Communication technologies for focus groups with remote communities : a case study of research with First Nations in Canada

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Qualitative Research, 11, 2, pp. 159-175, 2011-04

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Communication technologies for focus groups with remote

communities : a case study of research with First Nations in Canada

Gratton, Marie-France; O'Donnell, Susan

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Ref erence: Grat t on, M-F. , O’ Donnell, S. (2011) Communicat ion Technologies f or Focus Groups wit h Remot e Communit ies: A Case St udy of Research wit h First Nat ions in Canada. Qual it at ive Research. 11(2): 159-175.

Com m u n ica t ion Te ch n ologie s for Focu s Gr ou ps w it h Re m ot e

Com m u n it ie s: A Ca se St u dy of Re se a r ch w it h Fir st N a t ion s in Ca n a da

M a r ie - Fr a n ce Gr a t t on Nat ional Research Council Canada

Su sa n O’D on n e ll

Nat ional Research Council Canada

Abst r a ct : Com m unicat ion t echnologies offer qualit at ive researchers m ore opt ions for

conduct ing research w it h rem ot e com m unit ies. I t is not always possible for researchers t o t ravel t o conduct focus groups and int erviews in person, especially when t ravel is

prohibit ively t im e- consum ing and expensive. This reason is oft en given t o explain t he lack of qualit at ive research w it h part icipant s living in rem ot e First Nat ions ( Aboriginal) com m unit ies in Canada. This m anuscript present s a case st udy of a research m et hod developed in

collaborat ion wit h our research part ner K- Net and KORI ( Keewayt inook Okim akanak) in nort hw est ern Ont ario. The specific st udy invest igat ed preferences for online healt h

inform at ion for First Nat ions people living in rem ot e com m unit ies. Working wit h K- Net , we developed a m et hod t o use m ult i- sit e videoconferencing for focus groups – live visual and audio exchange bet w een t he researcher in Ot t awa and participant s in m ult iple rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit ies. Our conclusion encourages ot her researchers t o t ry t his innovat ive m et hod t o include m ore rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit y m em bers in part icipat ory research proj ect s.

Ke y w or ds: First Nat ions, Aboriginal, com m unicat ion t echnologies, videoconference, rem ot e com m unit ies, broadband net works, Canada, cult ural, focus groups, part icipat or y research

1 . I n t r odu ct ion

Doing research wit h rem ot e com m unit ies is always a challenge, especially when t he

researchers are locat ed at a great dist ance from t he com m unit ies. I n Canada, t his challenge faces researchers working wit h rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit ies. First Nat ions are one of t hree dist inct Aboriginal groups in Canada. Many of t he m ore t han 600 First Nat ions com m unit ies in Canada are in rural or rem ot e locat ions and som e are in isolat ed locat ions accessible only by air ( Healt h Canada, 2004) .

Access t o rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit ies can be very cost ly and researchers m ust invest considerable t im e for t ravelling. The sam e is t rue for First Nat ions researchers want ing t o conduct research out side of t heir com m unit ies. Alt hough conduct ing research face- t o- face wit h rem ot e com m unit y m em bers is desirable, t here is a need for ot her m eans of

com m unicat ing requiring no t ravel t hat will m inim ize research cost s and consequent ly encourage and increase research wit h rem ot e First Nat ions.

This paper describes a new m et hod of dat a collect ion for qualit at ive research wit h rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit ies. I n t he specific research for which t his m et hod was developed, videoconferencing was used t o conduct focus group int erviews wit h First Nat ions people t o learn about t heir preferences for online healt h inform at ion. This innovat ive and cost - saving dat a collect ion m et hod could be applied t o any qualit at ive research requiring com m unicat ion wit h rem ot e and rural com m unit ies.

This paper st art s wit h an overview of t he challenges of doing research wit h rem ot e

com m unit ies and how researchers have used broadband net works and t he I nt ernet in t he past t o collect dat a rem ot ely for qualit at ive research. The cont ext and background for t he research t hat drove t he developm ent of t he new dat a collect ion m et hod is t hen described, followed by a det ailed descript ion of t he m et hod used t o collect dat a for t his research. The subsequent sect ion report s on t he result s of using t his m et hod, by st at ing t he advant ages of t his m et hod and what went well as well as it s lim it s and challenges. Finally, t he last sect ion discusses t he m aj or result s and offers som e t hought s for fut ure research.

