Researching Black Communities by Jackson James S.;Caldwell Cleopatra Howard;Sellers Sherrill L.;

Author:Jackson, James S.;Caldwell, Cleopatra Howard;Sellers, Sherrill L.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Michigan Press

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Lessons Learned from the Quantitative Phase of DWP

• Establish a network of contact people to do formal introductions.

• Describe the direct and indirect benefits of participation in the project.

• Be prepared to address issues of confidentiality.

• Be aware of time constraints potential participants may face.

• Consider matching on race and gender. Gender concordance was important in the qualitative component of the DWP.

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Phase II: Focus Groups

Participants were asked if they would be interested in follow-up discussions, and the vast majority of respondents (97 out of 102) agreed to participate in in-depth interviews and focus groups. This mixed-methods approach was selected to further clarify the information received from the face-to-face survey interviews. The Phase II follow-up discussions were conducted six months after completing the survey. After the respondents from Phase I were contacted and verbal consent was given, participants were selected from that group based on age, length of stay in the United States, length of time working as a domestic worker, and formal level of education. Forty-six participants were selected from the 97 who expressed their willingness to be interviewed a second time. Because focus groups drew from the same pool as the survey, it was felt that a monetary thank-you would be appropriate. Focus group participants and key informants each received $20 for their involvement in this phase of the study. Further, in order to remove some of the potential barriers to participating in the in-depth interviews, respondents were given mileage or transportation reimbursement, child care was provided if necessary, and snacks for the respondent and their children were available.

On average, the focus groups and in-depth interviews ranged from one to three hours. Many participants saw the research as an opportunity to gather with friends who were also domestic workers. Often participants remained after the formal group process was completed to socialize and share experiences of life and work as immigrant domestic workers. Invariably, respondents reported making contact with their friends prior to attending the focus groups to ascertain who was attending and to clarify the process associated with their selection. The atmosphere was partylike, yet researchers had no difficulty collecting valuable data. In fact, the relaxed atmosphere seemed to allow discussion to flow freely.

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