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www.ijird.com July, 2017 Vol 6 Issue 7
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT DOI No. :
10.24940/ijird/2017/v6/i7/JUL17053 Page 106
Methodological Approaches for Regime Performance towards Achieving
Socio-Economic Democratic Consolidation in Developing Societies
1. Introduction
Research, generally, refers to an organized and scientific exercise conducted to identify, generate, analyse and interpret information to
make informed decisions. To achieve this, it requires appropriate techniques and procedures. Creswell (2014:31) defined research
approaches as the “plans and procedures for research that span the steps from broad assumptions to detailed methods of data
collection, analysis, and interpretation.”Based on this, the overall decision centers on which type of approach to be utilized in studying
a particular topic of interest by the researcher (Creswell, 2014). This means it is imperative to have an appropriate research procedure
hat is globally recognised to expand the frontiers of knowledge. In the field of politics and government just like in other social
sciences, getting the right information from the right people at the right place and right time, therefore, requires an appropriate design,
procedures, techniques and tools to be used for analysing, interpreting and reporting the data. It is in this regard that Creswell (2012)
have for instance identified the following as the purpose of conducting research: to contextualize its problems, exploring its
conditions, to focus and investigate identified problems, problem analysis, evaluating the findings and report such findings in an
appropriate manner.
The purpose of this paper is to serve as a foundational study to lay the ground for the regime performance of Governor Gaidam
towards achieving socio-economic democratic consolidation in Yobe state, 2009-2015. This paper basically describes the research
methods adopted for a PhD study conducted at Universiti Putra Malaysia. The essence is to give the needed methodological evidence
so that researchers and scholars may scrutinize the work and findings (Babbie, 2010; Yin, 2011). This is particularly important as the
validity and reliability of findings of qualitative research depends on how well the methodology has been formulated, implemented
and presented by the researcher (Yin, 2011; Creswell, 2014) that needs to be explained. For studies carried out as mainly qualitative in
nature, Berg (2001) suggested that the qualitative methodological process must provide rich, detailed and in-depth information that
bridges the gap between foundational studies and practice in social sciences. This, therefore, means that since our study utilized
qualitative research methods, it is expected to encompass a whole array of emerging and evolving procedures, techniques and
strategies that need to be explained. This paper, therefore, capitalized on that motivation towards achieving its objectives.
The regime performance of Governor Gaidam towards achieving socio-economic democratic consolidation in Yobe state from 2009-
2015 is quite interesting. For instance, NBS (2010) and MDG (2010) reports indicates that democratic process in the state was
characterized by massive socio-economic deficits. It was evident that even official data from the government show that more than
ISSN 2278
–
0211 (Online)
Ali Ibrahim Abbas
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Government & Civilization Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Lecturer, Department of Political Science & Administration, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria
Dr. Ku Hasnita Binti Ku Samsu
Senior Lecturer, Department of Government & Civilization Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Abstract:
This paper describes a research methodology approach for regime performance towards achieving socio-economic democratic
consolidation in developing societies. The emphasis of this paper is on regime performance of Governor Gaidam towards
achieving socio-economic democratic consolidation in Yobe state, 2009-2015. As part of a wider study, this paper provides the
study area, research design, data collection and analysis procedure adopted for the study. Importantly, the approaches adopted
and discussed in this paper become the research foundation of the first author for his PhD study. To achieve the overall aim of
the paper, we specifically discussed the profile of Yobe state emphasizing creation, population, culture, geography, landmass,
political economy, governance and administrative structure. Beyond the socio-economic profile of Yobe state described as one of
the most underdeveloped states in Nigeria, the paper discussed the qualitative designs and approaches adopted in the PhD study.
Therefore, issues of selection of informants, sources of data, methods of data collection, data analysis procedures and techniques
were explained. Finally, issues of validity and reliability and social science ethical considerations which generally guided the
overall study from start to finish are explained.
