0.2 Research design and methodology  (Page 4/6)

Rosnow and Rosenthal further emphasise that the pilot test be carried out with a small number of participants to ensure that the procedure and instructions are clear and to identify problems that were likely to be encountered during the focus group interviews proper. The pilot test was undertaken with three focus groups from Circuit A – in order to make any modifications to the instrument prior to the research proper.

Data collection

Focus group interviews were conducted in the nine schools indicated in figure 6. The target population comprised of the principal, the treasurer (or parent if the treasurer was not a parent) and educator (if the treasurer was a parent). According to Cohen, et al (2007; 376) focus groups are a form of group interview … the reliance is on the interaction within the group who discuss the topic supplied by the researcher yielding a collective rather than an individual view – from the interaction of the group data may emerge that will represent the views of the participants rather than the agenda of the interviewer.

Figure 6 – Sampled Schools

Source: Ethekwini Municipality

According to Patton (1989; 107) the fundamental principle of qualitative interviewing is to provide a framework within which respondents can express their own understandings in their own terms. Saidman (1991; 00) points out that interviewing is one of the best instruments for qualitative data generation. This viewpoint is supported by many of the authors of qualitative research methodology including Rogers and Bouey in MacKenzie and Knipe (2006; 143) who state that without a doubt the most utilised data collection method in qualitative research is the interview. One of the greatest advantages of the interview is flexibility – according to Patton (1989; 57) the researcher is allowed flexibility to explore unanticipated topics as they are discovered.

Many of the ardent proponents of qualitative research methodology classify qualitative research interviews into three types viz. structured interviews, unstructured interviews and semi-structured interviews. Arguably the most widely interview type used is the semi-structured interview. Semi-structured interviews are sometimes referred to as guided interviews – the guides or probes allow the researcher to develop “areas of inquiry” during the interview and display the following strengths:

• the guides or probes increase the comprehension by respondents making data collection systematic
• all respondents answer the same questions thus increasing comparability
• the interviews remain fairly conversational and situational
• flexibility allows for “logical gaps” in the data to be anticipated and closed

This research study made use of the semi-structured interview method of data collection. The questions were divided into ten themes [Annexure C]and administered in nine schools to twenty seven respondents; this implies three respondents per school. Wilkinson and Birmingham (2003; 00) state that the interview process should be planned in three phases namely (i) setting up the interview and finding the participants according to the overall research design; (ii) conducting and recording the interviews and (iii) reflecting on the interviews and analysing and interpreting the data.