face included, for example, that I was unable to obtain the respondents’ non-verbal reactions. Therefore it was more difficult to gauge indications of confusion or uneasiness (Creswell, 2009). The interviews ranged from 30 to 90 minutes in length.
The interview process benefited from the relational style adopted and my passion for sport, as well as my insider stance as a person of Pasifika decent. This involved introducing my Pasifika heritage to respondents initially through the information sheet and again at the start of the interview. This was beneficial in terms of connection with the Pasifika participants. With regard to the Māori participants my passion for sport and experiences within that culture is something which helped to create association and understanding when Pasifika and Māori terminology was used; in turn this allowed
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participant stories to emerge with ease and flow. Participants often inquired about my own experiences within Pasifika and Māori sport. They showed a positive attitude toward the research and appreciated that someone was dedicating time to their culture’s influence in sport governance, and appeared to appreciate discussing their experiences.
Data Analysis
The interviews were recorded, (non-verbal cues noted where appropriate) and then transcribed, member checked, and manually coded, recorded and cross checked between myself and supervisors. Codes were determined inductively from previous knowledge I had gained via literature reviews and personal experience (in sport; academia and Pasifika and Māori contexts) and deductively from verbatim responses by the research participants. In summary, the coding process involved a series of repeated comparisons and contrasts of phrases; phenomena and experiences in the text (Cooper & Schindler, 2001).
The text was coded, utilising the support of NVivo 9 a qualitative analysis software program that allows text to be coded, organised, and retrieved. A benefit was that reports could be created where trends and common words and examples to be identified. This allowed an extensive listing of participant responses pertinent to a specific meaning to be gathered. Using this software assisted me in keeping my mind open when it came to data interpretation, hopefully reducing bias, and relieving my own anxiety.
All of the transcripts were studied during initial coding and the data were identified and reduced into common areas, which meant a specific participant experience or event could be emphasised. In addition to the systematic coding of these data, the key transcripts were revisited often. As revealed by Rose and Webb (1998), who employed a comparable technique, this sort of process increases awareness and integrates the reasoning with a more intuitive form of understanding. Through this process I was able to acquire a deeper understanding of the participants, often reflecting more deeply on what they had commented and discovering new themes and ideas from their interviews and linkages that I had not previously identified.
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In the early stages of analysis a significant number of codes (n=173) emerged. Nevertheless, as each transcript was read, coded with new codes contrasted with old, before moving to the next transcript, common words and concepts began to emerge. My depth of understanding improved and comparatively fewer new codes were required (n=85). Consequently, the coding and analysis employed was reflective of a methodological and sustained comparative manner (Creswell, 1998). Following this point, in line with the coding process, informal notes and charts to explain how codes were combined into sections and larger themes was undertaken. Although a passage was provided by the software package for these types of methods, it was beneficial to physically undertake aspects of the analysis. A benefit was being able to observe diagrams next to the transcript in question as they could be referred to quickly. Consequently, I could follow the track of the account better and use the diagrams for contrast, analysis and reflection. This additional technique helped to provide another effective and pragmatic process along with the electronic tool.
Participants commonly referred to their sport governance experience as enhancing not only their intellectual knowledge, but also their cultural experience, specifically working within their communities, which in turn meant other facets of their lives improved. This coding process emphasized that participant experiences and meanings, though coded were not restricted or self-contained, but frequently were linked and moved into others (Creswell, 1998). This was significant in order to appreciate Pasifika and Māori sport governance experiences; it necessitated not only recognising the meanings in their stories, but also securing the holistic ‘big picture’ or meaning of what participants were saying.
The codes were sorted into larger themes as the coding progressed. This meant printing out codes, and then arranging them into folders to illustrate possible themes. Despite this, many changes occurred and the process became difficult as Pasifika and Māori board member accounts, meanings, and how they were linked, varied from person to person. Consequently, the decisions concerning themes were not only enlightened by how the codes commonly linked and rationally made sense from a bigger picture, in contrast to collecting all personal mannerisms, but also by the focus of my research questions – what the study sought to discover and answer (Creswell, 1998). More
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specifically, these choices helped to determine the current status of Pasifika and Māori in governance roles in New Zealand sport. As established earlier, associated aims included investigating what are the motives, barriers and challenges, and factors that will facilitate their recruitment, retention and development in governance roles.
Consistent with the intention to explore these associated aims, one of the research questions aimed to analyse participants’ motives for entering into sport governance, codes relating to individual, service and family motives were grouped together (see Appendix 16). Another area of inquiry was how participants were introduced to governance, therefore codes relating to active engagement in sport, educational engagement and family engagement were grouped together. Modifications were additionally made to the groupings-similarities and variances between stories, experiences, and meanings within them were considered.