Keywords: Research, methodology, qualitative research, health, education, road infrastructure, democracy, development, Yobe
state, Nigeria
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83% of the population in the state lives below the poverty line with youth’s groups and women folks being the most vulnerable (NBS,
2010). In the education sector, the situation also remains challenging to human development as students completing primary school in
the state is very low (NBS, 2010). In the health care services, the status of the state is also worrisome as 48.0% of children born in the
state are underweight; infant mortality rate is 215 per 1000 live births; and children under five mortality rates is put at 130 per 1000
live births (NBS, 2010, MDG, 2010).In fact, in Yobe state, this poor socio-economic situation had caused poverty, hunger, disease,
unemployment, illiteracy, and youth restiveness (Abbas, 2016). Hence, due to lack of good education, health care and road network
among other basic infrastructures, Yobe is continuously regarded as one of the most underdeveloped states in Nigeria (Abbas,
2016)characterized by its poor human development indicators especially when compared with other states. This convergence is a
critical juncture where the essence of regime performance and socio-economic development intersect in Yobe state like in the case of
most developing societies.
In essence, using the socio-economic democratic consolidation framework, the certain significance is ascribed to the ability of
democratic regime in such situations to identify societal problems, come up with workable solutions and mobilize citizens during
periods of social, economic and political change (Moller & Schierenbeck, 2014). Similarly, Salifu (2014) share that performance of
the political regime matters as the numbers and types of political actors that have access to political and economic scenes, the type of
formal and informal rules they play in adopting and implementing public policies of the regime remained relevant to its success or
failures. This will further mean that the behavioural aspect of democratic regimes at all levels (in this case state government) have a
substantial impact on democratic institutions and the people. Hence, the need to explore the regime performance of Governor Gaidam
towards achieving socio-economic democratic consolidation in Yobe state, 2009-2015. As a methodological approach, this study,
therefore, showcases how a qualitative research design was adopted in the study in an attempt towards enhancing in-depth
understanding of the phenomenon under investigation through better exploration and description.
As the study was to explore and obtain the deeper perspective of informant’s experiences on regime performance of Governor Gaidam
towards achieving socio-economic democratic consolidation in Yobe state (first of its kind), the qualitative research approach was
certainly considered towards achieving the objectives of the study. This is in view of the fact that the regime performance in socio-
economic (health, education and road infrastructure development)piloted by human behaviour remains a dynamic process which
cannot be well assessed quantitatively. Babbie(2010)and Creswell(2014) have previously observed that human nature cannot be
statistically predicted when using quantitative method alone; hence the emphasis on the qualitative method. Earlier studies mostly
emphasize quantitative approaches which do not provide insights on the much needed why and how questions in this developing area.
To the best of our knowledge, the issues addressed in the regime performance of Governor Gaidam in socio-economic development
were largely unexplored. Hence, there is need to provide an insight on the research methodologies set for the study. To lay the
foundation for this study, a brief background on Yobe state Nigeria is first provided before presenting the main findings.
2. The Study Area: Yobe state, Nigeria
2.1. Population and Culture
According to 2006 national population census figures, Yobe state has a population of 2,321,339 people generally made up of
1,205,034 males and 1,116,305 females (YBSG, 2010). The population based on 3.5% growth rate per annum the current projected
population of the state ranges around 3.5 million. Yobe state is diverse in ethnic compositions with Kanuri, Fulani, Hausa, Bolewa,
Bade, Ngizim, Kare-Kare, Ngamo and Shuwa Arabs as the major tribes. Even though, the English language remains the official
language in administrative and official communication and in schools; Hausa is widely spoken amongst most citizens all over the
state. The combination of all these features portrays Yobe as a dynamic state that is diverse in culture and ethnic composition like in
the case of most Nigerian states.
2.2. Location and Land Mass
Located in North Eastern region of Nigeria, Yobe state is situated within latitude and longitude 11o N and 13.50 E respectively with
47,153 km2 total land area that shares common borders with Gombe and Bauchi states to its South West, Jigawa state its North West
and Borno state to its South East and East. Stretching the entire northern part of the state, Yobe also shares over 323 kilometers of
international territory with the Niger Republic with lots of commercial activities taking place among the populace. Figure 1 below is a
map of Nigeria showing the location of Yobe state.
