LAW5805 Seminar-II (Non-Doctrinal) — Unit 3: The Research Tools — Questionnaire, Interview, FGD, Consultation, Field Observation

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Unit 3: The Research Tools — Questionnaire, Interview, FGD, Consultation, Field Observation

3.1 Sampling First (Whom to Reach)

You cannot ask everyone; you ask a sample.

Probability sampling: random, systematic, stratified (each stratum — e.g., ward, gender — fairly represented); supports statistical generalization.
Non-probability sampling: convenience, purposive (choose the knowledgeable — judges, survivors, officers), snowball (one respondent leads to the next; used for hidden populations).
Sample size: enough for saturation (qualitative) or the confidence the design demands (quantitative). Always describe the sample honestly — who, how many, how chosen.

3.2 Questionnaire Survey

The questionnaire collects standardized data from many respondents.

Closed questions (options; numbers) — quick to count.
Open questions — richer, slower.
Scales (e.g., five-point agreement) — measured attitudes.
Craft rules: short, one idea per question, no leading phrasing (“Do you agree the failing system…?”), sensitive questions late, pilot-test with 3–5 people, translate carefully (Nepali/English equivalence), keep identity anonymous where promised.

3.3 Interview

The structured, semi-structured, or in-depth conversation. Semi-structured is the socio-legal favourite: an interview guide of 8–12 questions, probes as needed. Craft: open questions first, silence tolerated, no leading, record with consent, note context. Key-informant interviews target officials, lawyers, mediators — the system’s insiders.

3.4 Focused Group Discussion (FGD)

6–10 homogeneous-but-stranger participants, a moderator, a note-taker, a 60–90 minute discussion on set themes. FGD captures interaction and shared norms — what people say when peers react. Danger: dominance by one voice; the moderator manages airtime. Example: an FGD of returnee migrant workers on the recruitment-agency experience.

3.5 Consultation

The syllabus’s fifth tool: formal consultation with stakeholders, experts, or institutions — expert opinion-gathering, stakeholder meetings, and roundtables that sit between interview and FGD. Used where the knowers are few and specialized: a consultation with the bench officers’ association on case-management practice.

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