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Section B
Individual Methods
Examples of Qualitative Data Collection Strategies

Free listing

Focus groups

Key informant interviews

History lines

Pile sorts

Network diagramming

Observation

Community mapping
3
Specific Methods—Individuals
1.  Free listing
2.  Key informant interviews
3.  Pile sorts
4
Free Listing Interviews

Qualitative interviewing method
-  Questions asked of individual
-  Answers come in the form of a list

Begin with Grand Tour question
-  Introductory questions with as few leading words or phrases as
possible, yet focused enough to get useful responses
5
Free Listing Interviews

Grand Tour question
-  “What are the problems affecting new mothers in this
community?”

Follow-up (asked for each problem)
-  Give a short description of the problem (1–2 sentences)
6
Free Listing Form
7
Free List Results

Poverty

Lack of hope

Lack of food

Lack of justice

Lack of people

Lack of schools

Mistrust

Grief (Agahinda)*

Many widows/orphans

Ignorance

Physical illness

Drunkenness

Mental trauma (Guhahamuka)*

Resistance to change
*Items that need further study
8
Key Informant Interviews

Prolonged interviews with local experts

Variety of types of informants
9
Key Informant Interviews

Prolonged interviews with local experts

Variety of types of informants

Investigate topic in detail
-  Causes
-  Treatments
-  Descriptions and comorbidities

Multiple interviews with same person
10
Local Healer
11
Agahinda

Isolation

Lack of self-care †

Loss of mind

Being very talkative

Not caring to work †

Drunkenness

Feeling life is meaningless †

Committing suicide †

Don’t feel like talking
† Symptoms that are similar to depression

Excessive alcohol drinking
causing crazy behavior

Being displeased with your
living conditions/situation, not
pleased by anything †

Inability to withstand whatever
happens to you

Burying one’s cheek in his/her
palm (hopeless) †

Difficulty in interacting with
others (poor relationships)

Sadness †
12
Pile Sorts

Confirmation of findings

Categorization and thematic investigation

Methods
-  Cards with terms and graphical representations
-  Sorting game
-  Compare sorts across informants
13
Pile Sort Exercise for Local Symptoms of Depression
Results of pile sort exercise for
local symptoms of depression
14