Figure 1: Map of Nigeria showing Yobe state
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2.3. Political Economy of Yobe State
Yobe state just like most states in Nigeria is rural and agrarian with more than 80% of the citizens engaged in small-scale subsistence
farming. Yobe state mostly is dependent on national oil revenues from the national government (NBS, 2010) to run the affairs of
government. Yobe Socio-Economic Reform Agenda (YOSERA IV) provides that federal allocations accounted for over 84% of the
state’s revenue. The state’s economy is therefore relatively small when compared to bigger states such as Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Enugu,
Kaduna, Plateau and Borno in Nigeria. The Gross State Product (GSP) which measures the output of annual economic activities in the
state was estimated at N60.57 billion in 2005 (YOSERA IV). Overall, Yobe’s economy makes a contribution of about 0.42% to
national Gross Domestic Product.
Yobe state falls within the 6 states with the highest level of poverty in the Federal Republic of Nigeria (NBS, 2010). According to this
report, Yobe state has an incidence of poverty at 81.1% above the national average of 70%. In terms of poverty gap, which measures
the level to which a poor person’s expenditure falls below the poverty line, Yobe state is, however, the least in the zone of six North
Eastern states (NBS, 2010). This implies that although Yobe has a high poverty incidence, the state has a shallow poverty gap. Based
on this national report, it means that although 81% of Yobe citizens are poor, they are not as poor as the poor persons in all the other 5
states in the North-East region.
Though Yobe state is a rural state without a single cosmopolitan city and only five medium-sized towns with significant commercial
activities, the state is endowed with agricultural and mineral resources that are yet to be efficiently exploited (YOSERA IV). More
than 80% of the citizens are engaged in small scale subsistence farming providing income and employment for a large percentage of
the population (YOSSERRA III). It should, however, be noted that since its creation in 1991, Yobe state has been grappling with the
fundamental development challenges of providing social and physical infrastructure towards improving the welfare and living
standard of its citizens.
2.4. Governance and Administrative Structure
Nigeria is a federal structure built on 36 semi-independent federal states and the Federal Capital Territory administration. Yobe state
carved out from old Borno state is among 9 additional states created on 27th August 1991 by Babangida military administration in line
with the continuous clamour for the restructuring of Nigeria’s federal structure. The creation of states in Nigeria is mostly viewed as
an extension of governance structure through regimes towards the betterment and improved wellbeing of its citizenry. The constitution
of Nigeria deliberately provides for three tiers of government: the federal, state and local governments. Following the provisions of the
constitution of Nigeria, Yobe state has three arms of government: the executive arm comprising the Governor and the State Executive
Council (ExCo). The Legislative arm is the second regarded as the State House of Assembly (SHoA) that enacts laws for the smooth
and orderly governance of the state and the third arm is the state Judiciary. The Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are the
major executive organs of government through which various policies and programme of the state government are initiated and
implemented. Based on their relevance, their level of efficiency and the capacity to translate policies into action is therefore critical for
achieving the goals and objectives of any government.
3. Research Methodology
This paper is part of a wider empirical study conducted by the first author for his doctoral degree supervised by the second author at
the Universiti Putra Malaysia. The study was conducted to understand regime performance of Governor Gaidam in Yobe described as
one of the most underdeveloped states in Nigeria. The Governor Gaidam’s regime from 2009-2015 served as the case in point.
Therefore, the methodology of this study is largely descriptive in nature where different procedures and methods were applied in the
collection and analysis of the data for the study. The main sources of data are therefore mainly books and journals related to the
research methods and socio-economic democratic consolidation.
4. Findings
4.1. Qualitative Design
To understand regime performance of Governor Gaidam in Yobe described as one of the most underdeveloped states in Nigeria (NBS,
2010) which is largely unexplored in academic literature, the qualitative research approaches were considered relevant. Under a
democratic regime, this becomes relevant because socio-economic realities in decision making are complex associated heterogeneous
values and cultures of policy makers and the uncertainties in the political, social, economic and cultural environment. Hence, this
qualitative approach adopted offered an in-depth view of an informant in their real-life context (Yin, 2011) on the various aspects
covered in the regime’s response to addressing health, education and road infrastructure development in Yobe state. The proponents of
qualitative design have characterized it as naturalistic and holistic in nature, contextual and content focused in the analysis, emergent
and evolving in approach, as well as comparative and interpretive thereby respecting human nature and the very essence of individual
participants by using various methodologies (Babbie, 2010; Creswell, 2012).
