The Research Process in Theatre For Development

 Introduction

 The term process carries the meaning of series of actions,
tasks or steps that are taken to achieve something. In theatre for development
that something is increasing participation of the people that animateurs work
with so that they can make change in their lives. The change that takes place
in the lives of target group is what becomes education.

The Research Process in Theatre For Development

1. Overview of the Process

The process
of FDF involves with varying degrees, seven steps. Though they
look like steps following a straight line, they
are interlinked back to information gathering.

2. Issue identification

This requires being close to the target group. Issues are
various constraints or challenges that the target group faces. The biggest
challenge of our time is HIV/AIDS. It is a disease that is taking away human
life. It persists despite threatening to wipe away whole populations It is the
main concern of every person in the world today. Issues come out of discussion
with leaders, observation and listening to local people.

3. Information gathering

The focus of TDF in relation is on behaviour change in
communities. The concept of community carries the meaning of people living
together and sharing common values. In order to know what behaviours, practices
and values that have contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS, you need to have a
broad picture that should include i) recent History in relation to HIV/AIDS ii)
Behaviours, Practices and values that contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS iii)
impact of HIV/AIDS at household level.

All these aspects of the broader picture become clear when
you embark on information gathering. To gather information, you can use
research tools. The tools for researchers include questionnaires, interviews
etc. The research tools you are going to learn more about are those embodied in
participatory learn approaches and interviews. The PLA tools are much easier to
understand and apply. Though they look simple, they are scientific tools in
their approach because they help the
researcher to collect information in a systematic way. You should begin
gathering information within the group and later move into the community.

4. Behaviour Change

In development work you are concerned with effecting some
change in behavior and attitudes. Without promoting change nothing happens. But
change in not easy. It requires patience and skill in dealing with human
beings. Kebaabetsare and Norr (2002) have stated that understanding the
behaviours that put people at risk of contracting HIV and identifying ways of
changing such behaviours is a sure way of stopping the spread of HIV in Africa
and other developing Countries.

Behaviours to promote

The ABC (Abstinence, being faithful and condom’ use, are
recognized as positive behaviours that can reduce the spread of HIV.

a)    Abstinence – this involves delay of sexual experience especially
for adolescents

b)    Being faithful — sticking to one sexual partner or reducing
the number of sexual partners

Condom use: Effective use of condoms. This is
more effective among Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs). Sometimes distribution of
condoms to school-going children has aroused opposition. The Minister of
Education in Zambia has banned distribution of condoms in schools

Target Groups for Behaviour Change

i.                   
Epidemiologic
Approaches

Targets high risk
groups such as CSWs, Injection Drug Users (IDUs), men having sex with men and
Lesbians, adolescents, young adults and women, can be cost effective and efficacious (efficient)

b)         Holistic Approach

Targets the general population

This could help in reducing stigma
because it targets every one. It can also gain political support because it is
popular. One weakness is that it can be costly- spread of resources rather
thinly.

Methods of Changing Behaviour

There are two broad methodological approaches each with
specific models to behaviour change:

a)         Small/ individual group models — These
focus on understanding and explaining were change can take place in individuals
and in small groups.

i)          Health beliefs
model: This identifies four key beliefs or perceptions to behaviour change as:

a)           
Threat
— when people see threat they can change

b)           
Efficacy (Self
Confidence) and benefits

c)           
Barriers or
negative effects —these have to be identified

d)           
Cues
to action – e.g Mass campaigns

ii)         Theory of
reasoned action model: This identifies the intention in people as the route to
change. Intention is influenced by:

a)    perceived outcomes

b)    evaluation of outcomes or social norms (especially
expectation). Efficiency rehearsal and support

c)    Increasing self-efficacy through identifying modeling.

iii)        integrated social
learning model: identifies the following as key to behaviour change.

a)   
Positive
Cost/benefit ratios

b)   
Strong Intent

c)   
Necessary skills

d)   
High
self -efficacy (self-confidence)

e)   
Expected
positive emotional response

f)    
Compatibility of
behaviour with self-image

g)     Greater perceived social pressure to perform a behaviour
than not to perform

h)     Fewer environmental constraints to perform a behaviour than
not performing

iv)        The AIDS risk reduction model: there are three basic steps

a)     Labeling one’s own behaviour as risky

b)     Making a commitment to reducing risk behaviour

c)      Taking action to perform the desired change.

v.         Trans-theoretical
Model identifies four steps:

i. precontemplation

ii. contemplation

iii. action

iv. maintenance

b)         Community/ Societal models:

Directed at entire communities and aims
at making structural

changes.

Different approaches/theories which
support this include

i)     Diffusion of Innovation theory — change is brought about by
innovators i.e influential people. This relies on use of peer educators

ii)    Mass media campaign

-Use of Video, TV dramas posters and
mass rallies

iii)   Community Empowerment Approach — also called Community
organization, Community mobilization, Action research. Community empower,ment
approach addresses behaviour broadly and actively involves community members in
designing, executing and evaluating the project

iv)   Social Marketng — uses commercial methods to promote
behaviour change. The marketing of condoms in Zambia through advertisements is
an example of social marketing. It involves structural change because it
changes social norms and reduces structural barriers

v)    Policy or infrastructure changes — these are policy changes
that affect structures e.g distribution of condoms to all sex workers

Barriers to Behaviour Change: There are four groups of barriers

1)        Economic barriers

·        
Poverty
– leads to sex work

·        
Migrant work
separates families. When away, migrant workers turn to CSW. The spouses who
remain behind engage in extra marital sex.

·        
Prolonged
separation due to studies

·        
Migration i.e due
to famine and political conflicts

2)        Social and Cultural barriers

·        
Stigma
and denial. Stigma is characterized by:

–                   
fear to discuss the
disease
failure to recognize personal risk

–                   
prevention
or reluctance to learn or disclose HIV/Status

In Zambia the major problem is stigma. The Zambia millennium
goals report singles out stigma, attitude and misconceptions as major health
and economic challenges (Republic of Zambia 2003: 24) stigma involves

·        
Familial
concealment (hiding) of HIV status and AIDS related deaths

·        
Not discussing
sexuality openly except during traditional initiation rites

·        
Parents
not willing to educate children on about HIV transmission

·        
Rejection
of sex education in schools

·        
Women having
limited power to negotiate safer sexual practices due to lack of economic,
political power

·        
Polygamy

3)        Organizational barriers

·        
Competition
over resources

·        
Not evaluating
behaviour change interventions to establish comparative advantage

4)         Political barriers

·        
Weak,
unstable governments

·        
Armed conflict and
health crises

·        
Wide
spread misinformation denial and stigma

·        
Lack of policies on
poverty reduction

·        
Lack of political
will at high level of state power.

5. Institutions

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institutions that support or work with people affected or infected with
HIV/AIDS. To be affected is to suffer as a result of another person being a
patient of HIV/AIDS. When parents are sick, children are affected. They are
deprived of the care they used to receive because the parents are not able to
do all those things they used to do such as working to fend for the family.

To be infected is to carry HIV/AIDS in the body. People that
are sick are said to be living with HIV/AIDS. Due to the concern that HIV/AIDS
has created, nations and the international community have responded by creating
institutions large and small, local and international, that give support to the
affected and infected.

6. Issue Analysis

You have now collected and analyzed information in
different groups. Information you have put on flip charts covers I) recent
history using time lines ii) Behaviours, values and attitudes that contribute
to spread of HIV/AIDS using matrices iii) Institutions that support those
infected using venn diagrams and iv) impact of HIV/AlDs at household level
using maps. The use of PLAs instantaneously leads to issue analysis. At the end
you are required to create composite tools to give greater validity to the
findings through intergroup PLA agreement.

7. Field work

Now that you have collected information from among
yourselves, you will go into the field and collect further information. Field
work requires preparation in terms of i) methods of collecting information ii)
preparing the people to receive you iii) gaining entree in the community

a) Methods of
collecting information. You can use PLAs to go and collect information from the
community. In fact extension of PLAs to the communities increases group
participation. That you are quite skilled to use PLAs, you will look at the use
of interviews to collect information. Interviews are suitable for collecting
information from individuals. There are three types of interviews: 1)
unstructured, semi structured and structured interview.

 

Unstructured Interviews

Unstructured Interviews are also referred to as clinical
interviews. Questions are not written and interviews arise from conversations.
A conversation is a discussion with a purpose. These interviews flow from
asking grand tour questions. They would involve asking questions like “how
long have you been here’?” ‘Tell me what do you normally do in your life
to earn a living”. Questions of this nature are designed to ease the
atmosphere and to bring the researcher and the researched closer. There is also
need for the researcher to make a deliberate effort to stop and let the
interviewee ask some questions. Unstructured
interviews can unlock new and often unintended discoveries.

Semi-Structured Interviews

Semi-structured interviews these are
interviews which follow preformed questions. At the beginning, you prepare a
series of questions to guide the interview. Questions can be asked in a
different order as the interview proceeds when you ask the interviewee one
question but in answering the first question interviewee answer also question
two, in that case do not repeat question two. Interviews can be recorded or
written down. If recorded, it is advisable to use a small tape recorder with an
in built microphone. The recorder can be an obstruction to free and natural
conversations for a varying length of time. Awareness of the machine can cause
some uneasiness on the part of the interviewee. It is good for the researcher
to talk about the recorder. If no explanation is given for presence of a tape
recorder, the interviewee can remain apprehensive about its presence. If an
explanation is made and permission sought awareness of its intrusion may not
last long. One way of making a recorder interviewee-friendly is to play back a
short part of the conversation that has taken place in the first five also minutes
of each interview. A researcher can say something like “let us listen to
what we have recorded so far”. The listening can provide the interviewee
with extra courage and confidence as well as ease tensions.                     

Structured Interview

Structured interview is a set of carefully worded questions. The
questions are arranged under subheadings of the topic under investigation and
are asked of interviewees in the same order. For example, in an investigation
on listening to the girl child questions were arranged under the subheadings:
aspirations and expectations, family expectations and class interactions.