According to Bless, Higson-Smith, & Kagee (2008) data collection is an organised gathering of information which is applicable to the research topic. Different techniques are used in the collection of data such as interviews, questionnaires, surveys, focus groups, observations and case studies (Bless et al., 2008). Kothari (2004) stated that when dealing with research problems it is vital for researchers to collect and analyse appropriate data that will identify remedies to the research problem.
According to Kothari (2004) data can be collected in the following ways:
(i) Observation: This technique implies the gathering of information by way of researcher‟s personal observation. Respondents are not interviewed (Kothari, 2004). Through observation, data is gathered pertaining to the current happenings. Observation is not concerned with the past or the future attitudes or behaviours of the respondents (Kothari, 2004). This method is costly, and the information obtained from this method is limited. This type of method is not suitable when investigating a large sample (Kothari, 2004).
(ii) Telephone interviews: This technique involves the interviewer contacting the respondents via the telephone. This technique is not popular but is vital in industrial surveys in developed countries, especially when there are time constraints to gather the data (Kothari, 2004).
(iii) Mailing questionnaires: In this technique, the respondents and the researcher do not come into contact. The respondents are mailed the questionnaire and are requested to return immediately after completion (Kothari, 2004). This
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technique is mostly used in business surveys. A pilot study is conducted to check the validity of the questionnaire and to address any shortfalls within the questionnaire, if any (Kothari, 2004).
(iv) Schedules: In this technique an enumerator is employed and trained to collect data. The enumerator is given specific questions (schedules) for the data collection process; the enumerator conducts the data collection using these questions (Kothari, 2004). These schedules are answered by respondents. The enumerators are responsible for the participation of the respondents.
Occasional field checks are done to make sure that the enumerators work was done accordingly (Kothari, 2004).
(v) Personal interview: The researcher follows a planned procedure to seek the answers to set questions through the use of personal interviews (Kothari, 2004). This technique of gathering data is conducted in an organised way, the output from the interview is largely dependent on the interviewer (Kothari, 2004). According to Thomas (2010) interviews are used to collect information through a verbal approach using pre-arranged questions. Yin (2009) stated that interviews are the most vital source of information in case study evidence where directed conversations are conducted.
The primary data for this study was collected using face-to-face in-depth interviews. In-depth interviews were used to explore the beliefs, opinions, and experiences of the research participants. According to Johnson & Christensen (2012) in-depth interviews allow the respondents to elaborate on their answers and for the researcher to get in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. Similarly, Malhotra (2016) added that personal in-depth interviews are unswerving and subjective, they involve a interaction with a single person with the aim of revealing principal motivations, opinions, and attitudes on a specific topic (Malhotra, 2016).
The reason the researcher choose to use in-depth interviews instead of other qualitative data collection methods was because more information could be shared by the participants. The in-depth interviews assisted the researcher to answer the research questions for this study.
Participants were able to expand and emphasize details that were crucial to this study (Sekaran & Bougie, 2016). This flexible method enabled the researcher to probe questions further and to get more information from the respondents. A detailed interview guide is
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presented in Appendix B. According to Malhotra (2016) interviews can be structured, semi- structured, or unstructured.
3.13.1. Structured interviews
This type of interview has prearranged questions; these questions are clear, short and straight to the point (Thomas, 2010). These questions are not open-ended but closed-ended , meaning that the answers are precise. This method is simple to conduct, questions can be standardised to all participants so that the same questions are asked to all the participants (Thomas, 2010).
In agreement with Thomas (2010), Stuckey (2013) indicated that in structured interviews the researcher follows a specified routine of asking a pre-planned set of questions in a prearranged order with limited response categories. Questions asked in this type of interview are similar to job interview questions, as all participants are asked the same questions to create consistency (Stuckey, 2013).
3.13.2. Semi-structured interviews
According to Thomas (2010) a semi-structured interview method uses both an unstructured and a structured process and they use both open- and closed-ended questions. This method is advantageous as it has both interview methods (Thomas, 2010). For the sake of consistency in the interviews, the interviewer has pre-arranged questions used as a guideline for all participants. During the interview the interviewer allows the interviewee to elaborate and to share more insights into the subject matter (Thomas, 2010). According to Stuckey (2013), in a semi-structured interview, the interviewee creates the framework for the topics to be covered and the responses of the participants determine the outcome of the interview process.
Semi-structured interviews were adopted for this study; the questions were both predetermined and open-ended. The process of collecting data began after the researcher‟s ethical clearance had been approved. The interview process took four weeks; each interview was forty-five minutes per participant. Thus, the data collection method that was adopted for this study enabled the researcher to identify the Project Management challenges in the Msunduzi EPWP clearing project.
3.13.3. Unstructured interviews
This type of interview has open-ended questions meaning that the interviewer and the interviewee engage in a brainstorming discussion about a specific topic (Thomas, 2010). The
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interviewee is able to give opinions freely regarding the topic and the interviewer and interviewee are equally responsible for the direction the interview takes (Thomas, 2010).
3.13.4. Focus group interviews
Tong, Sainsbury, & Craig (2007) defined focus groups as semi-structured questions with groups of four to twelve people that come together and discuss particular topics. The moderator gives the group a topic and focal questions, while the participants answer them individually but are given an opportunity to discuss and interact with the other group members (Tong et al., 2007). This method is done so that the participants can interact and share their perspectives (Tong et al., 2007).
According to Thomas (2010) focus group interviews are less organised compared to the other interview groups discussed above. The reason for this is because it is very challenging to have structure in a group setting; however, rich data can be presented through interaction between the numerous individuals. For example, delicate matters that could have been overlooked in individual interviews may be discussed more comfortably in a group environment (Thomas, 2010). Within a group individuals are able to develop and communicate concepts they wouldn‟t have expressed on their own (Thomas, 2010).
According to Shneiderman & Plaisant (2005) this kind of interview method is conducted after individual interviews have been done to further explore observations from individuals (Shneiderman & Plaisant, 2005). Saunders et al., (2009:96) defined focus groups as “non- standardised dialogues conducted with two people or more”.