In view of the above, generating knowledge in regime performance of Governor Gaidam in socio-economic issues was derived from
the contextual realities of both human actions and experiences built upon the dynamic and unique interactions of events, the members
performing those actions and other factors in such instances (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison 2007). As the regime performance of
Governor Gaidam in health, education and road infrastructure development will be portrayed in the next studies, the attempt here was
to uncover the realities from key policy makers and democratic stakeholders that are relevant to policy formulation, implementation
and outcome in Yobe state. Their relevance was important as Berg (2001) had earlier advanced that qualitative studies entail
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asystematic way of gathering detail and rich information on how individual, group, society or event operates and functions in the real
world which this study attempted to achieve by adopting the qualitative design.
4.2. Selection of Key Informants
The purposive sampling was adopted in the study as it aimed towards achieving the selection of informants that will provide quality
information on the basis of knowledge of the population, its elements and purpose of the research (Berg, 2001; Creswell, 2012).
Therefore, members of relevant government and non-governmental institutions in health, education and road infrastructure at the level
of Yobe state government were included in the study. Through purposive sampling, 22 key informants having reached the saturation
level were therefore chosen from 3 categories of informants. This is in view of the fact that in a qualitative research of this nature,
Creswell (2012) advised that, the population should include all persons about whom inferences are to be made from. This, therefore,
means that the research population often referred as the study universe, in this case,can thus be defined by the researcher taking in to
account the specificity of units being sampled; the geographical location and temporal boundary of the population as explained by
scholars relevant in the field.
For the regime performance of Governor Gaidam towards achieving socio-economic democratic consolidation, as shown in table 1
below, the age bracket of the informants ranges from 36 years being the youngest to 80 years being the oldest that participated in the
study. However, the majority of the informants falls within their 40s (8), 50s (7) and 60s (5) years of age. This dominant age bracket
from 40 to 60 is thus considered suitable for most of the informant are at the moment active political, social and economic participants
or observers of the regime mostly from 2009-2015 which is the period studied. As can be observed below, the code name and number
(e.g. RP1, OP1 and CS1) attached to each informant was used to address them in data analysis and discussion in chapters of the main
study.
Code Age Sex Education Experience Affiliations
RP1 60 M B.Sc Public servant Top regime’s official
RP2 50 M B.Sc 8 years State Legislator Ruling party member
RP3 60 M B.Sc Retired public servant Education official
RP4 53 M M. Eng., MNSE 24 years in politics Works official
RP5 58 M M.Sc, Mni 34 years in public service Bureaucrat
RP6 42 M MBBS, FWACP 16 years in public service Bureaucrat
OP1 80 M Grade II 59 years in politics Opposition & elder
OP2 55 M Ph.D 9 years in politics Opposition (former minister)
OP3 63 M B.Sc 26 years in politics Opposition, former minister & Guber. Cand
OP4 45 M B.Sc 12 years in politics Opposition youth leader
OP5 45 F B.Sc 20 years in politics Oppos. women leader
OP6 47 M B.Sc 15 years in politics Opposition party leader
CS1 46 M B.A 20 years in press NUJ
CS2 43 M MMBS, FWACP 16 years in medicine NMA
CS3 45 M Nursing 18 years in nursing NANNM/JHSU
CS4 36 M Ph.D 18 years educationist ASUU
CS5 52 M B.Ed. 31 years educationist NLC/NUT
CS6 50 M B.Eng. 28 years in public service NSE (Works & transport)
CS7 61 M Grade II 30 years in union NURTW (Works & trans.)
CS8 50 M M.Sc 27 years in public service IDP (W4H)
CS9 43 M B.Sc 16 years in public service IDP (MNCH)
CS10 52 M B.Sc 30 years in public service IDP (UNICEF)
Table 1: Profile of Informants
Source: Field Survey, 2016
Table 1 above showed a higher number of male informants totalling 21 against only 1 female informant. This trend of male dominance
over female is not unusual as reflected in the study due to the fact that women are not usually opportune to occupy high political and
administrative offices in Yobe state like in the case of most states in Nigeria. From the table, it was also observed that most informants
were educated indicating 11 bachelor degrees (B. Sc, B. A, B.Ed.), 2 MBBS (FWACP) 1 B.Eng. (MNSE), 3 master’s degrees (M. Eng
(MNSE), M.Sc (Mni), M.Sc), 2 PhD degrees, 1 Nursing certificate and 2 Grade II certificates. Their educational qualifications and
experiences were expected to have guided their thoughts, perceptions, opinions on the regime’s performance. While the informants
were comprehensively captured in Table 1 above, table 2 below reflect on their categorization in order to show their coded identity as
have been referred throughout the data analysis in the main findings.
