scholarly journals Pathways to research participant recruitment in a challenging information behaviour context: South African cold case investigators as exemplar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naaliah Parbhoo-Ebrahim ◽  
◽  
Ina Fourie ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Research Participant ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Participant Recruitment ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Search Heuristics ◽  
Behaviour Study ◽  
Cold Case

Introduction. Research participant recruitment is challenging – especially in vulnerable, stigmatised, high security, poorly demarcated contexts and contexts with diverse and interchangeable job labelling and poorly centralised reporting infrastructures. Cold case investigators in South Africa is an example of the latter. Method. Scoping literature review of information behaviour and other disciplines to note challenges and solutions in research participant recruitment. Analysis. Brief review of challenges noted in research methodology textbooks and applied thematic analysis mapped to problems and correlating solutions for research participant recruitment (various disciplines including information behaviour). Results. There are many challenges and solutions noted across disciplines including information behaviour e.g. job confidentiality, poor context demarcation, diverse and interchangeable job labels for the same context. Solutions reported include exploring related job/role labels, snowball sampling, non-intrusive social media methods. Conclusion. Based on experience with information search heuristics we suggest an additional novel approach for information behaviour research (and other) participant recruitment; a South African cold case investigator information behaviour study serves as exemplar to demonstrate how search heuristics can be used to identify potential research participants and solicit referrals for research participant recruitment.

Gendered Lending Practices: Enabling South African Women Entrepreneurs to Access Start-Up Capital

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 313-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn Derera ◽  
Pepukayi Chitakunye ◽  
Charles O'Neill ◽  
Amandeep Tarkhar-Lail
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Financial Institution ◽  
African Women ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Start Up ◽  
South African Women ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study explores gendered lending and marketing practices of start-up capital to women entrepreneurs in South Africa. A multi-method research design, comprising of 6 in-depth interviews with experts, and a survey of 50 women entrepreneurs was adopted using convenience and snowball sampling techniques, respectively. The findings revealed that women entrepreneurs are experiencing gendered discriminatory practices embedded in lending practices used by financial institutions, thereby discouraging them to venture into non-traditional industries. Whilst financial providers may know their products well, many emerging women entrepreneurs in South Africa may find it difficult and costly to obtain information on the thousands of financial products available. Hence, women entrepreneurs resort to taking greater risks than necessary in order to get their businesses off the ground. Educating women on financial matters is extremely important if South Africa is to benefit fully from the untapped entrepreneurial talent that women possess. The study adds voice to the discriminatory lending practices faced by women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Future research could explore the feasibility of establishing a financial institution which caters specifically for the needs of women.

Student Governance and the Academic Minefield During COVID-19 Lockdown in South Africa

2022 ◽  
pp. 255-276
Author(s):  
Vuyo Mthethwa
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Academic Experiences ◽  
Academic Experience ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Resultant Effect ◽  
Student Governance ◽  
Modes Of Interaction ◽  
The Impact

Since 1997, the ordinary students at South African universities have depended on the SRC to be at the forefront of student advocacy in relation to resources to support their academic experiences. The onset of the lockdown on the eve of 26th March 2020 had an unprecedented effect on student life, with a change of student governance from cohesion to isolation. Adopting a snowball sampling methodology, 15 students registered at various South African universities were interviewed via WhatsApp about the support they received from their SRC during the COVID-19 lockdown. The impact of the lockdown on student governance is examined through the lens of ordinary students. Findings suggest that the surge to technology-based modes of interaction and self-regulated learning had a resultant effect of a highly compromised academic experience, even though some were able to adapt to online learning. Adjusted approaches to student governance are inevitable as the coronavirus continues to manifest.

Research Participant Recruitment in Hispanic Communities: Lessons Learned

2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 352-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele G. Shedlin ◽  
Carlos U. Decena ◽  
Thenral Mangadu ◽  
Angela Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Research Participant ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Participant Recruitment

Cyberbullying—A Shrouded Crime: Experiences of South African Undergraduate Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 370-386
Author(s):  
Roshini Pillay ◽  
Glenda Sacks
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Descriptive Case Study ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

