3.5 Methods of Data Collection

In order to answer the research questions I have used a mixed methods approach, what means that one uses both quantitative methods and qualitative methods, although, according to Jennings (2001: 135), “there will be a predominant use of one methodology over the other”. The focus of this research is qualitative. Golafshani (2003: 600) argues that in qualitative research a naturalistic approach is used that is seeking to understand a phenomenon in a context-specific setting and refers to Patton (2002) who is talking about a “real world setting [where] the researcher does not attempt to manipulate the phenomenon of interest”.

Strauss and Corbin (1990), quoted by Golafshani (2003: 600), broadly define qualitative research as “any kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification”. Jennings (2001) mentions the term ‘thick descriptions’ to indicate the collection of in-depth information in words of usually a small number of participants. Golafshani (2003: 600) continues by referring to Hoepfl (1997) who stresses that “unlike quantitative researchers who seek causal determination, prediction, and generalization of findings, qualitative researchers seek instead illumination, understanding, and extrapolation to similar situations”.

I agree with the supporters of the mixed methods concept, who suggest that using mixing methods can overcome the ‘deficiencies’ of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies (Jennings, 2001). This means that I also used triangulation in my research, according to Jennings also a feminist methodological strategy. Using triangulation increases the understanding of the phenomenon. According to Denzin & Lincoln (1994), quoted by Jennings (2001: 151) “triangulation is not a tool or a strategy of validation, but an alternative to validation”. It is used to fulfill the requirements of validity and reliability.

Denzin (1978 in Jennings, 2001: 151) argues triangulation is used because “no single method ever adequately solves the problem of rival causal factors…Because each method reveals different aspects of empirical reality, multiple methods of observations must be employed”. I have used both data triangulation, making use of various sources of data, both primary and secondary, and methodological triangulation, using several methods to gather relevant data. This includes a literature and archival research on the situation in Costa Rica with regard to politics, history, culture, economy, the tourism industry, the sex tourism industry and the child sex tourism industry. Thus, in my research I have employed the following methods:

• Desk research; an investigation of documents, archival material, books, websites, cd’s both quantitative and qualitative.

• Reviewing the five steps of the Code of Conduct of the involved companies in a quantitative manner.

• Attending workshops. This workshop is one of the steps of the Code of Conduct Project.

• Semi-structured, in-depth, interviews with several stakeholders, such as institutions and tourism industry companies who signed or did not sign the code of conduct. A list with all the participant researchers can be found in Appendix VI I used an interview scheme slightly adjusted according to the type of participant (NGO, government institution or private tourism sector). An example of such an interview scheme I used during the interviews can be found in Appendix VII. All the research participants signed a research agreement. The research agreement can be found in Appendix VIII.

• Inside information from employees at Paniamor acquired during informal talks.

• Participant observation: I worked among my “colleagues” at Paniamor, helped with workshops and trainings for the code of conduct, and made observations during the interviews and in certain places where commercial sexual exploitation of children is occurring. Besides the capital city San José where I lived, I went to Tamarindo and Jaco for a couple of days, two popular beach towns in which I was told the problem of commercial sexual exploitation or at least prostitution was a big problem. My role as observer thus shifted between being an observer as participant and a participant as observer (Junker, 1960).