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Category Number of Informants Description of Informants
RP 6 Ruling Party Top Members
OP 6 Opposition Party Top Members
CS 10 Civil Society Active Members
Total 22 Key Democratic Stakeholders
Table 2: Categories and Identity Codes for Informants
Source: Field study, 2016
As captured in Table 2 above, RP represents Ruling Party politicians numbering six informants including top government officials and
senior bureaucrats. The ruling party informants include the Honourable Commissioners of related Ministries appointed to pilot affairs
of the regime’s key policy objectives and direction in Yobe state. Also, in this category are senior government bureaucrats such as
Secretary to State Government, Permanent Secretary and Directors whose main responsibilities are the execution of the regime’s
objectives through the assigned machinery of government. OP represents Opposition Party politicians numbering 6 informants. They
included former ministers, former gubernatorial candidates, senior opposition party chieftains, and opposition women and youth
leaders in Yobe state. Finally, CS represents members of Civil Societies (CS) drawn from media, academia, professional bodies and
organisations, labour, and trade unions that are particularly active in socio-economic democratic consolidation process in Yobe state.
It should, however, be noted that there were other informants apart from key informants who mostly were selected and provided
specialised views in each area. For the health sector, other informants include health practitioners such as medical doctors, nurses,
midwives and health assistants. In the education sector, education practitioners including school heads (principals and head masters),
teachers and parent teachers’ association (PTA) were involved. In the road sector, experts in road construction and management
mostly found in Yobe state including environmental experts, civil engineers, surveyors, and town planners were involved. Also, some
community leaders (traditional, religious and gender) were involved. Overall, these key informants and other informants who
participated in the study have influenced or participated in the regime’s socio-economic policy development and implementation in
Yobe state under Gaidam’s regime from 2009-2015.
Similarly, to support the expressed opinion of informants from in depth interview on certain issues, responses from a questionnaire
distributed to Yobe State University (YSU) Community were considered where relevant. Convenience sampling was also adopted in
selecting questionnaire respondents and the unit of analysis on basis of availability, less cost and to allow the research be completed in
good time (Creswell, 2014). In political science, questionnaire and survey come in to play when “personal experiences, perceptions,
opinions, attitudes and reported behaviours of persons are crucial to answering a research question” (Pennings, Keman, &
Kleinnijenhuis, 2006:59). Although, while informants were mainly considered in the study as discussed earlier, such “influential
individual” might only act as “mouthpiece” (Pennings et al, 2006) of their union, associations, government or even the state. Based on
this, the scholars thus suggest that some survey questionnaires could be posed to communities or organisations to serve as a unit of
analysis towards answering the subject which was derived at the start point of the interview with elite informants.
4.3. Sources/Methods of Data Collection
In depth, interview serves as the main source of the data for the study. The interviews were carried out in Yobe state during 6 months
period between May and September 2016. The interviews which lasted between 25-80 minutes were mostly conducted at the
informant’s offices or convenience places. The choice of the interview for the study was considered suitable towards answering the
questions posed by the study especially by given the need for flexibility and rich descriptiveness of informant’s perspectives on their
real world (Kinmond, 2012). Based on this, an interview which remains a “conversation with a purpose” (Berg, 2001:66) recognised
as the main strategy of data collection in qualitative researches (Babbie, 2010; Yin, 2011; Creswell, 2014) served as the main source
of primary data in the study. The purpose of adopting interview as the main source of data in this study as advanced by Babbie (2010),
Yin (2011) and Creswell (2014) was to allow the researcher gather rich, detailed and in-depth information on respondent’s views,
experiences and opinions.
Semi-structured interview guides were used to conduct the interview and discussion. All the interview sessions conducted in the study
were audio-taped with the permission of the informants. Audio-taping or recording of informant’s voice during interview sessions was
to ensure correct statements (verbatim) and accuracy (Merriam, 2014) of data generated. An attempt was thus made in the study
towards making sure that real meaning of the data was not altered or compromised during transcription and analysis (Merriam, 2014).
