The confidentiality agreement well known as the informed consent was signed by all research participants. The informed consents contained significant information such as the title of the study, objectives and the rights of the participants, including that the study is voluntary. The name, surname and the signature of the respondents appeared on the informed consent which was attached to the questionnaire. The researcher gained consent from respondents with disabilities such as hearing difficulty and blind through the help of their guardians, and or household members.
40 The researcher made it clear to the respondents that no one will have access to their information except her and the supervisor of the study. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the University of Zululand (UZ) Department of Social Work, as well as the UZ Research Committee. To conduct research at Nqutu Local Municipality, a letter requesting permission was submitted to the municipality manager. Another letter was emailed and hand delivered to the regional manager of SASSA in Pietermaritzburg requesting to conduct research at the SASSA offices in Nqutu Local Municipality.
The transcripts were treated with confidentiality and anonymity; after the researcher had completed transcribing them, they were destroyed. The names of the participants were not used in the presentation and discussion of results.
3.8.1 Confidentiality and anonymity
To maintain confidentiality during data collection, the researcher ensured that nobody had access to the transcripts (questionnaires and interview schedules), besides the researcher and supervisor. According to Kohler (2015:40), confidentiality ensures security of the information provided by the participant from being accessed by other people, whereas anonymity shields participants from being exposed as initial sources of the information provided. That is done by restricting the use of participants` names, surnames and other identifying biographical information.
3.8.2 Integrity
To maintain integrity, the researcher ensured that promises and agreements made to participants such as keeping their information confidential and their names anonymous were retained. The act of sincerity and respect for participants was kept consistent throughout the study.
3.8.3 Deception
Deception occurs when participants are misled on the basis of the study. Deception also violates the rights of the participants as well as their freedom to rightfully choose whether they want to participate in the study or not (Bachman & Schutt, 2013:62). There was no act of deception throughout the data collection. Participants were informed of everything they needed and had to know regarding the proceedings of the study. Thus, there was no false provision of information
41 3.9 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
The data analysis and interpretation of this study since it was mixed method was done using the information collected from the respondents and participants by the means of questionnaires and interview schedule. In this study, data was analysed using both the qualitative and quantitative method. The researcher used the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) and content analysis to analyse and interpret data. The SPSS package of programs is used for manipulating, analysing, and presenting data; the package is commonly used in the social and behavioural sciences (Chapman and Hall, 2004:11).
The questionnaires were distributed to 73 respondents living with disabilities. The questionnaires that were answered were then collapsed together to check for patterns in responses and to ease the interpretation process. The statistical data relating to the participants` responses to each question were each captured in tables and graphs. The researcher was able to analyse 5 questions per day depending on whether they were open- ended questions or close-ended questions. Some of the developed themes from the questionnaires corresponded closely to those which had emerged from the interview schedule. Information correlation is constantly presented in chapter 4: Data analysis and interpretation.
On the other hand, the interview schedule was created for SASSA employees especially those working under the social grants section. The interviews were conducted at any time of the day, hence, appointments differed for all the participants. The interviews were conducted in order to confirm the qualitative data collected using questionnaires, and to get more insight regarding the procedure entailed in DCT distribution. The data collected by the means of interviews was analysed following the content analysis method. The procedure that was followed to create themes is further explained in the next paragraph.
Content analysis was used to analyse narrative or descriptive responses. According to Stemler (2001:1), content analysis allows the researcher the ability to scrutinise large volumes of data without major difficulties. Content analysis is a useful technique that allows researchers to learn and describe the focus of individuals, groups, institutions, or communities. The procedure of content analysis involves at least 8 steps the researcher has to follow. According to Datt (2016:1) content analysis is based on interpreting thoughts and views of other people.
Datt (2016:1) 8-steps procedure of conducting content analysis is:
42 3.9.1 Preparation of data
Involves the sorting of information that has been collected from research participants using a research instrument. In this study it was the questionnaire.
3.9.2 Defining the unit or theme analysis
In this step, the organisation of content into themes which can be words, phrases and sentences takes place. In this study the researcher used sentences to represent themes.
3.9.3 Developing categories and coding
The development of categories and coding-schemes is derived from three sources; the primary data, theories similar to the study focus and empirical studies. The study used mostly the primary data to generate the themes.
3.9.4 Pre-testing the coding scheme on sample
Pre-testing the codes is significant in order to ensure consistency and to keep the level of reliability at par or average.
3.9.5 Coding all the text
On this step that is where coding of the collected data takes place. Hence, the themes, phrases and sentences have already been created.
3.9.6 Accessing the consistency of coding employed
This step allows the researcher to check reliability and validity of the data set. The researcher on this study had to constantly check if the collected data was fitting or relating to the themes created.
3.9.7 Drawing inferences on the basis of coding or themes
The researcher on this step draw interpretations on the bases of the themes generated. This is significant hence it helps the researcher identify the relationship and uncover patterns in order to present the analysis.
3.9.8 Presentation of results
Last step is about the presentation of outcomes. Results should be accompanied by interpretations which can be done by using secondary data, graphs, and or conceptual framework. In this study presentation of results was done using both graphs and secondary data.
43 Correspondingly, Hsieh and Shannon (2005:1277) described content analysis as a commonly used qualitative research method with three distinctive approaches: conventional, directed, or summative. All the three approaches are used to interpret data meaning from the content of text data. This study used mainly the summative approach. The summative content analysis involves counting and comparing data by looking at the common keywords or content from respondents` cases, followed by the interpretation of the principal context.