The aim of this study is to gain information on the impacts of tourism on the local communities in the Lower Kinabatangan River District. There are four villages along the Lower Kinabatangan River which are currently involved in tourism: Batu Putih, Bilit,
Sukau, and Abai. Research will take place in all four of these villages using the same research methods in each of the study sites. This will allow the data from each village to be analysed individually and compared, as well as pooled together as data for the
Kinabatangan District.A combination of approaches will be pursued:
• Literature review and other secondary data collection.
• Survey of the tour operators.
• Survey of members of the local community.
• Personal observations.
For this study, both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods will be used.
The quantitative methods will include a questionnaire that will reach all current tour operators but the data will not be in-depth. Qualitative approaches with a smaller sample size will allow in-depth investigation about issues and will produce “descriptions of situation, events, people, interactions and observed behaviours, and direct quotations from people” (Casley & Kumar, 1988, p. 3).
4.2.1 Information sources
4.2.1.1 Literature review and other secondary data collection
The first step to data collection is reading and reviewing existing information sources before the commencement of field work. This will help to prepare me for my time in the field as some knowledge of the culture and history will be gained. It will also enable me to ask suitable questions. Secondary data will be collected via books, journal articles, internet searches, and newspapers.
4.2.1.2 Questionnaires
Quantitative data collection will involve a questionnaire survey of the owners of tourism lodges in the Lower Kinabatangan. I will visit each lodge along the Lower Kinabatangan during my stay and sit with the lodge owner/manager while the questionnaire is filled out. This will mean that I am able to answer any questions about the questionnaire which may arise. The results of the questionnaire are expected to provide a good overview of how the current lodges are operated. While the participants are completing the questionnaires they
will be asked if they are happy to expand on the information gathered by doing an informal interview.
4.2.1.3 Semi-structured interviews
Semi-structured interviewing is a reasonably quick method of gaining information from stakeholders on their views and experiences (Casley & Kumar, 1988). Key questions will be asked during the interviewing process, however new questions or lines of questioning are expected to arise during the interviews in response to the answers of the interviewees. I will stay in each of the four identified tourism villages along the Lower Kinabatangan River for approximately one week. During this time, a number of semi-structured interviews will be undertaken with members of the community. By staying in each of the communities for a period of time while doing my research, I hope to become known, accepted and to create a good rapport between myself and many of the locals. I plan to approach and talk to people while walking through the village. This will be especially important for interviewing those that are not directly involved in tourism, and may assist in identifying family groups.
Group interviews will also be used. These are “… useful when it comes to investigating
what participants think, but they excel at uncovering why participants think as they do”
(Morgan 1988 p.25 cited in Tisen, 2004). Although group interviews do not provide the same depth of information as individual interviews, they have been found to be particularly helpful when seeking information about natural resources or community resources management (Sharpa 1996 cited in Casley & Kumar, 1988; Tisen, 2004). Gabriel (1991 cited in Tisen, 2004) suggests that information provided by the group may be more accurate than that gathered during individual interviews, because interviewees are open to correction by fellow participants. I have chosen to use a combination of group interviews and individual interviews. The group interviews will provide the opportunity to hear more people’s opinions and viewpoints within a shorter timeframe. However some interviews will be better done individually as some respondents may not feel comfortable with being interviewed in a group setting.
individual interviews. This is a total of 20 family groups and 12 individuals interviewed over the four study sites. I believe that this number of interviews is achievable given my time constraints, and they should provide me with sufficient opportunities to receive adequate information from a variety of viewpoints. However these estimated numbers of interviews will depend on willingness to participate by the villagers, and whether or not sufficient information is received.
The interviews will be undertaken in a relatively informal manner and interviewees encouraged to put their ideas, thoughts and opinions across as much as possible. A list of questions from which to help prompt the interviewee will be prepared, however there will be scope for flexibility when dialogue allows. The interviews will be conducted with the help of a translator and recorded with a digital recorder. During the interviews, additional observations will be recorded on paper and later transferred to a computer. It is expected that each interview will take approximately one hour.
4.2.1.4 Observations
While in the villages there will be opportunity to informally discuss issues with people and obtain local knowledge on the area while also making my own observations.
4.2.1.5 PRA Techniques
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) is described as a growing body of methods to enable local people to share, enhance, and analyse their knowledge of life and the conditions to plan, act, monitor and evaluate (Kumar, 2002, p. 31). PRA evolved from Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) in the late 1980s, and has continued to develop and gain popularity as an alternative to the failed ‘top-down’ approaches to development. The validity and reliability of information shared through PRA approaches is usually very high (Chambers, 1997), as the people being affected have the opportunity to share their expert local knowledge, views, and opinions. I plan to use PRA methods during my research. Yet I am aware that I may need to reassess the practicality of this once onsite.
4.2.2 Translator issues
It is expected that a translator will not be required during the interviews with the lodge owners/managers as they will be conducted in English. However all of the interviews with the local villagers will need to be conducted in Malay. My on-site advisor, Dr. Robert Ong from the Sabah Forestry Department, will help to arrange a suitable translator who is acceptable by the locals, and fluent in Malay and English. After arriving in Sabah I will spend two weeks in Sepilok before beginning my field research in the villages. During this time I will meet prospective translators to ensure that they are aware of good interviewing and translating techniques.
4.2.3 Pre-testing
“No matter how experienced the researcher and moderator or how thorough and conscientious the designers, it is impossible to predict in advance the way respondents will interpret and respond to questions” (Stewart & Shamdasani, 1990, p. 66). Therefore it is necessary to pre-test the questionnaire and interview questions. This will provide an opportunity to determine whether the wording of questions is appropriate and easily understood (Stewart & Shamdasani, 1990).
Pre-testing of the interview questions and the questionnaires will take place in Sepilok before beginning field research. This will be done in conjunction with pre-testing of the translator. A number of locals will be interviewed using the questions from the questionnaire as well as the semi-structured interviews. They will be asked to give feedback on the wording and appropriateness of the questions. The questionnaire and list of interview questions will then be modified if necessary. In addition to this, I am aware that during the first few interviews in the villages it may become apparent that certain questions need to be rephrased or deleted. This will be acted upon accordingly.
4.2.4 Approval
Before commencing my interviews, approval must be obtained from the Jawatankuasa Kemajuan Kampung (JKK), or Village Development Committee, as well as the Ketua Kampung (Head of Village) in each of the four villages. It is important for my community acceptance to go and personally meet and talk with the JKK, Head of Village, and the
police. Dr. Robert Ong will accompany me in these instances, introduce me, and explain my research intentions in order to minimise confusion.