4. METHODOLOGY
4.1. Qualitative methods
Qualit ati ve analysis is by some regarded as an art rath er than a science, as qualit ati ve researc h and analysis as oppose d to quantitative research is less positi vistic and requires minimum forms of mea sur em ent techniques (Kitchen & Tate , 2000). Maykut and Moreh ou se (1994) describe q uali tative research as using a hu man (the researcher) as the
mam instrument fo r data collec tio n and ana lysis . One of the main alms becom es to rem ain objective and neutralinboth the collec tio nofdata and its ana lysis.
The marn objects for qualitati ve research are human expe riences and situations . Qualit ati ve research can be described as readin g of or atte mpting to under stand a situatio n in a way that sho uld pro vide significa nt for those invol ved in the specific situatio n(Maykut & Mor eh ouse, 1994).
Maykut and Moreh ou se (199 4) present an eight ste p set of charac teri stics of qualit ati ve research:
1. An exploratoryand descriptive[ocus.
Quali tati ve research is often used as the method of study ing a socia l pheno men on using de scripti vequestion s.The research beco mes an interpretat ion ofdescription.
2. Emerg entdesign.
As oppose to quantitative research , qual itati ve research is less strict during data coll ecti on , usin g a much mor e flexible approa c h. One examp le is the sample of key inter vieweeswhich in this study in man y situa tions eme rge d from pre viou sly inter view ed peopl e.Issu es identi fied inthe early phases of datacollecti on can be adj usted throughout the data collect ion and research process by asking an addition al and slightly different range of question s due to suppleme nta ry inter estin g issu es eme rg ing. Pre viou sly unimport ant documents might becom e releva n t to the study in light of new informati on obtai ned throu gh qualitative data collec tion or ana lysis . This fact can either broade n or narro wthe aims and/orobjectivesof theongoi ng study.
3. Apurposi ve samp le
The purpose of the sample is to include participant s (interviewees) with different views of a situa tion. Vari et y is mor e import an t than quant ity. In man y cases parti cipant s also represents various eleme nts of a situatio n. An exa mple of this is that one of the parti cip ant s works as a divemaster , but does recreati on al fishing and surfing in his spare
time, thus covering severa l views and aspects ofthe case study. Anoth er example is the leader of the local ski-boat club who is both a recreational fisherman and diver. The owne rof a charter fishin g operation also owns four boats used forcomm ercial fishing in the area.
4. Data collection inthenaturalsetting
Qualit ati ve research is the atte mpt to understand people' s expenences 10 contex t by investigatinga given place as aresearcher and to talkin gto people in their settingor area. The research automatica llyevolves intoa combina tionofobse rvationof a setting and its different featur es in addition to the registra tion of opinionsgained fro m the people in the particul ar setting . This result s in a broader and more comprehensive understanding of a phenomen on .
5.Emphasis on human-a s-in strum ent
The researcher canactas an instrument to observe orcapturesituations or phen omen on' s which are impossible to register with tradit ional quantitati ve data collection. The researcher himsel f or herself as an obse rver there fore becomes an instrument for data collectio nand analysis. Theresearch er mustbeflexible butobjec tive.
6.Qualitative methods ofda tacollection
Qualit ative research captures people' s words and actions. Examples oftypical meth ods are observation, in-depth interviews, and the collectio n of relevant docum ent s, group inter views,photos andfield notes.
7.Earlyandongoing inductivedata ana lysis
Qualitati ve research is on-go ing with no clearly contras ted end, and it is possibl e to keep adding to the data collection (as in emerge nt design). The main focus is usuall y not guided by the researcher , but by the particip ants and what emerges to be of import ance for a spec ific situationor peopl e.This might lead to either a broadenin g or narrowing of the origina laimofthe study.
8. Acasestudy approachto reportin gresearch outcomes
Case studies are often the most con structi ve means of presenting qualitative data and analysis of an area or socia l situation. A case study is descripti ve and explains to the reader the different aspects of the case.A case study can be as long as abook , or as short as a page or an article. However , the case study must provide the reader with enough information tobe understandable,usable and comparablewith other case studies .
A potentially negati ve aspectof conductingcase studies can be that theparticipantsin the research could potentiallybe offended if people and their livesare made into "cases".It is import ant to emphas ise that the use of the word "case" is referring to the setting or situatio n, notthe person.
The qualitati vemeth ods used in this study were chosen because theywereconsid ered the most useful for obtaining the most rele vant data for the purpose ofthe study according to itsaim and objectives.