Consistent# with# an# ecological# perspective,# the# attention# to# examining# those#
settings# or# contexts# outside# of# those# in# which# the# District# workers# are# present,#
including# the# organisational# and# geographic# setting,# meant# that# access# to#
secondary#data,#including#official#statistics#and#organisational#data,#was#a#critical#
component#of#this#research.#As#illustrated#in#Figure#2.3,#the#collection#and#analysis#
of#secondary#data#served#as#a#major#focus#throughout#all#stages#of#this#research.#As#
an# unobtrusive# research# measure,# the# use# of# secondary# data# was# critical# in# the#
early# stages# of# the# research,# particularly# in# the# development# of# the# research#
proposal# and# of# the# research# instruments,# and# enabled# a# profile# of# the# District#
workforce,#organisational#and#geographic#setting#to#be#composed#outside#the#field.#
The# types# of# secondary# data# utilised# incorporate# both# statistical# data# and# ‘grey’#
literature.# The# range# of# secondary# sources# utilised# is# extensive# and# includes#
Department# workforce# data,# federal# and# state# government# legislation# and#
publications,#ABS#Census#data,#Department#policies#and#procedures,#industry#and#
government#employment#and#economic#data,#print#and#broadcast#news#media,#as#
well#as#the#journal#articles,#books#and#grey#literature#utilised#in#the#review#of#the#
literature.# Secondary# data# sources# were# instrumental# in# providing# the# broader#
context#to#practice,#such#as#the#policy,#legislative,#social#and#political#environment.#
This# has# enabled# a# snapshot# of# the# people# and# the# places# in# which# the# everyday#
practice# of# child# protection# workers# occurs.# The# use# of# a# wide# range# of# media#
formed#the#basis#of#the#preliminary#literature#review#for#this#thesis#and#therefore#
the# conceptualisation# of# the# research# problem# and# formulation# of# the# research#
thesis.#The#inherently#unobtrusive#nature#of#this#approach#meant#that#secondary#
data# sources# provided# important# background# information.# This# expedited# data#
collection# activity# that# was# undertaken# through# other# methods# as# part# of# the#
fieldwork# component# of# this# research,# specifically# in# producing# demographic#
profiles#of#relevant#populations.#
The# relationship# with# the# Department# under# the# Linkage# Project# provided# some#
certainty#in#accessing#organisational#data#outside#of#the#public#domain.#The#use#of#
‘official’#nature#of#this#data,#by#implication#or#actuality,#also#provides#a#degree#of#
reliability.# The# use# of# secondary# data# sources# also# offers# an# opportunity# for#
comparative# and# interval# analysis# (including# comparisons# between# the# target#
population#and#other#sectors#or#professional#disciplines).#The#unobtrusive#nature#
of#this#method#has#meant#that#the#use#of#secondary#data#sources#was#particularly#
beneficial#in#the#preliminary#stages#of#the#research,#the#stage#of#‘not#knowing#what#
you#don’t#know’,#as#a#precursor#to#the#engagement#in#fieldwork#and#formulation#of#
the# research# problem.# Organisational# data# such# as# workforce# data# (presented# in#
Chapter#8)#and#employee#information#enabled#a#profile#of#the#District#workforce#to#
be# compiled# prior# to# the# field# visit# and# assisted# in# identifying# the# sample# of# key#
informants# to# participate# in# the# interviews.# Policy# and# planning# documents#
enabled#a#form#of#triangulation#and#therefore#verification#of#data#obtained#through#
other#interviews#and#the#survey,#such#reported#changes#to#incentives#and#benefits#
to#District#Workers#such#as#the#Attraction#and#Retention#Benefit.##
2.4.5 Exploratory sequential
Interviews'
The#interviews#with#members#of#the#District#workforce#constituted#an#important#
and#first#step#in#the#development#of#an#evidence#base.#The#use#of#interviews#as#a#
research#method#reflected#a#dual#purpose:#to#explore#the#experience#and#attitudes#
of# District# workers# further# to# the# research# question# and# key# themes# from# the#
review#of#the#literature;#and#also#to#inform#the#design#of#the#subsequent#workforce#
survey.#In#total,#20#interviews#were#conducted#with#District#workers.#Further#to#a#
review# of# the# literature# and# reported# differences# between# (professional)# child#
protection# and# human# service# practice# in# metropolitan# areas# and# geographical#
settings# external# to# these# –# encompassing# ‘northern’,# regional,# rural# or# remote#
locales#–#eight#(8)#main#themes#were#identified.#These#themes#were:##
1.
relationship#to#place#(place#of#origin#prior#to#role);##
2.
influences#on#(their)#attraction#and#retention;##
3.
experience#of#different#practice#settings;##
4.
