Advantages Of Interviews

Research instruments

The researcher will use questionnaires, interviews and observations where communication is effective.

3.9.1 Questionnaires

Maholtra (2012:176) defines a questionnaire as “a formalized set of questions for obtaining information fromrespondents. The overriding objective is to translate the researcher’s information needs into a setof specific questions that respondents are willing and able to answer.”

3.9.2 The advantages of questionnaires

Rogers (2005) identified the following advantages for using a questionnaire:

• Very cost effective compared to face to face interviews.

• Very familiar with people almost everyone has completed one so no guidance needed.

• They can be completed easily and quickly that is, the use of questionnaires

In addition, it allowed for feedback as the study is meant to investigate the impact of Results-based management (RBM) system on staff performance.

3.9.4 Advantages of using interviews

The following are advantages of interviews as recognized by Burns and Grove (2003); De Vos (2002).

• The use of an interview is regarded as a simple method which would permit a researcher to examine an insight significance which can be acquired using other methods.

• When using interviews, the response rate will be higher as compared to the use of questionnaires thereby enhancing comprehensive description of the phenomenon being investigated by the interviewees.

• Interviews allow collection of data from participants unable or unlikely to complete questionnaires, such as those whose reading, writing and ability to express themselves is marginal.

• An additional advantage of an interview is the personal interaction. You get a chance to present yourself in the best way possible, with an in-person demonstration.

• Time consuming.

• The interviewer feel pressured and give an answer you may want (bias).

• The interviewer may only ask closed questions which leads to inaccurate results and you are being biased.

3.9.6 Pilot study

The researcher proposed to do a pilot study to ensure the validity and reliability of the research. Piloting enables the researcher to test efficiency of the used techniques and check if the techniques adopted can manage to produce the study assessed in relation to the questions set so as to evaluate the impact of Results-based management (RBM) system of staff performance at Masvigo Provincial Mining Office.

Dooley, (1984:218) posit that pilot study testing is a small-scaleresearch with the experiment manipulated to determine its effectiveness before using it in the main study. Before distributing the questionnaires to the whole population, a study or pilot study was conducted. The researcher distributed only 2 questionnaires to employees and to management. The purpose of the pilot study shall be to check on the clarity. If the pilotstudy failed it was going to be modified and retested until it suites the questions. It wasgoingtobedone through re-wording or re-phrasing of the questions till it gave the researcher the confidenceonthevalidity and reliability of data collection tools. Dooley (ibid). Social research stated that pilot study can be useful in that: