Methodology
The purpose of this research study is to explore the professional prospects of illicit drug use among the homeless population.
Research Design
The research study employed a qualitative research method, which used semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. The study will explore sensitive phenomena such as homeless and illicit drug use. Qualitative interviews are more suitable for this study as the topic of study is quite sensitive. It is better to explain by using a qualitative research design rather than a quantitative one, as quantitative research techniques will only provide the statistics of homeless people using illicit drugs, but their experiences of being homeless and their reasons for using illicit drugs could be explored better with interviews. That’s why a qualitative research design was used in this research study.
Data Collection
Data collection comprised a one-off qualitative semi-structured interview with four caseworkers from the Northampton Association for Accommodation for Single Homeless (NAASH).
Importance Of Using Semi-Structured Interviews
Semi-structured interviews are used to gather data based on the real-life experiences of a person. This way of data collection allows the researcher to have more detailed information related to the phenomena of interest.
Semi-structured interviews are those detailed interviews where the respondents need to answer pre-settled open-finished inquiries and, along these lines, are broadly utilized by various human services experts in their exploration. Semi-structured, top-to-bottom interviews are used widely as interviewing positions conceivably with an individual or now and then even with a gathering. These sorts of interviews are led once just, with an individual or with a gathering and by and large, cover the length of 30 min to over 60 minutes. Semi-structured interviews depend on semi-structured interview control, which is a schematic introduction of inquiries or points that should be investigated by the interviewer. To accomplish the ideal utilization of interview time, interview publications fill the beneficial need of investigating numerous respondents all the greater methodically and considerably and similarly to maintaining the interview targeting the coveted line of activity. The inquiries inside the interview direct comprise the central inquiry and several related inquiries recognized with the focal inquiry, which, therefore, enhance inspiration through pilot checking out of the interview control. Keeping in thoughts the give-up aim to have the interview statistics stuck all of the more correctly, recording of the interviews is considered as an appropriate selection; however, now and then, it depends on the debate between a number of the specialists and the respondents. Transcribed notes during the interview are reasonably temperamental, and the scientist may also pass over some key focuses. The chronicle of the interview makes it much less worrying for the scientist to center on the interview, and the verbal activities in this manner empower the transcriptionist to produce a “verbatim transcript” of the interview.
How Semi-Structured Interviews Can Be Used
Semi-structured interviews are used to explore the perspective and experience of respondents as it is the way in which the interviewee gets more time and space to answer the questions with great depth. And more probes can be made to explore more related to the specific ideas which help in understanding the concept and beliefs of a person related to a particular phenomenon. Research may be anticipated and visible as meticulous, orderly endeavors to check out, have a look at and, moreover, rebuild the materials, hypotheses and programs. Research techniques mirror the manner to cope with coping with the exploration issue. By receiving the subjective system, a coming near specialist will tweak the pre-imagined ideas and also extrapolate the manner of wondering, dissecting and evaluating the problems from a top-to-bottom point of view. This could be completed using coordinated interviews or problem-coordinated exchanges. Observational strategies are, in some cases, the supplemental way for confirming examination discoveries.
Sample
Purposive sampling will be used to collect data from the participants. Participants were selected based on their experience in their job roles. The age of the participants was 18 years to 55 years.
Sample Size
Four caseworkers were requested to participate in the research as interviewees due to the volume of the data and the length of time for recording and transcribing all the interviews.
Procedure
The interviewees were approached according to the dates of the interviews according to the availability of participants. In this study, the interviews were held in the Oasis House caseworkers’ office. The anonymity of participants was ensured by using Pseudonyms to represent names. I gave the document containing the consent form and the details of the research to the caseworkers, and I also verbally explained the research. I verbally took their consent for recording their interviews. Then, I started interviews, which lasted for 45 minutes.
My Role In Research
I work in Oasis House, which is in partnership with NAASH, so permission will be sought via email requesting to research with the organization. Also, because I work there, a pre-arrangement visit will be discussed with the manager in other to negotiate access.
Recording The Interviews
Data was collected by interviews in which interview questions were structured to produce tailored responses from participants. Open-ended questions were used to enable participants to give their personal opinions.
