Qualitative research has its origin from anthropology, sociology and the humanities. Various books have been written on different aspects with regard to qualitative research. Clandin and Connelly (2000) wrote about what narrative research do. Monstakas (1994) looked at the philosophical tenets and stages to be followed of the phenomenological method in qualitative research.Wolcott (1990) summarised ethnographic procedures and many faces and research strategies of ethnography which is another type of qualitative research. Stake (1995) and Yin (2009, 2012) gave steps to be followed when carrying out case study research. The present study is more of a narrative research which entails a lot of ethnographic procedures in soliciting data from the participants.
Narrative research involves research into human experiences and in most cases it requires the researcher to interrogate some of the participants to give their own life narratives. Riessman in Creswell (2014:72) says, “Narrative research is a design of inquiry from the humanities in which the researcher studies the lives of individuals and asks one or more individuals to provide stories about their lives”.In the case of the present study, individuals will be asked how they feel towards having gendered names and the namers will also be asked the motives for giving children such names. The information got from participants concerned will then be used to write a narrative chronology about personal names in as far as they reflect the gender status of the name bearer. Riessman in Creswell (2014:76) says, “The narrative combines views from the participant’s life with those of the researcher’s in a collaborative narrative”.
This research with its qualitative nature uses phenomenological approach to get indepth information on personal names. Moustakas, (1994:46) says, “Phenomenological research is a design of inquiry coming from philosophy and psychology in which the researcher describes the lived experiences of individuals about a phenomenon as described by participants”. This
99 narrative usually results in a lot of information coming from different people who will have gone through the same experience. This design has a strong philosophical underpinnings and typically involves conducting interviews.This research design requires the researcher to conduct interviews as a way of soliciting information.
When carrying out a research on ethnographic studies like the present study, the qualitative approach is regarded as the best design. This study took a qualitative approach which allowed for the holistic investigation of the Zezuru personal names at six schools in Buhera South. The study took this approach because the researcher was concerned mainly with analysing, describing and interpreting Zezuru personal names as they reflect the gender status of the name bearers.
The qualitative approach was also considered appropriate for this study because the researcher wants to investigate the circumstances surrounding these names. It centred mostly on describing and analysing Zezuru personal names in Buhera South. The reasons for giving gendered names will also be analysed. The approach will also allow the researcher to closely look at the personal names and come up with best explanations with regard to the motives behind giving people such names. A study of this nature this which looks at practises that prevail such as naming, particularly requires a research design that takes into consideration the real life context of the phenomenon to be investigated hence the preference for the qualitative research design.
Those who advocates for the qualitative research approach argue the dead hand of numbers and statistics was no way to understand anything significant about people and their problems (Mamvura 2014:125).Qualitative research is mainly concerned with providing explanations for social phenomena such as that of naming and gender. In this endeavour qualitative research tries to explain the social world in which people live and how things are the way they are (Moustakas 1994). Mamvura (2014:124) says, “Qualitative research concentrates on the qualities of human behaviour, that is, qualitative aspects not quantitatively measurable aspects of human behaviour”.
In carrying out qualitative research, the researcher is the main research instrument because objectivity is defined in qualitative approaches as gaining trust, establishing rapport with the view to generate truth and credible inter-subjectivity (Babbie and Mouton, 2002). Qualitative
100 research designs locate the researcher at the centre of the research as a “key instrument”, (Creswell, 2009). Qualitative social research methods are preferred ahead of quantitative research methods because of the following characteristics which best suit the current research as advanced by http://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/the-role-of-organisational- theory-psychology-essays-php; quoted in Mamvura (2014).
Findings are presented in non-numerical form where little or no use of numerical data or statistical analysis will be employed. In the present study most of the data will be presented in prose form. Thus, most if not all the information will be explained.
An inductive logic is used starting with data collection from which theoretical ideas and concepts,
The design of the research emerges as the research is carried out and is flexible throughout the whole process,
The social world is viewed as a creation of the people involved. Reality is subjective,
Contexts are seen as important. There is a need to understand phenomena in their setting,
It is ideographic because it aims to understand the meanings people attach to everyday life,
Considers that the whole is more is than the sum, and
Captures and discovers meaning once the researcher becomes immersed in the data.
Creswell (2014, Hatch 2002, and Marshall and Rossman 2011) give what they regard as the major characteristics of a qualitative research design. These characteristics are:
Natural setting: Thus, in qualitative research the researcher collects data from the site were participants in the research are found and are fully aware problem being researched. In this nature of research information is gathered directly from the people who have first hand information about the research. Information is collected by communicating directly to people and watching them behaving and acting within their context and this is the main attribute of qualitative research. In the present study, the researcher will be asking the bearers of Shona gendered names and the namers in their natural setting with the aim of finding out how they feel for having such names.
Researcher is the key instrument: In qualitative research the researcher collects data by himself or herslf through examining documents, observing behaviour or interviewing participants. He or she may use a protocol as an instrument for collecting data but the researcher wiil be the one who actually gathers the information. In this the researcher
101 will analyse the Zezuru personal names with the aim of finding out how the meanings of these names relate to gender.
Multiple sources of data: Researchers usually use several sources of data, such as interviews, observations, documents, and audiovisual information rather than rely on a single data source. The researcher will then reviews all data, make sense of it, and organise it into themes for easy analysis.
Inductive and deductive data analysis: When analysing data qualitative researchers need to establish patterns and themes which make it easy when analysing the data. This inductive process illustrates working back and forth between the themes and the data base until the researcher has established a comprehensive set of themes. In the present study, the researcher established themes based on Shona people’s view with regard to the concept of gender and how these views are reflected in their personal names.
Through deductive approach, the researchers then looks back at the data from the themes and try toassess if there is need for more evidence to support each theme.
Participants’ meanings: The researcher when carrying out the research must depend on the meaning given by the participants about the problem or issue not his or her meaning or meaning derived from texts in the literature review. In the present research, the researcher is going to look at what the participants mean when they talk about gender and how they reflect their views on gender through their personal names.
Emergent design: The research design for qualitative research needs not to be regid.The original plan for the research may need to be changed when one is on the field depending with what will be required in the field.Thus, there might be need to alter some of your questions, forms of data collection may change and sites to be visited may need to be altered as well depending on the situation on the field. The key idea behind qualitative research is to learn about the problem or issue from participants and to address the research to obtain that information.
Reflexivity: Qualitative researchers are expected to divulge how their personal backgrounds, culture and their experiences may influence their interpretations and meaning of the data which they will be dealing.Thus, usually the background of researchers has a huge bearing in shaping the direction of the research.
Holistic account: In qualitative research, researchers are expected to be thorough in every respect during the period of data gathering.Creswell (2014:184-186) says,
“Qualitative researchers try to develop a complex picture of the problem or issue under
102 study. This involves reporting multiple perspectives, identifying the many factors involved in a situation, and generally sketching the larger picture that emerges”. In the present study, there might be many factors that influence the process of personal naming and gender is definitely one of them. The present study will then look at how gender comes into play when choosing the name of a new-born baby.