i Parkia biglobosa - School of Forest Resources & Environmental ...

dawadawa. Often this informal interview would progress and develop into a formal
interview.
Formal interviews
My job as researcher was to develop a framework for the topic of interest. In this
method, the informant and researcher are both aware of the interview process. A set of
fixed questions is presented to several informants (Alexiades 1996). In the formal
interviews, my questions specifically addressed various aspects concerning P. biglobosa.
I asked about the traditional uses of P. biglobosa, detailed descriptions of dawadawa
preparation, preferences for traditional dawadawa or soybean dawadawa, medicinal
preparations, illnesses treated, who has access to trees, and exact cost of products from P.
biglobosa.
I utilized different techniques of questioning. One technique is free listing
(Alexiades 1996). I would ask informants to name all the uses for dua and its products.
Another technique is direct questioning. When I sought specific and unequivocal
answers I would ask a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. “Do you eat dawadawa?” or “ Do you take
medicine made from dua tree?”. After the response, I would employ another technique,
probing questions. Types of probes can control or direct the responses. Silence or
pausing after a response can be a probe for the informant to further expand on his
response with little control exerted by the researcher (Alexiades 1996). I could elicit
more detailed responses and probe deeper with questions such as “Is there anything
else?” or “Can you give me more examples?” or “How is the medicine prepared?”.
39