THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL MODEL

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CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

 INTRODUCTION

This chapter focuses on phase one of the study and covers the research design, research method, the setting as the context of the selected mine, population, selection of participants, data collection, data analysis and trustworthiness. The objective of phase one was to explore and describe the women mineworkers’ health concerns, professional nurses’ perceptions of women’s health concerns and the mine management’s expectations regarding women’s health services at the selected coalmine. Hereunder is the discussion of the research methodology that was used to conduct this phase of the study.

PHASE 1: EMPIRICAL STUDY

In phase one of the study, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with women mineworkers, professional nurses and mine managers at the selected mine. The semi-structured interviews focused on women’s health concerns and the expectations of mine management regarding health services a. In this phase, the intention was to generate knowledge through empirical research to develop initial statements on women’s health concerns. From the results of this phase, the guidelines were formulated and refined in phase 2 of the study, to progressively incorporate women’s health services into the existing OHS programme.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The case study is a research design defined by Yin (2014:24) as “the logic that links the data to be collected and the conclusions to be drawn to the initial question(s) of the study.” This research design provided the researcher with an overall plan for addressing the research questions, including specifications for enhancing the study’s integrity (Yin 2014:27). A case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates “a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not evident” (Yin 2009:13). A single-case study was an appropriate design as the objective was to gain an understanding (Yin 2014:40-42) of the women’s health concerns at the selected mine.
In this study, the researcher gained insight and understanding of the study over a period of time, where a single longitudinal case of a coalmine was used. Case study research was most appropriate given the different populations relevant to the study within one environment. Case study research explores a phenomenon in its context and assumes that this context is of significance to the phenomenon under study (Clarke & Reed 2010:283). In the study, each case was individually explored to promote involvement and richness to understand the women’s health concerns from the perspective of the different study populations (Lauckner & Krupa 2012:6).
An understanding of women’s health informed the processes (Yin 2014:40-42) of the formulation of guidelines as indicated by Dyer and Wilkins (1991, cited in Barratt, Choi & Li 2011:332). A single case study design enabled the researcher to capture women’s health concerns in much more detail within the coalmining context. In the coalmine context, the boundaries between women’s health concerns and coalmining were not evident (Yin 2014:2).

LONGITUDINAL SINGLE HOLISTIC CASE STUDY DESIGN

In this study, a longitudinal single case study design was used (Yin 2014:51). According to Yin (2014:51), a longitudinal single case comprehends the same single case at two or more different points in time. In this study, the two separate areas were the underground and surface sections as the parts of the selected mine. The researcher sought to identify how individual participants’ health needs and practices change (Yin 2014:53) while they are underground and on the surface of the coalmine.
To ensure that the evidence addressed the research questions and to avoid biased conclusions, the researcher considered the components of the case study research.

COMPONENTS OF CASE STUDY RESEARCH

The elements of case study research design apply to qualitative studies, with more focus on the logical problem, rather than the logistical problem (Yin 2014:27). The essential components of case study research that were applicable to this study was defining the case and bounding the case, as explained below.

Defining the case

In this study, the case was the selected coalmine. For the researcher to be able to collect appropriate data from each study participant, questions and semi-structured interview guides were necessary. Relevant questions such as, ‘how long had you been working underground at this mine?’ were posed, and suggestions on how to address the women’s health concerns were probed (Yin 2014:31).

Bounding the case

Bounding the case is an essential part of unit analysis, which follows the case definition. Yin (2014:34) expounds that bounding the case refers to the focus on the specific populations, which is specific within the coalmine environment, and the time spent with the populations. In this study, the focus was not on all the mineworkers at the selected coalmine, but on female women underground mineworkers, the professional nurses working at the OHS centre and mine management. These study participants were relevant for collecting suitable data on women’s health concerns, given the type of work they performed as linked to their period of employment within the selected mine.
By following the research questions and the evidence from the literature, the researcher could direct the case study analysis. This assisted the researcher in arranging the complete case study and describing possible interpretation (Yin 2014:136).

RESEARCH METHOD

The study setting was carefully considered in developing the process that the researcher followed in structuring the study, including gathering and analysing data systematically (De Vos et al. 2011:109), as described below.

STUDY SETTING

The research setting is the physical position or place selected for data collection and the order in which data collection (Polit & Beck 2012:766). Kitson et al. (1998:150) also refer to a setting as a context or environment in which the proposed change is to be implemented. The study was conducted in the selected mine in Mpumalanga Province. The selected coalmine was identified as the setting of the study as it had both the surface and underground sections. The selected coalmine used to have villages where mineworkers were residing. However, due to legislative changes, all villages were relocated, and mineworkers with their families were moved to different townships around the coalmine.
Like every other mine, at the main entrance gate there is a security office where everybody who enters the mine, including staff and visitors, registers. Random searches are conducted for all visitors and mineworkers upon entering the mine premises for safety purposes. All the mineworkers working at the selected coalmine had clock cards which assisted in entering the premises.

DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
ABSTRACT 
LIST OF TABLES 
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
CHAPTER 1: ORIENTATION TO THE STUDY
1.1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
1.2 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY.
1.3 PROBLEM STATEMENT .
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.5 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1.7 CONCEPT CLARIFICATION .
1.8 RESEARCH PARADIGM AND PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS
1.9 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
1.10 SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL MODEL
1.11 DELINEATION OF THE STUDY
1.12 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
1.13 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
1.14 ORGANISATION OF THE STUDY
1.15 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 2: PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 PARADIGM
2.3 CONSTRUCTIVISM
2.4 THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL MODEL
2.5 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 PHASE 1: EMPIRICAL STUDY
3.3 RESEARCH DESIGN
3.4 RESEARCH METHOD
3.5 DATA COLLECTION
3.6 DATA ANALYSIS
3.7 TRUSTWORTHINESS
3.8 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE DATA
4.1 INTRODUCTION.
4.2 INDUCTIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS
4.3 PROFILES OF THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS
4.4 DATA ANALYSIS: WOMEN UNDERGROUND MINEWORKERS
4.5 DATA ANALYSIS: PROFESSIONAL NURSES
4.6 DATA ANALYSIS: MINE MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.3 MESOSYSTEM
5.4 EXOSYSTEM
5.5 MACROSYSTEM
5.6 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 6: FORMULATION AND REFINEMENT OF GUIDELINES
6.1 INTRODUCTION.
6.2 GUIDELINES FORMULATION IN HEALTH AND NURSING
6.3 E-DELPHI AS A STRATEGY FOR E-RESEARCH
6.4 RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF THE EXPERTS .
6.5 BIOGRAPHICAL DATA OF EXPERTS
6.6 METHODOLOGY FOR THE GUIDELINES FORMULATION
6.7 AGREE II TOOL IN EVALUATION OF GUIDELINES
6.8 ONLINE RESPONSES AND COMMENTS
6.9 REFINEMENT OF THE GUIDELINE FORMULATION PROCESS
6.10 RIGOUR OF THE GUIDELINES .
6.11 DESCRIPTION OF THE FORMULATED GUIDELINES
6.12 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 7: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS, LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
7.1 INTRODUCTION
7.2 OVERVIEW OF THE METHODOLOGY
7.3 CONCLUSIONS
7.4 GUIDELINES
7.5 IMPLICATIONS FOR OHS SERVICE
7. 6 IMPLICATIONS FOR MINE MANAGEMENT
7.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
7.8 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
ANNEXURES
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