(perceived)#differences#and#requirements#of#(country)#practice;##
5.
(relative#importance#of)#local#knowledge#(in#country#practice);##
6.
reputation/relationship# management# (between# the# Department# and# their#
communities#of#practice);##
7.
impact#of#generational#issues/change#within#the#workplace;##
8.
and,#(their)#participation#in#professional#networks.##
These#were#then#used#to#frame#the#interview#questions.#The#framing#of#the#distinct#
geographical#setting#as#‘country’#in#the#interviews#reflected#both#the#classification#
of#the#District#and#other#nonDmetropolitan#districts#by#the#Department’#as#‘country#
districts’,#together#with#its#association#and#usage#in#thinking#about#place#to#denote#
a# distinct# geography# beyond# the# metropole# and# antithetical# to# it.# This# aspect# is#
explored#in#detail#in#Chapter#5.##
A# standard# interview# format# was# developed# comprising# 14# questions,# with# a#
further# two# questions# included# for# personnel# recruited# from# overseas.# The#
interview# instrument# is# included# as# Appendix# 1.# The# choice# of# a# semiDstructured#
design# for# the# interview# reflected# its# dual# purpose# and# the# benefits# of# flexibility#
associated# with# its# use# in# qualitative# research,# specifically# an# accommodation# of#
issues# and# topics# of# interest# that# emerged# during# the# interview# process,# keeping#
discussion# ‘on# track’# and# providing# a# level# of# standardisation# to# enable# the#
identification#of#general#and#divergent#themes#from#across#the#participant#cohort.#
The# interview# instrument# and# accompanying# project# information# sheet# and#
consent#form#received#approval#by#the#Human#Research#Ethics#Committee#(HREC)#
at#Curtin#University#of#Technology#(RDD33D09).#A#copy#of#the#information#sheet#is#
included#as#Appendix#2.#
Management'of'data:'recording'and'transcription'
If,#as#argued,#we#are#living#in#an#interview#society#(Kvale#2007;#Kvale#&#Brinkman#
2009;#Silverman#2003),#then#it#is#also#true#that#we#are#living#in#a#society#where#the#
electronic#recording#of#interviews#and#audio#recordings,#in#particular,#has#become#
such# standard# practice# (Fontana# &# Fey# 2003;# Kvale# &# Brinkman# 2009;# Rapley#
2004)# as# to# become# taken# for# granted# and# integral# to# the# interview.# While# the#
universality#of#audio#recordings#in#interview#research#is#primarily#attributed#to#its#
strengths,# notably# the# detail# they# capture# (e.g.# a# verbatim# record# of# the#
conversation# including# vocal# dynamics)# (Kvale# &# Brinkman# 2009;# Rapley# 2004)#
and#their#capacity#to#facilitate#the# immersion#of#the#interviewer#in#the#interview#
‘conversation’#freed#from#the#distraction#of#noteDtaking,#they#are#not#without#their#
limitations.# The# decision# not# to# undertake# an# audio# recording,# both# simple# and#
complex# in# its# motivations,# was# undertaken# in# the# knowledge# of# the# potential#
limitations# on# the# research# (both# real# or# perceived).# Such# limitations,# noted# for#
their# underDreporting# in# the# literature,# include# producing# selfDconscious# and#
potentially#censored#‘conversation’#in#the#recording#phase#(Rapley#2004)#and#the#
fallacy#in#their#capacity#to#capture#the#nuance#of#the#full#range#of#interaction#which#
constitute# the# interview# conversation# in# the# transcription# phase# (Kvale# &#
Brinkman# 2009).# With# reference# to# Bourdieu’s# observation# of# all# the# nuanced#
elements# that# are# ‘lost# in# transcription’,# particularly# the# nonDverbal# elements#
which#characterise#the#richness#of#the#‘live’#interview#conversation,#Kvale#suggests#
their# strengths# may# be# overDstated# relative# to# their# limitations# as# ‘impoverished,#
decontextualised#renderings’#(2009,#178).##
The# decision# also# reflected# both# pragmatic# and# ethical# considerations# beyond# a#
fundamental# calculation# of# their# value# in# view# of# purpose# of# the# interviews# as#
principally#exploratory#in#nature.#The#ethical#dimension#to#the#decision#rested#on#
two#points#–#one#environmental,#the#other#experiential#–#and#illustrate#the#ethical#
considerations# in# interview# practices# beyond# the# ‘rules’# that# bound# research#
