Case Study - Philippines Metagora Pilot Project

CHAPTER 5: THE FIELD OPERATIONS

Field enumeration for the Metagora Pilot Surveybegan right after the training for enumeration and supervision. A total of 80 enumerators were fielded with 11 team supervisors assigned to oversee and monitor the enumerators for the duration of the survey. The Regional Directors and Provincial Statistics Officers of the NSO also supervised and monitored the progress of the enumeration.

Data-collection was undertaken from 14 to 18 March 2005; enumerators were expected to complete approximately two interviews per day. Two days (21-22 March 2005) were also allotted for checking for the completeness and correctness of the survey returns.

Three tribes, namely Kankanaeys, Bugkalots and Bago tribes in selected provinces, municipalities and barangays, were covered by the survey. A total of 750 households were interviewed: 150 from Bago, 250 from Kankanaeys and 350 from Bugkalot tribes.

5.1 METHOD OF ENUMERATION

Data-collection was completed through direct interview (personal interview). That method allowed the trained enumerator to assist the respondent in understanding the survey questions. Through this method, enumeration is completed in a shorter time since face-to-face interviews usually obtain prompt replies from the respondent and any question from or reluctance by a respondent can be handled on the spot.

A team approach was adopted for the survey. A pair of interviewers, composed of one NSO interviewer and one NCIP interviewer, was assigned to enumerate a sample area with 15 to 20 households. In this approach, one enumerator interviewed the respondent while the other enumerator recorded the response. There were cases in later interviews where interviewers/recorders were allowed to interview households separately. Each team was asked to complete at least four interviews a day and complete the enumeration of their assigned sample area within five days.

The enumerators were given a list of sample households to be visited and updated when replacement of a household occurred. The enumerators visited the sample household. When they ascertained that the household was the correct household and qualified to be covered, the location of the household was plotted on the area map. Using the questionnaire, the enumerator proceeded with the interview of any responsible member of the household who could provide accurate answers to the questions and who could give information for the household. Before leaving the interviewed household, the enumerators ensured that the completed questionnaire was correctly filled out and that no questions were unanswered. All information gathered by the enumerators was held strictly confidential.

   

Province/ Municipality/ Barangay	Total No. of Sample HHs	No. of Replaced HHs		Province/ Municipality/ Barangay	Total No. of Sample HHs	No. of Replaced HHs
TOTAL	750	270		Nueva Vizcaya	110	68
Ilocos Sur	150	59		Dupax del Norte	50	40
				Belance (portion)	10	9
Sugpon	150	59		New Gumiad	25	18
Banga	25	6		Binnuangan	15	13
Caoayan	25	14
Licungan	15	13		Kasibu	60	28
Danac	15	6		Dine (portion)	10	3
Pangotan	15	6		Kakiduguen	15	3
Balbalayan	55	14		Muta (portion)	10	7
				Pao	15	9
Benguet	250	63		Pacquet (portion)	10	6
Kibungan	250	63		Aurora	50	15
Badeo	15	3
Lubo	20	2		Dipaculao	15	6
Madaymen	85	31		Dibutunan (portion)	5	2
Palina	20	2		Ditale (portion)	10	4
Poblacion	40	12
Sagpat	40	2		Maria Aurora	35	9
Tacadang	30	11		Bayanihan (portion)	35	9
Quirino	190	65
Nagtipunan	190	65
Guino (Giayan)	10	4
La Conwap	30	18
Landingan	55	15
Matmad	30	6
San Dionisio	5	2
San Pugo	30	7
Wasid	30	13

As planned, the enumerators used the translated questionnaire when interviewing and the English questionnaire when recording the responses. For some target tribes, such as the Bago and Bugkalot tribes, the translated questionnaires were not used because they were not available. For Bugkalot, the enumerators either translated the questionnaire in Bugkalot themselves or used the Tagalog dialect while interviewing. In the case of Bago tribe, the enumerators used mostly the Ilocano dialect when interviewing. The Kankaney translation was created during the Level II training with the assistance of Councilor Bobby Wayan, so the enumerators were able to use a translated questionnaire during enumeration.

The enumeration covered 750 households, including households from Bago tribe (150 hhs); Kankanaey (250 hhs) and Bugkalot tribe (350 hhs). Of these 750 households, 270 households were replacements. Replacement of sample households occurred when the sample households listed at a specific address were no longer located there, when sample households refused to be interviewed, or when a sample household listed did not contain an IP or contained an IP but not the target IP required for the sample area.

5.2 SUPERVISION AND QUALITY-CONTROL PROCEDURES

The best method of ensuring good output is to ensure good input. That means that the statistics, which are the final product of this survey, are accurate only if the data that were collected from the field are of good quality. Hence, for this survey, adequate controls were instituted at the source to ensure that only accurate information was obtained.