Why Digital Voice Recorder Was Used
The digital voice recorder was used to record the interviews in this research because of the length of the interview. One interview was almost 45 minutes, and it is very difficult to write or remember the interview as it is. Secondly, the interviewer has to note memos regarding the expressions of the interviewees, as these are of great importance, too. In reporting results, the exact words of the interviewees should be used as references for the explanation and elaboration.
Transcription Of Interviews
Interviews will be transcribed in Word document form for analysis as while listening to the interview, it is difficult to point out the required important points that an interviewee wants to explain in the interview. To understand the depth of the interview, it is necessary to transcribe it in word form to pull out the details at every level for the analysis and reporting. It is easier to make points on the paper in front of the lines written which is important to use memo notes too (Jovchelovitah and Bauer, 2000).
Data Analysis
Given the qualitative data analysis, the thematic approach was used to identify the key concepts and themes (Bryman, 2016:584). Thematic analysis is one of the most common forms of analysis in qualitative research. It emphasizes locating, investigating, and recording themes within data. Themes are patterns across data sets that are important to the description of a phenomenon and are associated with a specific research question.
Why Choosing The Vivo Coding Approach
Computer software such as NVIVO for coding was not appropriate in this study, but the VIVO coding approach was appropriate for the research (Given, 2008; Silverman, 2011)as coding by vivo approach is better for theme generation according to human emotions and behavioral expectations. The vivo coding approach is more reliable because it is done by multiple readings of the data to ensure that no point of interest is left unchecked. The themes were generated. Participant opinions were grouped to form the core and the broader classifications. This research process of data analysis was better than holding a preconceived hypothesis or assumptions with regard to research outcomes to have new concepts and to explore the other person’s experiences and understanding of the world (Bryman, 2016; Given, 2008).
Ethics
The importance of ethics in this research study and ethical principles considered before the research design are: (BSC, 2015).
- Ensure minimal risk
- must apply the cost-benefit-ratio
- risks unlikely to be greater than any encountered in the normal lifestyle
- must minimize negative outcomes
- Strategies
- obtain advice from professionals
- screen vulnerable participants
- monitor unforeseen negative events
- debrief participants about the research
- conduct long-term follow-ups
- have counselling or support available
Four main ethical issues were considered: One is informed consent from participants. The purpose, objectives and advantages of signed consent forms should be clear to the researcher. Secondly, the Personal details of respondents and any details revealed during the interviews. Thirdly, Participants’ Privacy is a concern. Last, Protection for participants due to the sensitive nature of the research, such as protection from any stress or harm.
In the research, informed consent and the research details were shared with the participants both verbally and in written form. Confidentiality of the data was also ensured. As per the ethics, it was also ensured that the recorded interviews would also be destroyed after transcription and while recording, the codes were used instead of the names of the participants.
Limitations
The researcher decided to interview caseworkers but not the homeless individuals because the homeless individuals are the people who experience them, but the caseworkers are handling them and observing other realities, too, instead of just experiencing the issues. As the same size is small, that is, four caseworkers, the findings cannot be generalized due to the size of the samples (David and Sutton, 2011). It is not generalizable because the data is collected from one association.
References
Bryman, A. (2016) Social Research Methods. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
BSC (2015) Statement of Ethics. British Society of Criminology [online]. Available from: http://www.britsoccrim.org/new/docs/BSCEthics2015.pdf
David, M. and Sutton, C. (2011) Social Research: An introduction. 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publication Ltd.
Davies, M. and Hughes, N. (2014) Doing a successful research project: Using qualitative or quantitative methods. 2nd ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gaskell, G. (2000) Individual and Group Interviewing. In: Bauer, M. W. and Gaskell, G. (ed.) Qualitative Researching With Text, Image and Sounds: A Practical Handbook. London: SAGE Publication Ltd, pp38-56.
Given, L. M. (2008) The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publication, Inc.
Have, P. T. (2004) Understanding Qualitative Research and Ethnomethodology. London: SAGE Publications.
Jovchelovitch, S. and Bauer, M. W. (2000) Narrative Interviewing. In: Bauer, M. W. and Gaskell, G. (ed.) Qualitative Researching With Text, Image and Sounds: A Practical Handbook. London: SAGE Publication Ltd, pp57-74.
Kumar, R. (2014) Research Methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. 4th ed. London: SAGE Publication Ltd
Silverman, D. (2011) Interpreting qualitative data. 4th ed. London: SAGE Publication Ltd.
Cite This Work
To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:
