Focal Discussion Group with community leadership In-depth Interviews with World Vision Management
Will systematically randomly sample a population of 20 households and interview these.
The researcher has designed three sets of questions for each category of people interviewed or those of which discussions were conducted with them. By the end of each discussion/interview, all the questions should be answered and then the researcher will seek to present as much of the data/information gathered as an aid to the visual appreciation of what the results on the entire community are like. I am going to specifically design and use in-depth-interviews and focus group discussions as my sole data collection instruments.
3.4.1 In-depth Interviews
An interview is a face to face interaction. It is a technique of gathering data. The respondents respond to questions verbally in the presence of the researcher. Chikoko and Mhloyi (1995:80) define an interview as a ―face to face questionnaire‖. An interview is the most suitable technique of gathering data when dealing with illiterate people who are going to constitute three quarters of my respondents. The interview gives the researcher the opportunity to rephrase some of the
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questions that may sound vague to the respondents. An interview allows the researcher to clarify some issues which may not be clear.
In this study the researcher will use interviews because they are adaptable and can enable the researcher to obtain rich and useful information. They allow interviewees to speak freely about their experiences without being limited to what is written down, as compared to a questionnaire, for example interviews are also useful because they enable the researcher to probe and follow up on ideas and issues raised in the response.
With regards to in-depth interviews, Weiss (1994), in trying to answer why we interview, points out that through interviewing, we can learn about what happens in families or in other settings. In a way interviewing can inform us about the nature of social life. Weiss (1994) also adds that research aims should dictate research methods and that interviewing is necessary when trying to develop descriptions and trying to learn how events are interpreted. One advantage of interviews is that they are focused and discursive in a way that allows the researcher and the participant to explore the issue of food aid explicitly and in depth.
Interviews allow the researcher to further investigate the motives and ―feelings‖ behind certain responses which could otherwise not be possible with surveys or other methods. Bell (2005:157) argues that in interviews ―the way in which a response is made-tone of the voice, facial expression, hesitation, etc- can provide information that a written response would conceal.‖ Interviews are therefore considered the best method to obtain quality data for this study.
Interviews have an advantage over the questionnaire in that all questions in an interview are likely to be answered. The interviewer may clarify questions that sound vague to the respondents. The interview also gives the interviewer room to change the interview question when need arises. This is not possible with the questionnaire as it is rigid. An interview may give the researcher a chance to read between the lines and probe further with new questions as the respondents give their views. During the interviews the interviewer can interpret non-verbal
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communication. Leedy (1980:111) states that ―the interviewer has access not only to what people say but how they say it‖.
The interview has its own weaknesses. The respondent may feel uneasy and choose to avoid the interviewer if questions are sensitive and dwell on complex and emotional matters. During the interviews the respondents may get carried away and end up bringing issues that are irrelevant. This can be avoided by encouraging the respondents to concentrate on the core questions that are relevant to the study. If at anytime during the interview, a respondent exhibits discomfort in answering questions, Il assured them that they need not answer. I also assured respondents that they are free to withdraw from the interview at anytime.
3.4.2 Focus group discussion
I will be holding focus group discussions with the community leadership. This will be geared towards examining the strengths and challenges of food aid and how the community perceives it. Focus group discussion is an in-depth examination of one particular topic or concept and consists of eight to twelve participants; they are led by a moderator whose aim is to learn and understand what people have to say and why they need to do so. According to Wikipedia (2006a:1), a focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their attitude towards a product, service, concept or idea. In this study the community leadership will be asked about their understanding of the role, and evaluating the impact of food aid on the livelihoods of vulnerable households. The questions will be asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk to each other.
According to Hennink and Diamond (1999), the aim of focus group discussions is not to gather information about individuals as with in-depth interviews but to get a feel of the communities‘ response to certain topics. As such, focus group discussions allowed group members to contribute freely about their experiences in relation to food aid.
This will give me the opportunity to find out whether the intervention strategy being pursued by World Vision International is in accord with the priorities of its beneficiaries. This is because one
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of the problems which Hurley (1990: 3) points out is occurring in intervention programs is that beneficiaries and interveners often have different or confused objectives and agendas. Based on the challenges raised, we can together try to discuss on what can be done and how to go about it.