Going to the field
Getting organized, how to start the interview and what to avoid
Time-Table
Before you start make sure your time-table is feasible and well considered. This is especially true when you are working with a group of people. Write down who is going where and when. Assess the time you need conducting the interviews and check afterwards if your assumption was correct. If you find that you need much more time you may want to change either the length of your questionnaire or the size of your sample.
Questionnaire copies
- Print 100 copies, staple the sheets of each questionnaire together, and number them. Note also the location the interview will take place for each questionnaire. Now you are ready to go to the field.
- Note on your time-table who got which numbers and locations.
- Take a notebook or prepare some additional sheets (with date, location) to write down information and comments the participants make.
Conducting the interviews
When you are going to interview unknown women:
- Ask them if they have 10 minutes to answer questions for a survey. You should not be specific on the purpose of your study, you can say it is about “Khatana” (use the local term, not FGM) or about traditional practices, but don’t say too much in the beginning, especially nothing which could reveal your opinion. You can tell them afterwards.
- Ensure them that you are not sent by the government and that you don’t want to know their names.
- Tell them you are an academic, student, journalist or working for an organization/group whatever you really are.
- Do never lie to the people!
- Explain how this survey is conducted: You will ask a question and then give them a few options for answers.
Generally, you should not take down names. If you offer people to inform them about the results always collect names on a separate sheet of paper – NOT on any paper connected to the questionnaire.
During the interview
- Read out the questions and the possible options.
- If the options for answers are more than 4 you might want to read them twice.
- Stay completely neutral when you ask your questions.
- Multiple answers are possible (except of course for the age and so on…)
Read in the section analyses & evaluation what to do with the answers you got and how to end up with results.
Important: Let the women answer every question. If they can’t or don’t want to give an answer ask them if you should check the option “not applicable”. Otherwise you may have a “nonresponse bias” which effects the quality of your survey.