Close supervision of the enumerators' work, and regular review of the completed questionnaires, were the basic strategies implemented to assure good quality data. For this survey, quality of field enumeration was controlled at various levels. The supervisors for the survey were the Regional Directors and Regional Statistician/Assistant, Provincial Statistics Officer and Provincial Statistician/Assistant and Team Supervisors. Each of those supervisors had his/her own role in the survey operation.

5.2.1 Regional Directors (RDs) and Assistants

During the enumeration period, the regional directors and regional statisticians were authorised to travel to and within their areas of jurisdiction. During those visits, they called attention to inadequacies in the conduct of the operations and solved problems that arose during the course of their field supervision. The regional directors and regional statisticians:

1. Evaluated the progress of the enumeration by looking into the progress report of the provincial office;

2. Determined and evaluated the quality of the data collected by randomly checking completed questionnaires and forms;

3. Coordinated the material and supply requirements of the provincial offices and arranged that enough reserve supplies were stored in the regional office for distribution to provinces that needed additional materials/supplies; and

4. Attended to all problems encountered during the enumeration and to administrative matters that needed immediate action.

The PSO and his/her provincial statistician were given four days to visit sample areas in his/her province. The PSO and his/her assistant visited as many field personnel as possible during the days they were allowed to supervise.

The PSO and his/her assistant performed the following activities during their supervision:

1. Made a courtesy call to the Mayor and explained the importance and objectives of the Metagora Pilot Survey;

2. Visited each team supervisor assigned to supervise the enumeration of sample areas in the province to check on the progress of enumeration;

3. Spot-checked the field staff, especially in known problem areas, to determine whether they were doing their assigned tasks;

4. Performed quality-control checks to evaluate the quality of the data collected by reviewing the completed questionnaires, and pointing out and correcting the errors, omissions or inconsistencies detected;

5. Coordinated the material and supply requirements of the provincial office and evaluated and met requests for additional materials/supplies of the team supervisors/enumerators; and

6. Arranged prompt action in response to problems encountered in the field and to administrative matters that needed more attention.

5.2.3 Team Supervisor

Close supervision of the assigned enumerators was the responsibility of the team supervisor. For every four teams of enumerators, one team supervisor was assigned to supervise. Described below were the supervisory functions that the team supervisor performed:

1. Conducted field visits. Close supervision of the fieldwork was crucial for obtaining good quality data. In this regard, the team supervisors were in the field most of the time during the enumeration period. They were required to carry out the following quality control checks during their visits:
   1. Spot-checked enumerators to see if enumerators were doing their assigned tasks; scrutinised the completed questionnaires and forms on the spot; and pointed out errors, omissions or inconsistencies observed so that they were corrected as early as possible.

   2. Observed actual interviews and checked whether the enumerators were doing their work according to instructions. Team supervisors were able to observe at least one interview per enumerator.

   3. Conducted re-interviews of households that were already interviewed by the enumerators so as to check whether the households were interviewed by the enumerators and that the information recorded was accurate. The team supervisor was able to conduct a re-interview of at least one household per enumerator.

2. Performed quality-control checks. The team supervisor was required to verify, on a sample basis, the questionnaires submitted by his/her enumerators. He/she was required to review one of every four questionnaires submitted by each enumerator for consistency and completeness of entries.

3. Distributed materials and supplies needed by the enumerators according to their actual needs and made additional requests from the PSO, as required.

4. Handled field problems. Informed the PSO or any concerned NSO official about problems in the field that could not be resolved by the CAS.

A summary of problems reported by enumerators and supervisors during the enumeration is presented below:

1. Distances between households were far. Mobility of the interviewers affected the field operations as there were no regular means of transportation in some sample areas.

2. Some sample areas could only be reached by hiking (and travel time for walking/hiking from one site to another was six hours). Enumerators were forced to walk and sometimes hitched rides with private vehicles.

3. Most households worked early on their farms and they went home in the evening (their farms are far from their houses). Enumeration in these cases was done in the evening or early in the morning.

4. There were different versions of the dialect depending on the province. Some of the words used in the Kakanaey translation could not be understood by the respondents.

5. Some respondents claimed that they were not informed of the interview/survey. Hence, the enumerators had to explain the rationale of the survey and get their cooperation.

6. Replacement of sample households was unavoidable since some of the sample households had transferred to other places and some of the selected sample households were not the target IPs.

7. Eligible respondents were not available during the survey period.

8. The weather was not cooperative. During the field operations, there were heavy rains, making it difficult to reach the sample households.

1. Clear-cut delineation of functions among partner agencies is needed to avoid conflicts (i.e. recruitment, salaries, per diems, choice of speaker etc.).

2. Aside from allowances, a hazard pay should also be considered for special surveys.

3. Such surveys should not coincide with planting season because most of the households are only available during the night.

4. The provision of incentives for respondents should be explored.

5. Use of translated questionnaires for the interviews must be part of the regular survey procedures for better understanding of the respondents.

6. Listing of households should be undertaken prior to the survey so as to identify which of the households are IPs. Thus, no time will be wasted in looking for the target IPs. This will minimise the need for replacement households.

Return to Case Study
top