VALORES

The aim of this section is to briefly discuss the research methodology chosen for this study and the reasons for this choice. The research design, the means of data collection and the research population are also concisely explained.

1.11.1 Choice of methodology

According to Bless and Higson-Smith (2000:63), research methodology is the specification of the most adequate operations to be performed in order to achieve the goals set out in the research objectives. There are various research methodologies. Bailey (1982:33) maintains that research methodologies range from qualitative (reporting observations in natural language with less use of numbers) to quantitative (assigning numbers to observations). To achieve its aim and to find the answer to the research question for this study, this project uses a qualitative research methodology.

The need to explore the attitudes and opinions of those individuals involved in organisations that may contribute towards the development of a South African Portuguese archival heritage, and to arrive at some understanding of the factors determining those perspectives, led to the adoption of a qualitative approach. The appropriateness of a qualitative approach for this study was also directed by the fact that the research problem to be studied is a phenomenon that cannot be quantified since it is complex and social in nature (Powell & Connaway, 2004:59). Further details on the choice of methodology are given in chapter 5, section 5.4.1.

1.11.2 Research design

Within the qualitative paradigm, the research approach adopted for the empirical investigation was by means of a basic interpretive qualitative research strategy. Merriam (2002:6) states that a basic interpretive qualitative study – also referred to as generic interpretive – is probably the most common form of qualitative applied research found in the social sciences. The basic interpretive qualitative study stems from the broader epistemological view of

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anti-positivism or interpretivism – within which this study is situated (discussed in section 5.4.1) – and is used when the goal of the researcher is to understand how participants make meaning of a situation or a phenomenon.

In conducting a basic interpretive qualitative study, the researcher seeks to discover and understand the phenomenon, the process, the perspectives and views of the people involved, or a combination of these. Basic interpretive qualitative research studies can be found throughout the disciplines and in the applied fields of practice. Data are collected through interviews, observations or document analysis. The analysis of data involves identifying and interpreting themes that characterise the data. The overall interpretation will be the researcher’s understanding of the participants’ understanding of the phenomenon of interest (Merriam, 2009:23-24).

This design was seen as the most appropriate since the empirical investigation of this study was primarily interested in how meaning is constructed by the research participants. That is how people make sense of their experiences and their worlds; more precisely, their perceptions of the records created by their organisations and their attitudes towards the final disposition and custody of these.

1.11.3 Population and sampling

A combination of purposive sampling and reliance on available subjects was used when selecting participants in this study. A purposive sampling technique was used to find the best fit for the study, considering the relatively small number of participants planned (Babbie, 2004:183). Samples for qualitative investigations tend to be small and an appropriate sample size is one that adequately answers the research questions. A small sample also enables the researcher to study the phenomena in depth (Marshall, 1996:523).

The main population was the South African Portuguese social and cultural community-based organisations in Gauteng that create and keep records representing their activities and, as such, are the major potential creators of archival materials that may reflect the experiences of the broader Portuguese

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community in South Africa, and the Gauteng Province specifically. These organisations were located by means of on-line directories and resources such as the Portal das Comunidades Portugueses – Africa do Sul (www.consuladovirtual.pt), E Pa (www.saweb.co.za/epa) and Forum Portugues (www.portugueseforum.org.za), community newspapers such as O Seculo and Voz Portuguesa, and personal contacts.

A selected individual from each of these organisations, namely the director/president/chairperson of the organisation was interviewed. Each organisation selected was identified as a separate unit of analysis.

1.11.4 Semi-structured interviews

There are various methods of gathering evidence. These may include documents, questionnaires, observation and interviews (Rowley, 2002:17).

For this study, qualitative semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the main participants of the study, namely the Portuguese community-based organisations in Gauteng which generate records of their activities and therefore, may hold potential archival materials. In this type of interview, the respondent is interviewed for a brief or limited period of time. The interviews are open-ended and take on a conversational style. The interviewer follows a certain set of questions guided by a protocol. These qualitative interviews are most useful for research involving people’s opinions and practices (Babbie, 2004:300).

The interviews were therefore conducted to understand the practices, attitudes, and opinions of these individuals representing these organisations, regarding the records created by them; and to determine what is done – and should be done, or rather what can be done to preserve and make these records part of the archival heritage of South Africa, and accessible to the Portuguese community and to South Africans in general.

1.11.5 Interviews with National Archivist of South Africa and three South African universities

Unstructured interviews (face-to-face contact) were also held with the National Archivist of South Africa, and four South African universities in Gauteng

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(telephone discussions). Berg (1998:61) explains that unstructured interviews are often used during the course of research to gain additional information on the issue at hand.

Since the National Archives is the main role player in the South African archival heritage field, and since a number of respondents indicated that they would consider transferring their records to a mainstream institution such as a university, the researcher deemed it necessary to obtain additional views from these institutions on their willingness or capability to accommodate the records of these community-based organisations. The South African universities interviewed were the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of Pretoria (UP), the University of South Africa (UNISA), and the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS). The director of the National Archives and the directors of the archives or special collections departments of these South African universities were identified as the respondents for these unstructured interviews.

The research methodology of the empirical component of this study, including the research design, the population and sampling, is discussed in detail in chapter five on Research Methodology.

1.11.6 Study of the literature and website content analysis

Apart from the empirical investigations, in order to carry out the research, a literature survey and a website analysis of existing initiatives involved in documenting the under-documented were also vital for this study.

According to Leedy (1989:66), the literature search serves many purposes.

These include broadening the researcher's horizons, preventing him from reinventing the wheel, and establishing the need for the research. The review of the literature revealed that extensive research has been conducted abroad in the field of documenting underrepresented groups and establishing community archival collections, in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Furthermore, the international literature reports on many examples of existing community archives and projects to document underrepresented groups.

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A review of South African national literature, on the other hand, revealed only some exploratory research into the need to fill the gaps in archival and other collections of groups that were marginalised in this country’s documentary heritage, particularly due to apartheid. These studies are mainly in the form of short articles that alert readers to such a problem and mention the need to document these groups. The need for a research study in the South African environment, in a more in-depth and larger scale – such as the present study – was, therefore, supported by the above review.

Chapters 2 and 3 of this study give a detailed review of local and international literature.

In addition, the research for this study also consisted of an analysis of relevant websites of organisations involved in documenting the under-documented in South Africa and abroad. This was done in order to assess examples of national and international initiatives that have been undertaken in South Africa and abroad to develop collections of underrepresented communities, especially those that use community-based organisational records as a means to safeguard the history of these communities. These websites were examined to determine best practice in documenting under-documented communities, community archiving and related practices.

The review of these websites is elaborated on in chapter 4 of this thesis.