practice# (Kvale# &# Brinkman# 2009).# After# a# decade# of# undertaking# interviews# on#
research# and# evaluation# projects# in# university# research# environments,# I# have#
observed# interviewees’# initial# reservations# and/or# discomfort# in# agreeing# to# an#
audio#recording,#but#their#ultimate#acquiescence#in#all#but#few#circumstances.#My#
own# reflection# on# this# outcome# is# that# the# relatively# takenOforOgranted# nature# of#
electronic# recordings# and# the# power# relationship# between# the# interviewer# and#
interviewee#emphasises#its#asymmetrical#nature,#a#point#argued#by#Kvale#(2009)#
and#others#and#one#with#which#I#agree.#I#argue#this#‘power#asymmetry’#(Kvale#&#
Brinkman# 2009,# 33)# is# amplified# in# research# where# academics# are# engaged# in#
communityObased# research# and# virtues# assumed# and# assigned# to# their# role# as#
‘expert’.#In#the#imbalanced#power#dynamic#of#the#interview#and#the#typical#timeO
constraints#to#consider#their#options,#a#presumption#of#trust#leads#interviewees#to#
passively#agree#to#the#recording#as#part#of#their#consent.
6#This#is#not#to#suggest#that#
interviewees# have# no# agency,# but# simply# that# their# agency# in# this# type# of#
interaction# is# diminished# due# to# the# dynamics# of# the# interview.# The# issue# is#
therefore#not#one#of#risks#to#confidentiality#but#the#extent#to#which#consent#reflects#
########################################################
6
#
Whilst# perhaps# considered# an# extreme# example,# the# recent# controversy# around# the#Boston# College# IRA# Project# reveals# how# the# ‘sanctity’# of# the# research# interview,# assured# and# presumed# at# the# time# of# the# interview# can# be# at# risk# with# serious# consequences# decades# after# their# occurrence,# pitting# the# researcher# and# research# institution# against# national#and#international#law.#
#
the#actual#wish#of#the#interviewee#–#or#what#they#think#they#should#do.#The#value#of#
the# interviews# in# enabling# an# exploration# of# interviewee# responses# to# the# key#
issues# meant# that# they# provided# a# rich# source# of# thick# data# on# the# experience# of#
current#organisational#responses#to#attraction#and#retention.##
Survey*
The#survey#of#the#District#workforce#was#a#major#component#and#important#source#
of#quantitative#and#qualitative#data#on#the#work#and#life#choices#of#District#workers#
and#their#relative#influence#on#attraction#and#retention.#The#aim#of#the#survey#was#
to# explore# with# the# wider# District#workforce#the#relative#influences#of#Work#and#
Life# factors# on# attraction# and# retention,# with# particular# reference# to# both#
employment#and#location#choices.#The#survey#explored#the#extent#to#which#work#
and#social,#or#‘Life’#factors,#were#or#anticipated#to#be#influential#on#the#decision#to#
come#to#and#remain#in#the#Murchison,#and#to#join,#remain#or#leave#the#Department#
as# employees.# The# survey# also# aimed# to# explore# workers’# identity# beyond# basic#
demographic# information# relating# to# their# roles# both# in# and# outside# the# work#
setting,# such# as# education# qualifications,# fields# of# study,# important# relationships,#
and# social# interactions.# As# noted# above,# the# survey# questions# were# informed# by#
findings# within# general# literature# (Dickenson# &# Painter# 2009;# Hall# et# al# 2007;#
Lights#2003)#and#the#interviews#of#the#District#workforce#for#this#research.#
The# survey# comprised# 63# questions,# with# an# additional# two# questions# for#
international#recruits,#and#organised#according#to#seven#areas:#education;#reasons#
for# coming# to# the# Murchison;# recruitment# to# the# Department;# employment# with#
the#Department;#reasons#for#staying#in#the#Murchison;#reasons#for#staying#with#the#
Department;# and# personal# information# (including# wellbeing# and# demographic#
data).# A# copy# of# the# survey# instrument# is# included# as# Appendix# 3.# The# survey#
received# approval# by# the# Human# Research# Ethics# Committee# (HREC)# at# Curtin#
University#of#Technology#(RDD33D09)#(Appendix#4).#
In document
Ambiente Desarrollo y Sociedad 6
(página 36-42)