One of the advantages of recording interview sessions by the researcher, Merriam (2014) observes is to ensure that everything being
said or mentioned by informants would be preserved that can be played at any time for data analysis or making reference. This process
was adopted in the face to face interview as no informant objected to recording their voices during the interview sessions. This entire
process was later followed by several emails and phone conversations for member checks.
The information from in depth interview was supported with those obtained from document reviews. The documents reviewed
included national guidelines that provided a broad view of health care, education and road infrastructure in Nigeria. Also reviewed
include Yobe socio-economic reform agenda (YOSERA) Versions II (2008-2011) and III (2011-2015), Yobe policy document for the
implementation of programmes and projects (2011-2015), Yobe state auditor general’s annual reports (YBAGAR) from 2009-2015,
selected speeches of Governor Gaidam at various public functions from 2009-2015, Yobe state strategic health development plan
(SSHDP) (2010-2015), Yobe state human resource for health policy (HRFHP), Yobe state health sector performance review (HSPR),
Yobe State Education Sector Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), Yobe state primary healthcare under one roof
(PHCUOR), and Yobe state government situational report on the impact of Boko Haram insurgency. These key documents have
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provided the study with guidance as they have been used over the years by previous studies conducted in Yobe state (Ager et al, 2015;
Abbas, 2016; Ningi, Talib, Paim, & Gill, 2016; Umar & Bawa, 2016). However, this does not suggest, the documents were completely
relied upon by the study as they may pose bias in some of their claims. Hence, other alternative sources have been utilized to
corroborate important claims and stated positions where necessary.
Beyond these government public documents, related reports of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), World Bank (WB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Education Fund
(UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) etc. were reviewed with the aim of adding
value to the primary data. Other secondary data were obtained thorough reviews of books, articles in peer-reviewed journals; national
and international newspapers, magazines, and various mass media outlets mostly sourced from the UPM library, researcher’s personal
collections and the internet sources.
The observation was used as a deliberate data collection tool especially for some data that may not be obtained through an interview or
to confirm the trustworthiness of information obtained from other sources. As a non-participant observer, qualitative observations
were achieved throughout the period of 6 months in the study area. The first one, by taking field notes on the activities and behaviours
of key informants during interview sessions and secondly by visiting sites of research interest. Specifically, various hospitals, schools
and road infrastructure project sites were visited to get firsthand information on claims and counter claims by informants from both
sides of the isle. This is important as the observation provided the study with firsthand information on the phenomenon under
investigation instead of relying on interpretation by someone else (Marshall & Rossman, 2014). It is in this regard that notes were
taken and then objectively reported as what has been observed in the field.
4.4. Data Analysis
The initial stage of data analysis was done simultaneously with data collection while generating and probing further questions and
exploring other sources of data. In view of the major steps identified by Creswell (2014) and Merriam (2014) in qualitative studies, the
first step of data analysis thus begins with preparation and organisation of the data which involves typing and organising field notes,
transcription of recorded interviews, scanning of documents, and sorting out data according to different sources. In this regard, while
conducting an interview with informants’ notes were taken and oral data was converted in to textual data as data analysis is a
continuous process. Observational data was also converted in to field notes while trying to get an idea of the whole picture. Simple
descriptive approaches were used to analyse the data derived from the questionnaire. Overall, this was an attempt to reflect the overall
and specific meaning to which the data poses based on thematic content. In a qualitative study of this nature, Merriam (2014) advance
that content analysis is often adopted because it is the content of interviews, field notes and documents that are analysed.
To achieve the content analysis, the thematic approach was deployed in the study. After a critical analysis of the raw data, meanings
were attributed to each statement, comment and description through categorising the textual data into clusters of similar entities or
conceptual categories. The categories in each of the transcripts were collated either through the chronology of events, discussions
based on themes or its interconnectivity to give meaning to the data. Overall, the study adopted this analysis technique as explained by
(Creswell, 2014) to lessen, merge and interpret data as they specifically and generally relate to the current study. The initial bulky data
was therefore reduced to make meaning out of the “verbal and visual messages often more reliable than citations and paraphrases”
(Pennings et al, 2006:58). The advantage derived from adopting this process is that it allowed the researcher to develop major trends,
patterns and concept emerging from interview schedule, questionnaire responses, field notes and pictures while relating to the
objectives of the study. Figure 2 represents a graphical sketch of the qualitative data analysis procedure adopted in the study.
