Semi-structured interviews

According to Leedy and Ormrod (2001:184) and Marshall and Rossman (2016:150), in a semi-structured interview the researcher may augment the standard questions by adding one or more individually tailored questions to obtain clarification or probe a person’s reasoning. Esterberg (2002:87) and Hagan (2014:152) submit that the goal of the semi-structured interviews is to explore a topic more openly and to allow interviewees to express their opinions and ideas in their own words.

Dawson (2009:28) is of the view that semi-structured interviews are the most common type of interviews used in qualitative social research. This author goes further to say that in the semi-structured interview; the researcher will have to ask the same questions that have been asked in previous interviews; however, the researcher will also want the interview to remain flexible so that other important information can still be mentioned. It is important to allow the interviewees to voice their experiences in their own words, even though the main questions of the interview would remain the same. The use of semi-structured interview is therefore different from the structured interview in that in the structured interview; the questions cannot be changed or interpreted otherwise. Since this is qualitative research and in order to achieve the objectives of this study, this researcher chose

to use semi-structured interviews so as to allow participants to provide more details and explanations in their own words to answer the research questions.

De Vos (in De Vos & Fouché, 1998:178) and Strydom (in De Vos et al., 2011:240) reason that a pilot study is a prerequisite for the successful execution of a research project. Pilot studies can be useful, not only for trying out strategies, but also to buttress the argument and rationale for a genre and strategy (Marshall & Rossman, 2016:105). Before conducting interviews, the researcher conducted a pilot study involving two SAPS Detective Branch Commanders and one Senior State Advocate from SCCU. The intention of the pilot study was to determine the types of responses that the researcher was likely to get during the execution of the research project, as stated by Marshall & Rossman (2016:105). The responses received from the participants of the pilot study with regard to the sequence of the questions and the wording were used to develop the interview schedules. The intention of the pilot study was to test the comprehensibility of the research questions in the interview schedules and to ensure that the questions were standardised, understandable and relevant to the study. The participants in the pilot study did not form part of the research project.

The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with the SAPS and NPA participants individually in order to answer the research questions according to their knowledge and experience. The participants were sampled from the target population of the SAPS and NPA.

In addition, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with the participants representing the Republic of Malawi (Malawi) and the Republic of France (France) in order to understand their criminal investigation and prosecution procedures and to compare them to the model used in South Africa.

 Malawi was chosen on the basis of being a previously colonised African country and that it is a predominantly English-speaking country. These aspects were similar to the South African perspective.

 France was selected due to the unique early involvement of the prosecutor in criminal investigation and subsequent prosecution of criminal cases.

The researcher sought to establish whether Malawi and France have specific models of murder investigation that are different from the South African perspective.

In this case, the researcher wanted to determine how these two countries investigate and prosecute murder cases, considering their legislation and geographical locations.

During the interviews, the researcher considered the following guidelines for a productive interview suggested by Leedy and Ormrod (2013:154-157):

 Identify some questions in advance

Novice researchers often have greater success when they prepare a few questions in advance and ensure that all the questions are addressed at some point during the interview (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:154). The researcher compiled the interview schedules from the research questions. These research questions were relevant to the participants’ experiences.

 Consider how participants’ cultural backgrounds might influence their responses

Be sensitive to the fact that culture may play a significant role in how your participants interpret and respond to your questions, and experiment with multiple ways of asking for the kinds of information you ultimately want to obtain (Leedy &

Ormrod, 2013:154-156). The participants consisted of various races, therefore the researcher was, throughout the interviews, fully aware that their cultural backgrounds might influence their responses.

 Ensure that the participants are representatives of the group

You should choose people whom you expect to give you typical perceptions and perspectives (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:156). The researcher used the simple random sampling method to select the SAPS participants, as suggested by Maxfield and Babbie (2011:236). In selecting the NPA participants, the researcher was guided by Maxfield & Babbie (2011:244) to obtain the sample by means of purposive sampling.

In this regard, the researcher was satisfied that the chosen sample met the requirement highlighted by Leedy and Ormrod (2013:156).

 Find a suitable location

In theory, you can conduct an interview anywhere that people are willing to talk to you (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:156). Prior to the interviews, the participants were asked to choose suitable locations for their individual interviews. The participants were comfortable to conduct the interviews at their offices.

 Get written permission

Explain the nature of the study and your plans for using the results (Leedy &

Ormrod, 2013:156). The researcher ensured that the relevant permissions were obtained from the SAPS, NPA, authorities of Malawi and France before interacting with the participants. The purpose of the interviews was explained to the participants and their consent was duly obtained.

 Establish and maintain rapport

Begin the conversation with small talk that can break the ice (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:156). It was imperative for the researcher to establish rapport with the participants to mitigate the uneasiness that is felt when one is confronted by a stranger. Before conducting the interviews with the SAPS participants, the researcher introduced himself and discussed his time in the SAPS’ employ before going to the private sector. This reassured the participants that the researcher was not a stranger to the SAPS or to criminal justice as a whole. A similar strategy was used during the interaction with the participants from Malawi and France. With regard to the NPA participants, the researcher reminded the participants that he was previously attached to the CCU in Durban, which is in the same building as SCCU.

 Focus on the actual rather than on the abstract or hypothetical

You are more likely to get revealing information if you ask what a person does or would do in a specific situation (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:157). In this regard, the researcher ensured that the questions in the interview schedules were more specific and related to the professional fields of the participants.

 Do not put words into people’s mouths

Let people choose their own way of expressing their thoughts (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:157). The participants were issued with the interview schedules in which they could give their answers according to their understanding of the research questions.

Where necessary, the researcher assisted only to explain the research questions.

 Record responses verbatim

Whether you use handwritten notes, shorthand, a tape recorder, or a laptop computer, capture everything the person says, especially if the interview is an unstructured one (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:157). The participants responded to the research questions by handwriting their replies in the interview schedules.

 Keep your reactions to yourself

Although you won’t necessarily want to maintain a continual ‛poker face,’ you’re more likely to get accurate information if you don’t show surprise, agreement, or disapproval of what someone tells you (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:157). The researcher did not interrupt the participants or offer his own opinions about the research questions and answers provided.

 Remember that you are not necessarily getting the facts

As confident and convincing as some of your participants may be, you should always treat their responses as perceptions rather than as facts (Leedy & Ormrod, 2013:157). Throughout the interviews, the researcher was fully aware that the responses of the participants might not necessarily be facts but perceptions.

2.4.3 Questionnaires

According to Ellis, Hartley and Walsh (2010:185), questionnaires are research instruments in which persons from whom researchers are seeking information can provide that information, usually in written form. Blaikie (2010:205) and Welman, Kruger and Mitchell (2005:175) state that the questionnaires have to be prepared in such a way that respondents can complete them without any assistance other than built-in and/or separate, written instructions. Blaxter et al. (2006:64), and (Blaikie, 2010:205) opine that on first consideration, the use of questionnaires as a research

technique might be seen as a quantitative strategy, whereas interviews and observations might be thought of as qualitative techniques.

A key area of concern in the design of the research questionnaires is relevance.

Kanjee (in Terre Blanche et al., 2006:485), supported by Maxfield and Babbie (2012:175), lists the following initial tasks that should be considered when designing the questionnaires:

 Clarify the reason for the study.

 Determine the information required from the respondents.

 List the research questions that should be answered.

 Identify any additional information required to address the research questions.

The researcher believed that the use of questionnaires would not be relevant in this study, therefore, conducting interviews with the participants as a method of data collection was deemed suitable and sufficient for this qualitative study.