2 . Ch a lle n ge s of Re se a r ch w it h Re m ot e Com m u n it ie s a n d

Com m u n ica t ion Te ch n ology Solu t ion s

The high cost s and considerable t im e required t o do research wit h rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit ies are well- known by researchers working in t his area. I n a 2000 report by a federal t ask force report ing t o t wo Canadian federal research inst it ut es, t he consequences of t he high cost s of nort hern research were highlight ed. The report not ed t hat in t he previous t hree years, t he cost of airfares and freight t ransport t o nort hern com m unit ies had doubled. The cost of food and lodging in rem ot e nort hern com m unit ies is at least 30% higher t han in t he sout hern com m unit ies where m ost Canadians live. Unexpect ed cost s relat ed t o t ravel in nort hern com m unit ies can be prohibit ive – t he report cit es t he exam ple of $1,000 per hour for Twin Ot t er ( sm all plane) support ( Task Force on Nort hern Research, 2000) .

According t o t he Canadian t ask force, t he high cost s of doing nort hern research have caused som e researchers t o abandon t heir research. When t he report was writ t en in 2000, t he t wo Canadian federal research inst it ut es ( SSHRC and NSERC) t hat are t he principal sources of funding for nort hern research did not cover all t he cost s of doing nort hern research and ot her sources of funding were difficult t o find. Overall, t he level of resources required t o build and m aint ain good research part nerships wit h nort hern rem ot e com m unit ies was not available t o researchers. The report concluded t hat : ‘The cost s and effort required t o prom ot e and undert ake nort hern research are significant and can present a serious barrier t o creat ing t he necessary part nerships am ong t he different st akeholders involved’ ( Task Force on Nort hern Research, 2000: 16) . While t he sit uat ion has im proved som ewhat in recent years wit h special federal research funding t arget ing nort hern research, t he realit y is t hat research wit h rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit ies rem ains a cost ly and t im e- consum ing vent ure; as a consequence few researchers are working in t his area.

At t he sam e t im e t hat research wit h rem ot e com m unit ies was becom ing m ore cost ly, new digit al m edia and net works were em erging t hat opened new possibilit ies for com m unicat ing wit h rem ot e com m unit ies. For alm ost t wo decades, researchers have been using broadband net works and t he I nt ernet t o conduct qualit at ive research. The m et hodologies have focused alm ost exclusively on digit al t ext com m unicat ions – using em ail, discussion list servs and chat room s – or digit al t elephone net works for audio only. Widely cit ed books and art icles about online research include Couper ( 2000) , Jones ( 1999) and Mann & St ewart ( 2000) . These publicat ions provide how- t o inform at ion for researchers int erest ed in using t ext - based com m unicat ion on t he I nt ernet t o collect dat a from people.

Jam es and Busher ( 2006) highlight ed t he m et hodological issues t hey found from using em ail for int erviews in qualit at ive research. Since t here is no visual aspect t o using only em ail as a com m unicat ion t ool, est ablishing t rust wit h part icipant s can be difficult for t he researcher. Lewis ( 2006) used an innovat ive m et hod t o gain t he t rust of her part icipant s before

engaging in em ail int erviews wit h t hem . The aut hor st art ed by using online bullet in boards of support groups for I BS sufferers t o discuss her own healt h problem s wit h pot ent ial part icipant s t o t he research. This allowed her t o becom e part of t heir com m unit y and

est ablish a relat ionship of t rust wit h t he m em bers ( Lewis, 2006) . The lack of social presence in em ail- based exchanges forces researchers t o find innovat ive ways t o creat e t rust wit h part icipant s.

I n addit ion, t he anonym it y associat ed wit h t his m et hod m eans t hat researchers have no proof t hat t he t hought s writ t en in t he em ail are t he act ual t hought s of t he part icipant . This is also t rue for any ot her form of digit al t ext com m unicat ion, such as chat room s ( Jam es and Busher, 2006) . On t he ot her hand, several aut hors found som e benefit s t o using em ail ( Jam es and Busher, 2006; Scot t , 2004; Lewis, 2006) . Since em ail exchanges are not done in real- t im e, part icipant s have t he chance t o t hink clearly about t heir responses, draft t hem and edit t hem before sending t hem off. This can have t he effect of enriching t he part icipant responses. The aut hors also recognized how t his m et hod provided part icipant s wit h som e sort of cont rol over t he int erview process as t hey were free t o respond t o t he em ails at a t im e t hat worked for t hem .

