Chapter Five
5.4 Choice of instruments
5.4.1. The live questionnaire
The in-depth structured questionnaire was chosen as it was thought to be an appropriate measure that would give respondents enough time to think over the questions and allowthem enough time to supplement their responses with additional comment. The questionnaire constitutes a valid measure of theoretical concepts in this study after thorough information gathering from various other sources. This was in an effort to find common ground that would give an overall picture of what issues to be considered with regard to language policy formulation, particularly for under communication and in
the choice of media for effective classroom instruction.
It was also envisaged that the questionnaire would be based on Issues or possible factors regarded as pertinent to the study as supported and directed by the literature reviews in chapters two (on the theories of language planning) and chapter four (on attitudes in language choice, preference and usage). The literature study and the consultations with the various bodies prior to the construction of the questionnaire made the task a little more comfortable. The quality of the questionnaire was further improved through circulation for comment among colleagues, educationists and others m relevant organisations in language use, language learning and teaching at both regional and national levels.
To ensure an acceptable level of validity, the following steps were taken:
I. The literature review was used to consolidate and integrate ideas and issues presented by a variety of authorities into a questionnaire that could not only be applied in the context of this study, but one which could also be an approach that is pragmatic enough for application elsewhere. For example, while being specific to this study, the questionnaire that was finally designed considered and incorporated some of the questions in studies carried out in South Africa and
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Zimbabwe among black communities. These questions were largely related to the issue of language choice and preference.
11. The draft questionnaire was rigorously checked for interpretation by experienced colleagues, language practitioners, educationists and the supervisor to synthesise the draft prior to the writing up of the final one.
The consideration of the live questionnaire as one measure to be employed had to take into account the understanding that anyone instrument of gathering data through interaction with human beings has been found to be fraught with problems. This was because human nature and behaviour are at times unreliable, and often, at variance with each other.
The inherent weakness of the questionnaire must also be acknowledged.
There are often two methods of collecting data through the questionnaire.
First, there is the mailed questionnaire which is self-administered. This was not used in this study for logistical reasons but particularly as it is time- consuming. It all depends on when the respondents feel they should mail back the questionnaires to the researcher. Second, there is the combination of scheduled interviews supplemented with the questionnaire. This measure is specifically selected where, for example, not much terrain is covered and where the size of the sample can be relatively managed. This was chosen where both the interviewer and interviewee talk through the questionnaire.
Besides, this approach enhances the quality of feedback from the interviewees which is beneficial to the study as the response is almost spontaneous. Here questions can immediately be expanded upon or verified by the interviewer where responses seem somewhat doubtful or in event of misunderstandings or lack of clarity between the interviewer and interviewee.
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In addition to this technique being time-consuming, it has other shortcomings.
These include the suspicions the respondents might have and the overall relationship between the interviewer and the respondent.In spite of this, it seemed an efficient way of gathering data for this study, and hence its choice.
With the assistance from the information obtained from other reference groups as well as from issues emanating from the literature review, the measuring instrument was developed to ensure the quality of content, context and its overall coherence. The instrument was constructed with the research objectives in mind as it is a scientific instrument for the measurement of a population sample. Thus in the construction of the questionnaire, consideration was given to the following specific issues:
• the type of information sought;
• the type of questionnaire to be used;
• the administration of the instrument;
• the content of individual questionnaire;
• the number of questions to be asked;
• the manner in which the questions had tobe sequenced, and finally
• the revisions required.
Before the face-to-face administration of the questionnaire, respondents were given the questionnaire well in advance. The purpose was to enable them to think about appropriate answers to the questions. Besides, this put them at ease and thus possibly dispelled feelings of being unduly overworked and taken unaware by the interviewer. This strategy ensured quality ofthe responses through inclusivity rather than exclusivity. This is in view of the fact that the present study affected not only the lives of the selected respondents, but also their countrymen; it also touched on the larger use of indigenous languages particularly at regional and national levels.
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5.4.2 The consultation measure
One other measure that IS open to socio-psychologists and applied sociolinguists IS the consultation measure. Before designing and administering the questionnaire on the respondents, wide consultations are held with selected members of the public, both professionals and the ordinary citizens.In this study consultations included discussions held with senior officials in the Ministry of Education. The purpose of consulting them was to find out what education policy is in place, how it is implemented and how effective it is from their perspective. It was also to establish opinions for and against the language policy. In essence, this was to establish whether language learning and teaching materials in the respective indigenous languages were being carried out effectively in each of the three regions, given the availability of appropriate learning and teaching materials.
Consultations were also held with academics, particularly those involved in materials production and those in developing orthographies. This was to fmd out if the development of dictionaries, grammar books and orthographies was in all languages or just one of the selected three or four.
Again, it was to find out whether indeed this was being carried out or it was mere political rhetoric.
Views were also sought from language practitioners in publishing houses on issues such as the quality, quantities and varieties of texts and other learning and teaching materials available in indigenous languages. Officials in the print media were also consulted to establish the number of indigenous languages that are used in newspapers for mass communication at regional and national levels, and how frequently these indigenous languages appear. in print media, in comparison with English dailies as well as weekend papers.
In addition to the informal consultations interviews were held with members of the general public, especially parents from different etlmolinguistic backgrounds, on what they felt should be the language(s) of instruction for
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their children both in early education and in institutuions of higher learning, as well as their choice of languages for mass communication. Learners at different levels - primary, secondary and tertiary - were also consulted on the same Issues.
These consultations came first and the outcome formed the foundation on which the questionnaire content would be based.
Central to this approach of wide, informal and diverse consultations was the realisation that the research was being conducted at a critical stage, four years after the country's first ever democratic election, since it attained independence. This election was held in May, 1994. Between 1964 -1994, people would not be interviewed or consulted on indigenous languages as one language had already been decreed as the sole national language for mass communication. At the time these consultation'S were made there was thus considerable amount of freedom from people of different ethnolinguistic backgrounds to express their feelings about the status and choice of languages for different purposes regionally and nationally. A lot of care and diligence had to be taken into account to decipher respondents' preferences as others tended to be somewhat emotional and biased. Some attempt therefore had to be made to maintain a factual balance that gave the study the opportunity to explore options from a neutral perspective, thereby enhancing the content of the data gathered.
A common problem with wide consultation is that is it very time- consuming and this 'Study was a victim in this regard. In spite of this, it cannot be overemphasized that the diverse consultations that were carried out both formally and informally with a broad spectrum of respondents eventually added a considerable measure of confidence in the objectivity of consultation and of the results.
III