Climate Change & Adaptation
2. Methods and materials 1. Study Design
This is a quantitative study and descriptive in nature. This quantitative study permits to measure association between groups and subgroups of variables. In the epistemological
sense, this study shows how the variables have relationship with each other. This study provides opportunity to measure variable through determining scale to increase validity and reliability. In this phase, the study was conducted through the use of survey method in 2015.
Here survey method was chosen as it would connect the information of more variables to answer research questions and to make generalization.
2.2.Samples
Ward No. 1 of Kamarkhola union at Khulna district in Bangladesh was selected purposively as it is totally cyclone Aila affected among total nine wards of this union. Afterwards, the total Aila affected households of ward No. 1 was collected from union parishad, local administrative unit, and affected households were counted 467 (Six No Kamarkhola Union Parishad 2015). Then, lottery procedure under random sampling was used to draw 120 samples from this list that represents 25 percent of the total affected households of that ward.
In this study 25 percent was selected as it would reduce sampling error and correctly represent the whole population.
2.3.Variables and Measures
Variables that are used for this study are identified from different aspects of impact and coping strategies as well as the relation of specific coping strategy with specific impact of cyclone Aila in Bangladesh. With a view to maintain validity and reliability, appropriate statistical measurements are used to measure every variable for this study. Now it is first revealed the name of every subheading used in the result and followed by the variables, its measurement and coding process. House damage and coping strategies: coping strategies were nominally measured and coded as 1= embankment, 2= relative house, 3= community shelter and 4= own broken house and types of household damage were measured nominally and coded as 1=fully damage, 2=partial damage and 3=small damage. Coping strategies of making of house: coping strategies were nominally counted and coded as 1= GO and NGO support, 2= support of relatives, 3. Own effort, 4= involvement with politics, 5= illegal connection with aid distributor and 6= taking loan. Barriers of child education and coping strategies: coping strategies were nominally measured and coded as 1=home studying, 2=boat using, 3=late schooling, 4= paying low tuition fee and 5= group sharing, and problems of education for Ailawere typified by three categories and coded as 1=disruption of communication, 2= money shortage and 3= lack of logistic support. Disruption of health and coping strategies: coping strategies were nominally measured and coded as 1=
depending on traditional medicine, 2= depending on modern medicine and 3= no treatment, and types of health effects were typified into four categories and coded as 1= malaria, 2=
kalazar, 3=injury and 4= skin diseases. Monthly income after Aila and coping strategies:
coping strategies were nominally measured and coded as 1= taking of daily low food, 2=
stopping education of children, 3= borrowing money, 4= aid taking and 5= depends on relatives’ support, and income after Aila was counted using scale and coded as 1= &1-$60, 2= $61-$120 and 3= $121-$180. Coping strategies to overcome the loss of fish: coping Strategies were nominally measured and coded as 1= raising pond embankment, 2= changes species, 3= pond fencing by net. Decrease of crops yielding and coping strategies: coping Strategies were nominally measured and coded as 1= cultivation of hybrid crops, 2= using
traditional knowledge, 3= using modern technology, 4= receiving GO & NGOs instructions, and 4= no strategy; and factors of no crops yielding were counted in nominal scale and coded as 1= submerged, 2= salted, 3= lack of tools and 4=loss of land fertility. Damage of forest and coping strategies: coping strategies were nominally measured and coded as 1=afforestation, 2= plantation of deep rooted trees, 3= plantation in highland and 4= dyke plantation, and types of damagewere typified as 1= full and 2= partial.
2.4.Instrument and Procedure
An interview schedule as an instrument was developed to collect data from 120 samples from the village Kamarkhola. A pilot survey was conducted to check the valid scales of measurement and scrutiny of irrelevant questions before making final interview schedule. To realize the objectives of the study, data about respective concepts were collected incorporating relevant cases in the interview schedule contained both open and close ended items. Data were collected by four trained interviewers. Oral consensus of informants was ensured maintain ethical issue before gathering information. Few times were spent to build up rapport with informants and then the interview started.
2.5.Statistical Analysis
Field data were analyzed using SPSS (statistical package 20) and Excel. Both descriptive (percentage) and inferential (chi square) statistics were used for data analysis. Results on the variables were presented with cross tables and figures. The statistical analysis was conducted at 95% confidence level. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Besides, some relevant secondary information was used for this study as well.
2.6. Why Household-Dwellers?
Here is chosen to find the coping strategies at household-dwellers as this study intends to explore the collective action of human being in response to climate change. Earlier study supports a long history within sociology of discovering multifarious results at household level (Entwisle 2007; Sampson et al. 2002). In addition, sociological theory, tools and techniques also support finding out how people respond in local settings. The prominent sociologist Emile Durkheim advocates that the social world constitutes a reality of its own, above and beyond the lives and experiences of individual persons. In view of that, macro- sociological theories have been interested in explaining collective rather than individual behavior (Siegrist and Marmot 2004). Durkheim characterized the collective conscience in the following way: “The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to average citizens of the same society forms a determinate system which has its own life; one may call it the collective or common conscience. . . . It is, thus, an entirely different thing from particular consciences, although it can be realized only through them” (Durkheim 1893/1964, pp.79–80). Both classical and contemporary sociologists have contributed emphasizing this approach to find social fact in the society. So, considering the importance of collective vision, I try to incorporate the prime concern of sociology lingers at the level of collective (social) phenomena.