Scot t ( 2004) discovered t hat em ail was a m edium of com m unicat ion t hat gave shy

part icipant s t he opport unit y t o cont ribut e t heir insight s t o a conversat ion wit hout t he fear of being ‘int errupt ed, t alked over or silenced by m ore vocally dom inant conversat ionalist s’ ( Scot t , 2004) . I n her st udy, t ypically shy part icipant s proved t o be art iculat e and eager t o be heard when using em ail. The aut hor however not ed how t he reduced social presence

associat ed wit h em ail could cause privacy issues as part icipant s m ight disclose m ore

personal inform at ion about t hem selves t han t hey norm ally would and lat er regret it , feeling t hat t heir privacy was violat ed ( Scot t , 2004) .

More recent ly, t he increased penet rat ion of broadband net works has m ade it possible for researchers t o com m unicat e and conduct t heir research using richer form s of dat a exchange. The use of videoconferencing – real- t im e exchange of audio and video dat a over broadband net works – has increased significant ly in t he last few years. To dat e however, t here has been no published research on how videoconferencing can be used for qualit at ive research wit h rem ot e com m unit ies, despit e t he obvious advant ages of using audio visual t echnology com pared t o t ext or audio- only com m unicat ion for t his purpose.

Rem ot e and rural First Nat ions in Canada are current ly using videoconferencing for m any purposes. Despit e significant challenges including lack of adequat e bandwidt h, First Nat ions com m unit ies and organizat ions have worked wit h governm ent and privat e sect or part ners t o build a significant broadband net work capable of support ing videoconferencing for healt h care, educat ion, and m any ot her com m unit y and sust ainable developm ent act ivit ies ( O’Donnell et al. 2008; 2009a; 2009b; 2010) . These net works can be used for dat a collect ion in qualit at ive research.

Videoconferencing offers som et hing unique t hat ot her t ypes of digit al com m unicat ion over broadband net works cannot offer. As discussed in our recent publicat ion ( O’Donnell et al., 2010) , social science research on videoconferencing began wit h at t em pt s t o underst and why t he visual is an im port ant com ponent of com m unicat ion. One of t he earliest t heories was

social presence, developed by a t eam of social psychologist s ( Short , 1976) . According t o t his

com m unicat ion channels – such as t elephone conversat ions and em ail exchanges - because it can convey inform at ion im port ant for good int erpersonal com m unicat ion. More recent research in t his area has highlight ed t hree t hem es t hat m ake up social presence: 1) being t oget her, including co- presence, co- locat ion and m ut ual awareness; 2) psychological involvem ent , including saliency, im m ediacy, int im acy, and m aking oneself known; and 3) behavioural engagem ent , t he im m ediacy behaviours t hrough which social presence is realized ( Ret t ie, 2003) . Ot her recent research argues t hat social presence is facilit at ed by observat ion of visual cues such as facial expressions and body m ovem ent s. Video - wit h it s abilit y t o support visual cues, such as facial expression recognit ion - will give people a great er sense of social presence t han audio alone ( Roussel & Gueddana, 2007) . I n our earlier research, we found t hat t he visual com m unicat ion afforded by

videoconferencing is im port ant t o First Nat ions people ( O’Donnell et al., 2010) . I n t hat st udy, all t he int erview part icipant s said t hat having visual com m unicat ion is im port ant when com m unicat ing at a dist ance. They want t o see t he ot her person in a discussion t o ensure t hat people are paying at t ent ion when t hey are speaking. Wit h visual com m unicat ion, people t ake t he int eract ions m ore seriously because ot hers are wat ching t hem . Several int erview part icipant s in t hat st udy said t he visual com m unicat ion allows t hem t o build or m aint ain relat ionships wit h people t hey cannot m eet in person. According t o t hese part icipant s, visual com m unicat ion builds t rust .