Figure 2: Data analysis procedure adopted in the study
Source: Diagram adopted from Creswell (2014) page 247
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4.5. Validity and Reliability
First, the content validity of the research instruments was passed by two experts who examined the guides and provided feedback.
This led to changes that clarify and eliminate ambiguities on content and construct based on their earlier suggestions of the experts. In
addition, the supervisory committee of this study also reviewed the guides and offered valuable corrections on content clarity and
misconceptions. Before embarking on data collection, the guides were pilots tested. This process provided feedbacks which led to
improvements on the constructs of the guides. Awang (2015) observes that comments or opinions from experts in the field, search in
existing literature to obtain previously used variables, discussion with focus groups and pre-test open-ended questions all help in
ensuring content validity.
Similarly, multiple sources of data are achieved in two ways: one in data sources considering the size of respondents and two in
different techniques of data collection. This was specifically done to have balanced opinion on the regime performance as it was
derived from different opinions. Secondly, different data collection techniques were adopted in the study where data was derived from
multiple sources by combining interviews and other methods as earlier explained which according to Creswell (2014) build coherent
justification for themes that emerged in the study. In addition, the researcher spent quality time in the field collecting data from
various sources and the major findings of the study were reported the way they emerged even if they remain negative cases or pose
discrepant evidence (Maxwell, 2009) or runs contrary to general themes (Creswell, 2014). Comparatively, by presenting negative
cases and discrepant data as they emerged from informants in the study, Maxwell (2009) and Yin (2011) observes that this evidence
would further test competing or rival explanations in the literature thereby advancing the validity construct in the study.
4.6. Ethical Considerations
The study was guided by social science research ethics. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Universiti Putra
Malaysia with reference number UPM/TNCPI/RMC/1.4.18.2 (JKEUPM). Permission was also sought and granted from Yobe state
government which provided access to top government officials and the release of important documents for the research. Prior to
conducting the interview, the consent form was first presented to informants indicating the purpose of this study, assurance of their
privacy and confidentiality, right to voluntary participation and or withdrawal. As social science researchers should always be
responsible enough to employ ethical considerations so that the “rights to self-determination” (Babbie, 2010; Creswell, 2012) could be
achieved, these etiquettes in the study were always observed in order to enhance professional ethics.
Finally, informants interviewed in the study were assured of their personal privacy and confidentiality as none of their personal
identification or their affiliation is revealed (Berg, 2001, Creswell, 2014). In this regard, the researcher adopted what Creswell (2014)
calls assigning fictitious names or aliases or what Berg (2001) describes as creating identity pseudonyms or case number. The study
thus developed an Informant’s Identification Number (IIN) purposely to track down responses of each respondent for the purpose of
data analysis and organisation. In fact, this conforms to Creswell (2014) and Neuman (2014) suggestion that researchers should do
everything possible to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of research’s participants as anything discussed should be kept in
confidence. Such suggestion made by these key scholars of qualitative studies was therefore fully adhered to in the study to ensure the
confidentiality of informants.
5. Conclusion
This paper highlighted qualitative research design utilized in regime performance towards achieving socio-economic democratic
consolidation in a developing area with emphasis on Governor Gaidam in Yobe state, 2009-2015.This was to serve as the research
methodology utilized for the PhD study of the first author and supervised by the second author. As illustrated in this paper, the essence
was to give the needed methodological evidence so that researchers and scholars may scrutinize the work and findings. To achieve this
objective, a concise effort was made to provide rich, detailed and in-depth information that the methodology adopted which aimed to
bridge the gap between foundational studies and practice in regime performance towards achieving socio-economic democratic
consolidation in developing societies that are largely unexplored. Importantly, since qualitative research methods as a whole
encompass a whole array of emerging and evolving procedures, techniques and strategies due to its advantages, the findings from this
qualitative process is expected to expand the understanding and researching regime performance in developing areas with interests on
socio-economic democratic consolidation. Importantly, having utilized both primary and secondary sources of data, this multi-
dimensional approach to data collection, procedure and analysis are expected to deliver on its validity construct towards answering the
main research questions of the future studies.
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