4.4 Data Collection Methods
4.4.4 Sampling
This study has followed the standard process of choosing research participants. Nachmias and Nachmias (1982:294) warn that, ―it is impractical to interview all possible respondents.‖ This means that researchers have to select participants from the entire population. In order to respond to this requirement, quantitative researchers randomly choose a sample which is statistically representative of the whole population (:294-299). In forming such sample, their aim is to generalise results of the study on the whole population (Durrheim, 2006:49). In qualitative research, however, which is the case for the present study, a representative sample is not critical.
According to Rossman and Rallis (2012:137), this is because qualitative researchers are interested in depth, unlike quantitative researchers who are interested in breadth. They rather ensure that they choose people whose characteristics are significant for the study (Williams, 2003:82), that they capture the process or meaning of people about the research phenomenon (Hesse-Biber and Leavy, 2011:45), and that research findings are transferable (Durrheim, 2006:49).
Therefore, in this study, not all the members of the FMCSA were interviewed. A few people were identified with the intention of seeking an in-depth understanding of their attitude and concrete response to HIV and AIDS. In this regard, discourses present a range of methods of selecting participants in qualitative research (Williams, 2003:73-86; Durrheim, 2006:49-51;
Rossman and Rallis, 2012:138). But for this study, only three were used: purposive sampling, snowball sampling, and convenience sampling. As Durrheim (2006:50), William (2006), and Nachmias and Nachmias (1981:299) explain, participants in purposive sampling (or judgement
56 See statistics in section 4.2.
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sampling according to Hesse-Biber and Leavy, 2011:45) are determined before they are chosen and this choice is based on theoretical reasons. In this study purposive sampling in selecting geographical areas, church leaders, first circuits, and the gender of participants was employed.
With regard to geographical areas, decisions on two levels were taken. On the first level, the study was to be located in the FMSKZN. Four reasons guided this choice. One reason was the accessibility of the data, as the researcher was a full-time student at the University of KwaZulu- Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus and member of the FMC‘s leadership in Pietermaritzburg. In conducting the study in the FMSKZN, there was the advantage of easy access to key people and written resources, and of reducing the cost for travel, accommodation and food during the fieldwork. The other reason for selecting the FMSKZN was the long presence of this Church in SKZN. In South Africa, the FMC started in SKZN in 1890 (Lamson, 1951:119-120) and is currently the strongest of the five Free Methodist regions (FMCSA, 2011). This region reflects the image of the FMCSA more effectively than others in which the Church expanded later. The third reason concerns the high rate of gender-based violence and HIV in the KZN Province. In some Christian communities in this Province, Phiri (2000:106; 2002:22) found that domestic violence was in 100% of the households which formed her sample.57 Since gender-based violence is one of the factors of the spread of HIV and AIDS in South Africa (Onyejekwe, 2004), the research was located in the region where its impact was most deeply felt.
The second level of decision in choosing geographical areas was made in selecting research communities within the FMSKZN. This was to ensure that the study would include different communities of this region. The geographical area was thus divided into three communities, namely, Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Port Shepstone, which were included in the research.
In selecting church leaders, all levels of leadership were purposively included. There were two targets in each circuit, the senior minister or assistant pastor on the one hand, and the lay member counted among leadership such as board member or programme director on the other.
At this level, the objective was to interview three leaders in each circuit. In addition, the Superintendent of the FMSKZN and the Bishop of the FMCSA were also included. The oldest circuits within each of the three communities were intentionally included to capture information from the context which reflects most of the features of the Church. In Port Shepstone community, it was Fairview where the first Free Methodist missionaries in South Africa started
57 In Chapter 1, I have shown that there is high rate of HIV in this KwaZulu-Natal Province (see also Republic of South Africa, Statistic Service 2006:4)
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their work in 1890 (Burritt, n.d.:44; Lamson, 1951:119). In the Durban Community, the oldest circuit is Umlazi. In the Pietermaritzburg community, there was no choice because it is composed of one circuit, the UFMC. With regard to selecting the gender of participants, both males and females in each category of participants from every circuit were included in order to hear both voices on HIV and AIDS and the response of the Church.
The other method used to select participants is snowball sampling. Hall and Hall (1996:113) and Williams (2003:81) explain that snowball sampling is used when it is impossible or difficult to identify beforehand all the people who fall into the categories required. The researcher starts with a few people available and gets them to refer him/her to others they think fall into these categories and may be approached. This method has been used to choose second circuits within Durban and Port Shepstone communities and the caregivers in all the circuits. In choosing these circuits, participants provided information from the first circuits purposively selected. Therefore, Hibberdene in Port Shepstone and Clermont (and KwaMashu) in Durban were included in the study. Three caregivers per circuit were selected based upon recommendation from the Church leaders.
The last method followed in selecting participants is convenience sampling. For Hall and Hall (1996:115) and Williams (2003:81), researchers who employ this method choose participants where it is possible to do so at the time of research. This method was used here to select ordinary church members. Therefore, in collaboration with church leaders, the study was announced during the Church services and people were invited to participate. Participants from those who met the required expectations of the study were selected.
Therefore, by means of these three sampling methods, 32 people were identified and interviewed individually, of whom 17 were church leaders and 15 were caregivers. Eight focus groups were organised, of which 4 were with adults and 4 with the youth. Table 3 provides the details of the coverage of the sample in each category of participants per community.
Table 3: The Sample Covered by the Study
Community Structural Level Interviews FGD Total
Sessions Ch. Leader Care Giver Youth Adult
Port Shepstone/Fairview Circuit 3 3 1 [8] 1 [8] 8
Port Shepstone/Hibberdene Circuit 3 3 1 [6] 1 [10] 8
Durban/Umlazi Circuit 3 3 1 [4] 1 [6] 8
Durban/Clermont+KwaMashu Circuit 3 3 1 [6] 7
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Community Structural Level Interviews FGD Total
Sessions Ch. Leader Care Giver Youth Adult
Pietermaritzburg/UFMC Circuit 3 3 1 [8] 7
Southern KwaZulu-Natal Annual Conf. 1 1
Southern Africa General Conf. 1 1
Total 17 15 4 [26] 4 [30] 40
Expected Sample 17 15 5 5 42
Coverage (% ) 100 100 80 80 95.2
Legend: FGD: Focus Group Discussion; Ch. Leader: Church Leader; [Number in brackets]: Size of focus the group; Conf.: Conference
This table shows that the study reached only 95.2% of the expected sample. This was due to the challenge to organize focus groups with the youth from Clermont and KwaMashu and with adults from Pietermaritzburg. Concerning Clermont and KwaMashu, church members of these circuits advised that they did not have youth members. This information emerged from one FGD as follow:
Interviewer : What do you think the Church is failing to do in the area of HIV and AIDS?
Participants : [Silence] Like in the youth we can‟t say anything because there are no youth in KwaMashu [and Clermont.].
Interviewer : Where are your children?
Participants : That is our weakness. Even if you want to talk they stay at home. They don‟t go to Church. It‟s only the old ladies. [Laughter] and we are young. You see us here, we are the youngest.
This was a focus group for adults Clermont/KwaMashu. It was formed with women aged between 50 and 60 and they were claiming to be the youngest members. Their local church had no young men or women present at the time of this interview.58
Concerning Pietermaritzburg (UFMC) circuit, most of the adults were also church leaders and caregivers and were interviewed individually. This affected the required size of the focus group because there were no other members available. This void however, did not affect the results of the present study.
58 The tendency of linking HIV and AIDS with the youth as if adult people are not concerned is also expressed in some other interviews. However, I did not analyse it because it was not falling in the lines of the main focus of this study.
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