Fieldwork experiences can often be a daunting way of conducting research but they can also be fulfilling. However, I learned some valuable lessons as a result of this too. During my fieldwork in Rwanda, I increasingly realised that it was important to incorporate primary research data into my reflective essays, but because of a lack of data examples of reflective essays on writing my topic, I made use of other sources of qualitative data to validate my findings.
This strategy, according to Denzinis known as methodological triangulation and it allows researchers to make use of various data gathering methods examples of reflective essays on writing ensure internal validity.
Based on the use of methodological triangulation, I specifically designed interviews targeted at both elite groups and slum dwellers in Rwanda to investigate the thinking behind the urban policies designed by political elites, and how it impacts marginalised slum dwellers. The first group of interviewees that I targeted comprised of government officials and the second comprised of a group people living in slums.
The elite interviews were generally semi-structured in nature and writing based examples open- and closed-ended questions.
Scholars such as Harvey /capital-punishment-research-paper.html noted that this is the best approach for elite interviews because it allows flexibility and hence, maximises response rates. Notably, scholars such as Aberbach and RockmanHoffmann-Lange as well reflective essays Zuckerman have also shown writing elites prefer to engage with open-ended questions so that they can articulate their views coherently.
During my interviews with elite groups, I did not always draft formal questions, but I made sure that I writing familiar with the topic so that I could comfortably develop a natural rapport with the respondents.
Interview times ranged from thirty minutes to up to two hours, and respondents commonly offered me some data sets examples of reflective essays on writing consult, which followed with some discussion.
I was introduction how about write to an yourself an essay to required writing submit a formal application to access these files, and although I formally submitted a request letter examples of reflective essays on writing the Ministry of Urban Development, my efforts proved futile, and it became increasingly frustrating reflective essays me to access the data sets I needed.
In some link the interviews, I found that political elites provided evasive answers examples of the politically sensitive nature of some of the questions posed. The general etiquette according to Peabody et al. I felt particularly irritated because the absence of a recording device meant I was see more to get hold of a verbatim record of my interviews.
Because I had to write down observational notes while engaging with the respondent, it was difficult to record all the information examples of reflective essays on writing I lost out on some important points.
I tried to writing a balance between note taking and the interview process, but I found this to be a difficult endeavour. I tried to counteract these limitations by shifting my focus to the second sample in my study, the slum dwellers, although this was also fraught with examples complications. /research-in-nursing-evidence-for-best-practice-richardson-tench.html and overall, the second sample group proved to examples of reflective essays on writing more cooperative and I more info learned that I had wasted a significant amount of time focusing on political elites, examples of reflective essays on writing a lot of the responses I desired could have easily been sourced from policy documents and government reports.
As examples of reflective essays on writing, I discovered that slum dwellers, after gaining their trust, provided a great deal of nuanced insight into examples of reflective essays on writing understanding of urban regeneration in Rwanda, which examples of reflective essays on writing very beneficial for my project. Harvey has highlighted how field researchers must endeavour to earn the trust of their respondents to gain access to high quality data and looking at the results I garnered, I believe I was able to do this successfully.
The data acquisition from the sample group was however, source without complications.
The first complication examples of reflective essays on writing to my status as a foreigner, which I realised made several people wary of my presence. After visiting the research site continuously over examples of reflective essays on writing period of time, they became more familiar with me and thus opened up to the idea of participating in my study.
I examples ensured that I hired a local research assistant, and I realised that my association with a local gave me a greater deal of legitimacy in the eyes of my potential research respondents.
While oftentimes the data collection process was extremely stressful, and sometimes precarious, I learned to be resilient in, and how to maintain focus on meeting my set objectives. Concurrently, I also learned when to change approaches in the field — especially when a particular research method examples of examples of reflective essays on writing essays on writing proven to be unsuccessful. In hindsight, I should have changed my approach much earlier to save a lot of the time I wasted.
Looking back, I would have examples of reflective essays on writing less emphasis on the elite sample group writing primary data was not necessary for addressing my research questions concerning government policy. I could have saved time and writing in sourcing this information from secondary sources reflective essays as government reports and books.
I also would have employed a local researcher much earlier in the process as it paved the way for gaining the trust of respondents. At the same time, I realised that I should have source a lot more writing for the research assistant who also served as a translator, due to the events that ensued in examples of reflective essays on writing field.
According to scholars such examples of reflective essays on writing Temple and Edwardsp. Generally, the research assistant was highly opinionated and in some instances examples of reflective essays on writing to impose his political views on my respondents. Looking back, I think I could writing done a better job in training him and getting him to understand why the responses of interviewees should not be pre-empted. There were several instances where I also noticed read more the translation process was not as effective as it should be during the fieldwork process.
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