RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
4.2 The case study: The Distribution Division
4.3.2 Quantitative Research
4.3.2.1 Questionnaire
In this study, an online survey questionnaire (Appendix 1) was used as the primary source of data. To observe data which is beyond the physical reach of the observer, according to Patten (2016), a questionnaire is a suitable and familiar tool. Malhotra (2006) underscores this by indicating that the main means of collecting quantitative primary data is the use of a survey questionnaire, which is a formal set of questions for finding information from respondents.
Furthermore, the survey questionnaire is a preferred instrument for quantitative research and is an excellent tool for gauging attitudes and the thinking of a population (Robson and McCartan, 2016). Patten (2016) also maintains that survey questions are a means of determining and finding information regarding crucial concepts within the research framework. Questionnaires, according to Adams and Cox (2008), can be in various forms, for example, paper-based or electronic, and contain the questions respondents will be asked to complete whether by themselves or with the help of an interpreter. Moreover, according to
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Rubin and Babbie (2016), a survey questionnaire is suitable for obtaining hard evidence, such as factual or descriptive data.
Basil (2017), Leedy and Ormrod (2010), Patten (2016), Rea and Parker (2014) and Robson and McCartan (2016) describe the use of survey questionnaires as a method of obtaining the feelings, beliefs, experiences, perceptions or attitudes of a particular sample of individuals.
Additionally, this data collection instrument can be structured or unstructured (Patel and Joseph, 2016) and includes a variety of styles: closed-ended questionnaires, structured interviews and observation using data recording sheets with low design costs. This research required the administration of an online questionnaire that was completed by respondents on their own to retrieve data (based on individual perceptions, concerns and issues) pertaining to their climate change views, concerns and climate change learning in the Distribution Division. In this study, the five sections of the questionnaire moved from general issues initially to more specific issues relating to climate change learning and in the Distribution Division in the latter part of the questionnaire.
The questionnaire (Appendix 1) used in this research covered the following issues:
• Section A: Demographic Profile of Respondents A1. Place of work (OU)
A2. Department
A3. Band (employee grade)
A4. Highest level of education completed A5. Age
A6. Gender
• Section B: Attitudes to Life and Environmental Issues B1 (a). Top five issues for society at present
(b). Top five issues for industry or business in general at the moment B2. Most important environmental issues experienced by respondent presently
B3. Ranking of the importance of a range of environmental issues for the well-being of global society in general
B4. Level of understanding of climate change
B5. Personal opinion or understanding of climate change
166 B6. Concern about climate change at present
B7. The main issues of concern about climate change
B8. Identifying the main causes of climate change from a given list
B9. Any changes noticed in local area or community to indicate that the climate is changing
B10. Continent likely to be most affected by climate change B11. Continent that contributes the most to climate change
B12. Indication of changes noticed in local area which may suggest that the climate is changing
B13. View on climate change affecting South Africa
B14. Time by when climate change will likely affect South Africa
• Section C. Options for Managing Climate Change
C1. Preparedness to change behaviour to reduce contribution to climate change C2. Level of satisfaction that South Africa is doing enough to reduce climate change C3. Recommendations or suggestions if South Africa not doing enough
• Section D. Responsibility and Trust
D1. Who is responsible for making any changes to lessen the impacts of climate change?
D2. Level of agreement or disagreement on a range of climate change concerns
D3. Who to trust in making any changes needed to lessen the impacts of climate change D4. View on government policy-makers (informed by scientific experts) deciding which measures to adopt against climate change
D5. View on public involvement in deciding what should be done about climate change D6. Who to trust to provide reliable climate change information
D7. Current source of information on climate change
D8. Preferred format on climate change information from the Distribution Division
• Section E: The Distribution Division’s Climate Change Programme and Environmental Strategies
E1.Environmental impact of the Distribution Division activities
E2.Climate Change impact (effect, damage) on the Distribution Division E3.The Distribution Division’s activities contribution to the climate change
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E4.The Distribution Division’s environmental management strategies
E5.Awareness of the work the Distribution Division is doing to address climate change E6.Personal contribution to achieving the Distribution Division’s Climate Change goals
at work
E7.The Distribution Division’s efforts at addressing climate change
E8.Employees involvement in the Distribution Division’s environmental management programmes or activities.
