In a research project, sample size and sampling procedure draw vital consideration before a researcher embarks on the data collection process. It is expected that the sample size and sampling procedure would be in line with the purpose of the study, research questions, research design and data collection methods. This study adopted the purposive sampling technique based on the view that it provides the researcher with a sample which is fundamental to the quality and reliability of data gathered. The sample size for this study was categorised into two groups. The first group included four (4) respondents, two males and two females; who were engaged through the questionnaire method, but three respondents among these were also in the second group. The second group was composed of twelve (12) respondents who were involved through semi-structured interviews and video stimulus technique. Therefore, the total sample size of this study was thirteen (13).
94 It should be noted that I also worked with another group of people for the video shooting in the field (V1, V2, and V3). However, I do not count them as my respondents based on the fact that a respondent is a person who responds to the questions (research questions in my case). I did not collect data directly from them although my respondents used the video (shot with their assistance) to generate the data which I later used in this study. It is true that they played a role in calibrating the attention of my respondents and in one way or another stimulated the respondents to talk and express their views. In this case, I regard them as a stimulus to my respondent and not as my respondents. This group comprised of people who were involved in the video clips. For instance, in video clip one (V1) there are thirteen (13), consisting of eleven males and two females. In video clip two (V2), there were eighteen participants, including eight teachers (six males and two females) and ten pupils (five males and five females). The last video clip three (V3), had twelve participants, comprising two male teachers and ten pupils; but all those who were part of the V3
also took part in the V2. This group was a mixture of both Kuria and non-Kuria speakers.
One can note the gender disparity in the V1 and V2 /V3. This is due to the nature of activities carried out in the videos. In V1 the process of house construction in Mara region is mostly undertaken by men and the two women were only there to assist them in auxiliary activities, i.e. one was fetching water while the other was filling the floors of the rooms with soil to level them. In the other two video clips, it was due to the nature of the activities that I intended to capture/analyse, i.e. running, cooking, playing, cultivating, mango plucking, teaching (in video two) and teaching/reading (in video three).
4.3.1 Respondents in Semi-Structured Interviews and Video Stimulus Method
The sample representation in the two methods was categorized in three groups according to the age of the respondents. Group ‘A’ comprised of respondents in their 30s; group ‘B’ in 40s and group ‘C’ in 50s and above. I decided to have different respondents at least from these three age group categories so that they could represent the age and gender stratification of the Kuria community. In each group, there were four (4) respondents (two males and two females). I used code M for male and F for female. The codes were numbered 1 to 6; this means that, code number 1 and 2 (M1, M2, F1 and F2) are in group ‘A’ and 3 and 4 in group ‘B’ and 5 and 6 are in group
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‘C’. I also purposefully selected diverse genders to avoid gender bias and to have equal numbers in each age group set. Below is a short description of the respondents in their respective groups.
4.3.1.1 Group ‘A’ (Aged 30s)
In this group there were two males (M1 and M2) and two females (F1 and F2). There were three respondents from Rosana and one from Kemakorere villages.
4.3.1.1.1 M1 (from Rosana Village)
M1 was 30 years old. He was living in Rosana village. In his explanation in both semi-structured interviews and video stimulus he used 1613 words.
4.3.1.1.2 M2 (from Rosana Village)
M2 was born and was living in Rosana village. During data collection, he used 3993 words in total.
4.3.1.1.3 F1 (from Kemakorere)
F1 was born at Kebhweye. She was living in Kemakorere. She used 2348 words during data collection.
4.3.1.1.4 F2 (from Rosana)
F2 was 30 years old in 2014. She was living in Rosana village. During data collection she used 1121 words.
4.3.1.2 Group ‘B’ (Aged 40s)
This group also had four respondents with equal gender composition. Two respondents were from Nkende community, one from Rosana and one from Kemakorere villages.
4.3.1.2.1 M3 (from Kemakorere)
M3 was 41 years old; he was born at Kemakorere Village. He used 2145 words during data collection.
96 4.3.1.2.2 M4 (from Nkende)
M4 was 48 years old. He used 4983 words during data collection.
4.3.1.2.3 F3 (from Rosana)
F3 was 45 years old. She lived in Rosana village. During data collection she used 2187 words.
4.3.1.2.4 F4 (from Nkende)
F4 was 49 years old. She was born in Nyarero village. She used 2943 total number of words in her talk.
4.3.1.3 Group ‘C’ (Aged 50s and above)
Group ‘C’ included different age categories compared to the above-mentioned two groups which had similar age characteristics, i.e. 30s and 40s. Members in this group were in their 50s and 70s.
The group had four respondents; one from Msati, two from Rosana and one from Kemakorere villages.
4.3.1.3.1 M5 (from Rosana)
M5 was 75 years old. He was living in Rosana village. He used 1852 words during data collection.
4.3.1.3.2 M6 (from Msati)
M6 was born in 1938 (76 years old) in Nyamongo village in Tarime district. But by the time of research, he was living and working in Msati. He used 4718 words during data collection.
4.3.1.3.3 F5 (from Rosana)
F5 was 55 years old; she was born at Nyarutu village in Tarime district, but she was living at Rosana. She used 877 words.
4.3.1.3.4 F6 (from Kemakorere)
F6 was born in 1942 (she was presently 72 years old). She used 1201 words.
97 4.3.2 Respondents in Questionnaire Method
Under the questionnaire method I used four respondents, two males and two females. Three respondents in this method were among the twelve respondents who were involved in the semi-structured interviews and video stimulus. Males were (M4) and (M6). The female was (F4).
Additionally, there was another female respondent from Rosana village (F7) who was not in the other groups. The latter was 52 years old.