4.5 Methods of data collection 87
4.5.1 Interviews 87
I chose to use interviews to allow me to engage in personal contact with respondents. This process allowed me to communicate on a one-on-one basis with the respondents to find what they knew (knowledge and information); what they liked or disliked (values and preferences), and what they thought (attitudes and beliefs), as described by Cohen et al. (2000). Since I conducted a qualitative research, I used a semi-structured interview to allow for flexibility such as rephrasing questions to remove any ambiguity or misunderstanding. A particular advantage of
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the interview is that the researcher is present and can clarify any ambiguities that may confuse the respondent.
I was also able to ask other questions to find out more information if the respondent had not really given sufficient detail. However, I was mindful that the interviewer’s presence “…should not affect a respondent’s perception of a question or an answer given”, as alluded to by Babbie and Mouton (1998, p. 251). One of the ways of achieving this is to match the interviewer and respondents on several characteristics. In this regard I took the following characteristics into consideration:
• The ability to speak the home language of the respondent is essential.
• It is desirable to match their grouping, sex and age category – e.g., young interviewers may have difficulty in interviewing their elders (Babbie & Mouton, 1998, p. 251).
Fortunately I speak Zulu which allowed me to elicit information without employing an interpreter. I switched from English to isiZulu as the need arose to add clarity where there was a need. Among other disadvantages of interviews, I was mindful of the large quantities of textual data generated by interviews and therefore I audio taped the interviews. This allowed me to make verbatim transcriptions before translating them and to return to a specific point in an interview for purposes of clarification.
Moreover, I remained cognisant of the several other problems that might arise in conducting interviews. Cohen et al. (2007) warn that a number of problems should be anticipated. Ideally, these should be prevented to ensure that the interview proceeds comfortably. For example, interruptions from outside should be avoided (e.g., telephone calls, people knocking on the door) by placing a warning message on the door. Arksey and Knight (1999) further advise that the interviewer should always appear to be interested and avoid giving signs of approval or disapproval of responses received. Also, s/he should be prepared to repeat questions at the respondent’s request. To address possible challenges in this regard, I asked the schools to allow the use of the least used venue. Further, I requested respondents to switch off cell phones, repeated questions when there was a need, and I tried at all times not to bore the respondents.
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I explained the “rules of the game” as advised by Cohen et al. (2007, p. 362). I explained the purpose, scope, nature and conduct of the interview, the use to be made of the data, ethical issues, and the likely duration of the interview to the respondents. By so doing, the interviewees were left in no doubt as to what would happen during and after the interview. I also heeded Cohen et al. (2007) who caution that the researcher using interviews has to be aware that time is expensive (i.e., interviews may take up much valuable time) and that they are open to interviewer bias. Interview times may be inconvenient for respondents and the issue of interviewee fatigue may hamper the interview. Moreover, anonymity may be difficult to maintain.
The participants in the interviews were selected from three primary schools in a particular rural area. The interviewees included: the school principal, the SGB chairperson, an educator, and a parent and learner focus group per school. The choice of having parents and learners in groups was to encourage them to speak without fear or the feeling of being intimidated.
The aim of using interviews was to have interviewees speak freely and openly about their experiences with regard to the role parents played in the life of the school. For this to happen I needed to apply certain techniques, recommended by (Cohen et al., 2007) namely:
• The establishment of rapport. The interviewer should use subtle encouragement, and silence, as helpful techniques. Respondents should be given ample time to stop and think, and be provided with encouragement through the use of neutral interested facial expressions and supportive phrases.
• The interviewer must use a carefully selected vocabulary. Not only must the chosen words be clearly understood by the respondents, but they must not be ambiguous.
• Avoid loading interviews with emotion. The use of technical vocabulary may intimidate the respondent and inhibit honest answers, while using the language of the group can facilitate communication and reduce social distance.
I also used the advice of Cohen et al. (2007) by having an informal post-interview conversation with the respondents for four reasons. Firstly, these conversations helped the respondents feel satisfied with their performance and provided clearer information about the research goals.
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Secondly, they helped in directing some inhibiting elements of the interview situation and in obtaining information which was not initially offered. Thirdly, they assisted me in obtaining re- interviews and in preventing negative information from reaching other potential respondents.
Fourthly, they also aided me, as a social scientist, in retaining access to my intended research population (Cohen et al., 2007).