3.1.2 Research method used and
description of data collection
Research in social sciences offers many options concerning the
method to be used by the researcher .These are usually quantitative and
qualitative methods. However, it's very common nowadays for researchers and
scholars and researchers to use both methods depending on their goal target.
It's equally suggested by many scholars that for the case of a «good»
case study, many sources should be used to gather evidence in order to support
or reject the theory. (Yin 1993, 1994 cited in Dixon 2002)
Both quantitative and qualitative methods (equally known as
mixed method or multi-strategy research) were used in the course of this
research, this in a perspective of bringing more accurate information about
the research questions centred on private school entrepreneurship in East
Africa and also to help figure out specific patterns in the various
respondents' answers.
The quantitative approach uses techniques of inquiries
including positive claims and experimental strategy. With this method, the
researcher usually tests a theory by specifying narrow hypothesis and the
collection of data to support or refute the hypothesis. Further, an
experimental design is used in which attitudes are assessed both before and
after the experimental treatment. Finally, the data are collected on an
instrument that measures attitudes, and the information collected is analysed
using statistical procedures and hypothesis testing. (Creswell, 2002:20)
Qualitative method on its own enables the researcher or
inquirer to make knowledge claims based on primarily on constructivism
perspectives. This involves the systematic collection, organization and
interpretation of textual material derived from talk or observation. The
particularity of this approach remains the fact that it is used in the
exploration of meanings of social phenomena as experienced by individual
themselves, in their natural context. (Creswell, 2002:18; Malterud 2001:483)
The research has been carried in Kibera, one of the largest
slums of East Africa. Considering the central question surrounding the study,
it's decided and agreed upon to focus on private school entrepreneurs, teachers
and pupils in selected schools. We deemed necessary to use both methods with
specific task assigned to each method and its instrument. The qualitative
method was used by carrying an in-depth interview with private school
entrepreneurs who operate in the slum of Kibera, while the quantitative method
was used to cover the overall picture of selected schools, carrying out a
census and a survey looking at pupils number, fees, test scores, provision of
certain facilities, all these providing us with scale data. Ordinal data were
also collected by using Likert scales method to measure satisfaction in the
pupil and teachers questionnaires (Best, J &Kahn 2003:318-321).
The collection of information related to this study was made
possible through the following instruments:
· Questionnaires
· Interviews
· Test scores, and
· Documentary
3.1.2.1 Questionnaires
Questionnaires were distributed to a good number of school
entrepreneurs in Kibera, the teachers and pupils in the selected schools. The
structure of the questions was well elaborated based on a «question
type» format (Bell 2005:137-138) so as to enable the researcher to gather
as much accurate information as possible and get to analyze these without any
major problem. They were set in quite simple way taking into account pupil's
level, teachers and entrepreneurs' time constraint. In short, these questions
were detached from all ambiguity and imprecision( Bell 2005:138-139) The
objective of school owners' questionnaires was to find out the motivations
behind their investments in the field of education especially in a slum, about
the facilities offered in the process of their activities.
Teachers and pupils' questions were centred on their level of
satisfaction of the quality of services provided by these entrepreneurs and
what they thought were the shortcomings of these investments.
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