Chapter
2
Research Design
2.1
Choice of Study Areas and Organizations
Two out of five districts in Prey Veng province were selected for the
study. They were Kamchay Mear and Prey Veng district. The selection of the
districts was based on the distance from the provincial town, security and
transport facilities. Prey Veng district is located a long the national road
with the good security and Kamchay Mear is located far away from the
provincial town with the security and the transport facilities is not good.
Five Saving and Credit Associations were selected for the study based
on four criteria:
§
The
distance from the market center: Villages located near a market center and
villages located far way from a market center.
§
The
types of the loan use: The group loans used for agricultural inputs and for
business or trading activities;
§
The age
of the SCA: The oldest and the youngest
§
The
request to start up the SCA: The villages requested by PRASAC to start the
programme, and the villages requested by the villagers to establish the
programme.
2.2 Survey Design
2.2.1
The Sample
In order to meet the objectives, this study covered the borrowers and
key informants. The author
selected the systematic sampling to use in this research in order to get
accuracy and reliability of the information. It means selection of every nth
term of a list of member households.
2.2.2
The Borrowers
The
borrowers were randomly selected for the interviews from the list of members
of the Credit and Saving Associations. In this research, respondents were
randomly picked as every 7th household in a block for interviewing.
The total number of respondents was 60. The average percentage of respondent
selected for the interviewed was about 14% of the total members of the Credit
and Saving Association (Table 2.1)
The
percentage of respondents selected for interview is uneven distribution
between 11 to 20% because of time limited to stay in the village and the speed
of interview.
Table 2.1 The Main Sample
|
District |
Commune |
Villages/ SCAs |
Total members |
Number of respondents |
% Respondents |
|
Prey Veng |
Svay Antor |
Svay Antor II |
112 |
15 |
13 |
|
Damrey Poun |
Kampradous |
81 |
16 |
20 |
|
|
Kamchay Mear |
Smong Cheng |
Promol Dom |
84 |
10 |
12 |
|
Khra Nhoeung |
Ta Sao Chour
Pha Ao II |
63 79 |
10 9 |
16 11 |
|
|
Total |
419 |
60 |
14 |
||
2.2.3
Key Informants
The
key informants were chosen for interviewing in order to get the general
information related to the strengths and weaknesses of the programme as a
whole and what strategy should be taken in order to improve the programme to
be more effective and efficient. The key informants were chosen as follows:
1-
Policy makers: The credit specialist and his assistants based in
Project Management Unit in Phnom Penh and Provincial Credit Coordinator.
2-
Credit staff: The Credit Staffs were selected of two provincial
accountants, district credit coordinators and credit agents.
3-
Households: Three selective households were selected for in-depth case
study in order to document the effects of the programme.
Table
2.2 Key Informants Interviewed
|
Interviewees |
PMU |
Province |
District |
Commune |
Total |
|
Policy
makers Staff Households |
2 |
1 2 |
2 |
5 3 |
3 9 3 |
|
Total |
2 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
15 |
2.3
Methodology of the Study
The study used two types of data namely secondary and primary data. The
secondary data was collected from the PMU office based in Phnom Penh through
reports, annual workplans and evaluations. Moreover, secondary data was
collected from Prey Veng provincial office.
The
primary data was collected from the field survey through direct observation,
discussion, and interview with questionnaires. The method of primary data
collection was used as the followings:
2.3.1
Reconnaissance Survey
The reconnaissance survey was done in three provinces, Takeo, Kompong
Speu and Prey Veng before conducting the case study in Prey Veng province.
This survey was conducted in order to collect the general information on the
performance of the credit programmes in different provinces where PRASAC is
operating and to get to understand the whole pictures of the programme.
2.3.2
Questionnaire
The
structured questionnaire was used with the beneficiaries, district supervisors
and credit agents. The questionnaire was included the socio-economy variables
of relevant for the credit scheme. Pre-test questionnaire was done with a
couple of households. The questionnaire, in a revised English version and then
translated to Khmer language to make a survey as smooth as possible.
2.3.3
Group Discussion
Additional
primary data was collected through group discussion with the credit committee
members in five villages before conducting the household survey. The
discussion was focused on the problems encountered in the management of SCAs,
the strengths and weaknesses of the programme and the problems of the
businesses by using loans. Some suggestions and recommendations to improve the
system of the programmes were also collected from the group discussion. The
author attended in the General Assembly Meeting and in the group leaders
meetings as an observer and also provided some advises to the members of the
association related to the experience of credit management.
2.3.4
Key Informants Interview
The
key informant interview was conducted with provincial credit coordinator,
credit specialist and credit assistants. The key informant interview was done
through informal discussion. This discussion was obtained on how is the policy
and strategy of the programme to be sustained for the future development of
the programme. Moreover, this technique was used for obtaining preliminary
information about the people and the programme before undertaking the
questionnaire survey and additional information about the management of credit
scheme at the provincial level and the problems encountered in the credit
implementation.
2.3.5
In-depth Case Study
Based
on the questionnaire, a study was conducted more in-depth in three households
to provide evidence of socio-economic change before and after the programme.
This method is important to document the effects of the programme.
2.3.6
Data Processing and Analysis
As both qualitative and quantitative data gathered, both techniques of
data analysis were use. The quantitative analyses were analysis through the
help of SPSS programme to obtain statistical information.
Other
methods of data analysis used were: (1) SWOT analysis to summarize the current
status of PRASAC programme in Prey Veng, (2) scoring system to classify the
socio-economic situation of the respondent and (3) problem matrix analysis to
rank the major problems that the programme faced in the implementation.
2.3.7 Time Schedule
The
field investigation was conducted in two districts (Kamchay Mear and Prey Veng)
within 8 weeks from 9 January to 23 February 1999. The reconnaissance survey
was done about three days in three provinces. The time schedule was shown in
Table 2.3.
Table
2.3 Time Schedule
|
Activities |
January |
February |
||||||
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
|
Preparation
/ contact |
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reconnaissance
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pre
test |
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Data
collection |
|
* |
* |
* |
* |
|
|
|
|
Data
editing/ Tabulation |
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
Winding
up |
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
Writing
summary findings |
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
Feedback
from credit specialist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
Return
to AIT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
2.4 The Analytical Framework
 |
 |
 |
Figure 2.1 Research Design
