4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.9 Constraints
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this research was a requirement for the researcher to obtain a Masters Degree only and this research was not conducted by the eThekwini Municipality to address the issue of the presence of informal settlements in Clare Estate. A compulsory letter of informed consent was drawn up by the researcher (see Appendix D, which is a letter of consent to participate in the research project), and an ethics form filled out by the researcher in accordance with the rules of the Faculty of Humanities at UKZN. Prior to the interviews, each respondent was required to sign the letter of consent. Some of the respondents were suspicious of this form, while others were nonchalant about it. The ethics form allowed the researcher to consider any ethical challenges that could arise during the research.
On reflection, it was realised that this research was important to undertake since it examines the complexities regarding who has access to land and on what basis and what social tensions are visible from the perspective of the residents in formal housing with regards to the presence of the informal settlements. However, this research only added to a field of knowledge and therefore like other research at Masters Level in the geography field, was unable to bring about change. This is further acknowledged by Pain (2003), who stated that many social and cultural geographers only study the area, without bringing about change. As a researcher, the idea of not solving the issue and bringing about change was problematic on a personal basis. The researcher constantly asked questions such as:
‘What is the purpose of this research?’, ‘how is this research helping the residents in formal housing with regards to the presence of the informal community?’ and ‘will the issue of the presence of the informal settlements in Clare Estate be solved by the eThekwini Municipality?’ Pain (2003) states that bringing about change and these types of questions are issues that many geographers face.
It was thus important for the researcher to acknowledge the position that she had taken in the research and to recognise the outlook that she brought with into the research. The researcher has attempted to make reference to her position and reflection in the research.
The following section will examine the constraints experienced when undertaking this study.
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does not come without disadvantages; there are pros and cons to every research. And each of these ‘cons’ should be overcome.
The first and most important constraint was that of change in supervision. There were two researches undertaken. The first research commenced in January 2007 and because of unfortunate and unforseen reasons, the research had to be terminated. Therefore, a second research, began in January 2008, under a new supervisor. As a researcher this placed enormous stress on me and I, at times, in the initial stages wanted to discontinue my Masters research. However, with much encouragement from my family members, close friends I decided to look at it as a challenge that I needed to overcome. After the change of supervisor I was content with the direction in which the research has grown.
Another constraint involved safety issues. This aspect is particularly relevant in all research, since the protection of one’s self is important. The research was conducted in a formal residential area, where informal settlements are located, and since the researcher is unfamiliar with the residential area, necessary precautions were undertaken. I was always with friends or family members, and they accompanied me to the residents’ homes to ensure my safety.
Initially there was a problem about getting access to the area, but this was overcome, as contacts were provided by previous researchers of the area. The first constraint was when none of the selected formal residents responded to the questionnaires that were placed in their post boxes (mail drop method). However, this was overcome when I undertook a door-to-door approach and visited each of the selected households. However, although this was more personal, some of the selected households did not want to participate in the research. Also, on some occasions, I felt uncomfortable with some of the individuals within my sample. Therefore they were eliminated from the interview process, because I feared for my personal safety. My supervisor Ms Houghton, was also concerned and requested that I do not go back to those houses, in the sample. In these cases, the households to the right of those initially chosen were included.
With respect to the tape-recorder during the interview process, all of the residents in formal housing did not want their interview process to be recorded (Cloke et al., 2004) and therefore handwritten notes had to be undertaken. All of the residents in formal housing raised the safety issue and how the tape-recorder would jeopardise their safety. Although
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on numerous occasions it was explained to them that the tape-recorder will only be used by me and no one else, they still refused. Therefore in order to conduct the interviews with the residents in formal housing the tape-recorder was not used. I also found it a challenge initially with writing down the responses, however, this proved easier with time. Not using the tape-recorder did not hinder the research, since the trust between me and the formal residents was maintained.
Some of the residents in formal housing, during the interview process, tended to deviate from the questions given to them, however, I was able to re-ask the question and allow them to answer it again to the best of their ability. Although this deviation of the questions, can be irritating to some, it was not irritating to me, in that the formal residents and I had already formed a good relationship. Issues regarding the positionality of the researcher also influenced the information obtained from the interviewees, therefore the researcher had to be sensitive to various issues concerning the development of knowledge (Ferraro, 2006).
From the interview process I found that some of the residents in formal housing were not able to express themselves well and some of the questions were difficult for them to understand. However, it should be ascertained that some of these problems were sorted out during the pilot survey. However, although new questions were developed many of the formal residents had not completed their school education, and still had difficulties in understanding some questions. I therefore had to rephrase and explain the questions in detail, during the interview process. Also another issue was that each interview process lasted approximately an hour to an hour-and-a-half, and some residents showed their unhappiness since they had other commitments.
The availability of interviewees such as residents in formal housing in Clare Estate, municipal representatives and the non-governmental organisation representative became an issue; therefore my time had to be structured according to their availability. On many occasions certain respondents would phone and say they could not meet for the interview on the scheduled day, and their only available time was now. I had to cancel all my appointments and meet with them in order to ensure that the interview was done. Also, on other occasions, I was unable to meet some residents due to prior commitments. This was overcome by scheduling other available times for me and the respondents.
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Lastly, another limitation was the fact that I could not gain an interview from the residential area Councillor (Councillor Baig). This was necessary in order to establish the councillor’s position with regards to addressing the presence of informal settlements in Clare Estate. On numerous occasions he was unavailable to participate and therefore I had to acquire information from a municipal official. This therefore meant that I could not get his views about the problem under investigation.