Objective one of this research will be covered by section E of the questionnaire. Sections B, C and D covers objective two. Objective three is mainly obtained from Sections B and C of the questionnaire and objectives four and five is derived from the outcomes of the entire questionnaire as well as the literature review.
The development of the questionnaire for this study was aligned to the guidelines by Patten (2016) and Rea and Parker (2014) who suggest that:
• sentences need to be brief and clear, with simple words and that the style of questions must be suitable for the targeted respondents;
• questions must consist of only one thought or idea to reduce confusion and misinterpretation;
• questions must be relevant to the purpose of the survey and be clearly linked to specified objectives and research questions; and
• abstract concepts must be explained, as researchers must not make assumptions about the respondent’s knowledge about the subject.
These guidelines are relevant and applicable in this study as there are differences in educational levels, income, grade levels and environmental literacy across the Distribution Division.
Another important consideration when developing a questionnaire, according to Patten (2016), is that general, non-threatening questions must be asked first and more sensitive, personal questions at a later stage. The questionnaire used in this research considered these features and was structured in relation to thematic issues, namely, socio-demographic variables first, then attitudes to life and environmental issues, options for managing climate
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change, responsibility and trust, and lastly, the specific issue of the Distribution Division’s climate change programme and environmental strategies.
Bryman (2015) also recommended that a questionnaire should have a preliminary component with clear instructions. This is supported by Patten (2016) who states that such a section will enable respondents to fully understand the study and allow them to comprehensively and willingly participate or not. A letter to introduce the survey, explain the purpose and objectives of the research, the structure of the survey and the feedback mechanisms, as well as that respondents were protected by confidentiality of their responses, was communicated on the opening page of the online survey. An e-mail was also sent to all the Distribution Division employees to encourage them to participate in this survey and each OU was set a target of a minimum of sixty completed surveys per OU, to be tracked on the Distribution Division’s Monthly Environmental Performance Index.
There are usually two types of questions in a survey questionnaire: close-ended and open- ended questions. However, close-ended questions are considered as ‘forced questions’ by Patten (2016). But Tourangeau et al. (2014) are of the view that since in close-ended questions the responses are uniform and can be easily coded and processed, closed-ended questions are commonly used in the design of questionnaires. Additionally, close-ended questions also lead to consistent responses which allow systematic comparisons, as was done in this study. When all possible responses cannot be anticipated, Tourangeau et al. (2016) is of the view that open-ended questions are invaluable and that open-ended responses require that they be categorised and then coded for statistical analysis. According to Kumar (2011), open-ended questions provide a wealth of information that allows respondents to feel comfortable about expressing their opinions and in a language they are comfortable in. In alignment with the foregoing, this survey included close-ended questions (where a response is selected from a given set of responses) and open-ended questions (where respondents express their own views freely). In this study all close-ended questions, where applicable, also had a specify option to allow respondents the opportunity to add other responses to the list provided for those specific questions. Furthermore, a five-level Likert scale (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree) was used for two of the questions in the questionnaire.
169 4.3.3 Qualitative research
In addition to the use of quantitative surveys and secondary sources, this study engaged in primary data analysis through the use of focus group discussions (Appendices 3 and 4) and a number of key informant interviews (Appendix 2). There are limitations in terms of time and costs in the collection of primary data. However, validation of the quantitative data collected and hence the minimisation of the margin of error is strongly influenced by the effort put into the collection of data from focus group surveys and from individual or group interviews (Flick, 2017; Hussein, 2015).
The qualitative approach in this study involved the use of focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Also, part of the qualitative technique was the open-ended questions that were included in the structured questionnaire which was discussed in the previous sub- section. Qualitative techniques are important to ensure triangulation and, according to Neuman (2011) and Silverman (2016), such methods expand the researcher’s understanding of the issues and maximises their confidence in the findings. Additionally, the data in text form is thorough, delicate, nuanced and related to the case study, key informant interviews and the focus group discussions.