Crimes in the 21st century using technology as a medium are complex and evolving rapidly. One such crime that is difficult to define is cyberbullying, which extorts an emotional impact on the victim. This qualitative, descriptive case study considers the experiences of 10 undergraduate students regarding what they self-disclosed as cyberbullying. Snowball sampling was used, and the data collected using face-to-face interviews were analyzed using content analysis. The research instrument used was a semi-structured interview schedule. Findings revealed that nine of the participants knew the identity of the bully. Some of the social media platforms used for the cyberbullying included Facebook, Mxit, and WhatsApp, whereby the types of bullying included harassment, flaming, and denigration. Some gender differences were evident in the verbalized emotions of the sample and the support systems the female participants used. This study can serve as a catalyst for further research and interventions for the development of strategies and educational programs to manage this type of bullying.

scholarly journals Hearing children of Deaf parents: Gender and birth order in the delegation of the interpreter role in culturally Deaf families

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nomfundo F. Moroe ◽  
Victor De Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Birth Order ◽  
South African ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Deaf Parents ◽  
Deaf Adults ◽  
Interview Format ◽  
Culturally Deaf ◽  
Hearing Children

Background: Culturally, hearing children born to Deaf parents may have to mediate two different positions within the hearing and Deaf cultures. However, there appears to be little written about the experiences of hearing children born to Deaf parents in the South African context.Objective: This study sought to investigate the roles of children of Deaf adults (CODAs) as interpreters in Deaf-parented families, more specifically, the influence of gender and birth order in language brokering.Method: Two male and eight female participants between the ages of 21 and 40 years were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling strategies. A qualitative design was employed and data were collected using a semi-structured, open-ended interview format. Themes which emerged were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: The findings indicated that there was no formal assignment of the interpreter role; however, female children tended to assume the role of interpreter more often than the male children. Also, it appeared as though the older children shifted the responsibility for interpreting to younger siblings. The participants in this study indicated that they interpreted in situations where they felt they were not developmentally or emotionally ready, or in situations which they felt were better suited for older siblings or for siblings of another gender.Conclusion: This study highlights a need for the formalisation of interpreting services for Deaf people in South Africa in the form of professional interpreters rather than the reliance on hearing children as interpreters in order to mediate between Deaf and hearing cultures.

scholarly journals Scarce Health Human Resource Wastage: No work for South African Audiologists? A descriptive Survey Study.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera-Genevey Hlayisi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
First Year ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Health Human Resource ◽  
Second Year

Abstract Background: In the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of unemployed health professionals in South Africa. Since the economic downfall following the international financial crisis in 2008, unemployment rates in South Africa have since been increasing and have to date reached 29.1%, the highest in the last 11 years. The current study sought to identify the challenges in obtaining and maintaining employment for audiologists in South Africa. Methods: A descriptive online survey design was used. Participants were recruited online through professional association webpages using the snowball sampling technique. All qualified audiologists registered with the Health Professionals Council of South Africa were eligible to participate. Results: A total of 219 audiologists responded to the survey however only 132 complete responses were collected. Only the results from the 132 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Majority of the participants (89%) were female, between the ages 25 to 34 (67%). In the first-year post-graduation, 16% of the participants were unemployed and this increased to 19% in the second-year post-graduation. In the majority (81%) of employed participants, it is worth noting that up to a fifth (19%) were working within non-audiology fields. Employment characteristics of those working in audiology fields (n=107) show that most participants were working within the public health sector (47%) and based in clinical settings (52%). The most common workplace challenges reported were remuneration (37%) followed by lack of resources (18%), workload (18%), work environment (10%), working hours (9%) and lastly, interprofessional relationships (8%). Conclusion: In South Africa, u p to 16% of audiologists are unemployed in their first-year post-graduation and this increases to 19% in the second-year post-graduation. This study’s findings are the first to document the unemployment rate of newly graduated hearing healthcare professionals in South Africa. These findings have potential to influence critical discourse on hearing healthcare human resource policies and planning, hearing healthcare labour market needs and capacity as well as hearing healthcare context and potential for growth in the South African context. Keywords: unemployment, human-resources, healthcare, audiology, economy

scholarly journals Use of Rideshare Services to Increase Participant Recruitment and Retention in Research: Participant Perspectives

10.2196/11166 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. e11166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor Ladd Schneider Leavens ◽  
Elise Marie Stevens ◽  
Emma Irene Brett ◽  
Neil Molina ◽  
Thad Ryan Leffingwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Participant ◽  
Participant Recruitment ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Participant Perspectives
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