3. 6. Data collection
methods and instruments
The information from the primary data was obtained through a
structured questionnaire and an interview schedule and documentary search was
applied as to obtain secondary data.
3.6.1. Questionnaire
Kenneth D. Bailey (1987: 93) defines questionnaire as a list
of questions generally mailed or handed to the respondents and filled in by her
with no help to the interviewer. The questionnaire contained both open and
closed ended questions were addressed to the respondents. With open-ended
questions were kept to the minimum so as to enable the respondents to focus on
aspect of the research. With open -ended questions, the respondents had to
give personal responses or opinions in their own words whereas with close-ended
questions, respondents were given different alternatives to choose from.
According to Kendall (1992:135), a questionnaire is
information guttering technique that gathers information about; attitudes,
beliefs, behaviors and characteristics from several respondents in the
enterprise, who may be affected by a given phenomenon or system.
The whole process of distributing questionnaires was as
follows: the researcher first contacted the managing director of the enterprise
about the issue before the process started. At this stage, researcher gave the
manager a pre-test questionnaire to fill. This helped researcher to test the
understandability of the respondents in relation to questions asked. By the
help of pre-tests, the researcher was able to identify the gaps in the
questionnaire and made corrections where necessary.
After the pre-test questionnaires were collected and necessary
corrections made, questionnaires were distributed to the respondents for
filling. The questionnaire distribution protocol in the enterprise was
organized in a way that facilitated the process of collecting them.
Here the researcher deliberately selected few of the staff
members only from the enterprise and some of the population around it; to whom
the questionnaires were given for both distribution and collection after being
filled out. In a few cases, the researcher had to be personally present to aid
the respondents' complete questions.
The advantages of close- ended questions are that the answers
are standard, and can be compared from person to person. Therefore, are much
easier to code and analyze; and often can be coded from the questionnaire,
saving time and money. Further, the respondent was often clear about the
meaning of the question and could often tell the answer for what was
demanded.
3. 6. 2. Interview Schedule
According to Bailey (1978:93) an interview is an instrument
that is not given directly to the respondents, but is filled in by an
interviewer who reads the questions to the respondent. In case where the
researcher had access to the respondents, she interviewed them and responses
were filled in the interview schedule.
For better organization of the interview exercise,the
researcher madeappointments with the respondents in order to have access to
them.
During the interview process, the researcher had a list of
questions that she read to the respondent' s responses, the researcher prepared
a separate schedule as this would later facilitate the coding process.
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