3 . St u dy Con t e x t a n d Ba ck gr ou n d

Ont ario, Canada’s second largest province, st reches over m ore t han 1,000,000 square kilom et ers. The nort hern t hird of t he province is rugged and sparsely- populat ed wit h no perm anent roads. The Sioux Lookout dist rict , which consist s of 23 rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit ies across nort hwest ern Ont ario, was t he locat ion for t his research ( Figure 1) . Most of t hese com m unit ies can only be accessed by air. Like t he m aj orit y of First Nat ions people, t he people of t he Sioux Lookout dist rict face serious social issues, such as healt h issues, high unem ploym ent rat es, and lim it ed access t o healt hcare ( Fiser, Clem ent , & Walm ark, 2006; Nishnawbe Aski Nat ion, 2007; Nort hern Nishnawbe Educat ion Council, 2008) . Wit h t he arrival of t he Europeans t o t he Ont ario region beginning in t he 17t h cent ury, t he way of life of Aboriginal people t here was com plet ely t ransform ed. They gradually lost cont rol of t heir land and in t his process, becam e m ore and m ore disconnect ed wit h m any of t heir sym bols of hist ory and cult ure ( Royal Com m ission on Aboriginal Peoples, 2006) . This hist ory and t he ongoing racism t owards Aboriginal people have had a harm ful im pact on t he healt h of Aboriginal people t oday, who suffer a significant ly lower healt h st at us t han t he general Canadian populat ion ( Nat ional Aboriginal Healt h Organizat ion, 2008; Silverm an, Goodine, Ladouceur, & Quinn, 2001) .

Many First Nat ions com m unit ies are rural or rem ot e, wit h som e being fly- in locat ions only wit h no road access. Lim it ed healt h care resources in t he com m unit ies m ean t hat pat ient s needing clinical consult at ions m ust oft en be flown t o t he nearest t own or cit ies t o reach a hospit al, which is cost ly and t im e consum ing ( Fiser et al., 2006) . For t hese reasons, it is crucial t hat First Nat ions Canadians in rem ot e com m unit ies gain accurat e, reliable and relevant access t o inform at ion and social serv ices. Because of t he high cost s associat ed wit h t raveling, digit al com m unicat ions such as videoconferencing have been used t o provide rem ot e com m unicat ions and services t o com m unit ies t o m inim ize t he need for t ravel. K- Net ( Kuh- ke- nah Net work) , is t he t elecom m unicat ions services depart m ent of

Keewayt inook Okim akanak ( KO) , a t ribal council in Nort hwest ern Ont ario and a part ner in t his research. K- Net provides a carrier class broadband net work t hat as of 2006 connect ed

40 com m unit ies in nort hern Ont ario, including t he 23 First Nat ions com m unit ies of t he Sioux Lookout dist rict ( Carpent er, 2010; Fiser et al., 2006) . This net work allows for t he delivery of affordable broadband services t o rem ot e com m unit ies, including t elehealt h, t ele- educat ion, e- com m erce, and videoconferencing ( I ndust ry Canada, 2006) .

Hist orically, Aboriginal people have been reluct ant t o part icipat e in research wit h non-Aboriginal researchers and have feelings of skept icism and dist rust t owards t hem . Am ong several ot her reasons, t hese views are a result of research conduct ed by non- Aboriginals t hat is irrelevant t o com m unit y needs and t hat lacks respect for Aboriginal cult ure and ways of doing research ( Bennet t , 2004; Perley & O’Donnell, 2006; Perley & O’Donnell, 2005) . Researchers working in or wit h Aboriginal com m unit ies m ust t herefore choose approaches t o research t hat include m em bers of t he com m unit ies, allowing t hem t o cont ribut e t hroughout t he whole research process. One m odel of research, part icipat ory research, has been recognized as favorable t o Aboriginal research. Part icipat ory research is collaborat ive in nat ure and enables Aboriginal com m unit y m em bers and researchers involved in t he research t o voice t heir opinions, share t heir knowledge, and have m ore cont rol over every st ep of t he research process ( Bennet t , 2004; Sm it h, 1999) .

Researchers m ust also choose a m et hodology for gat hering dat a t hat allows part icipant s t o be m ore deeply involved in t he process. This st udy was t herefore conduct ed using a

qualit at ive user- cent ered m et hod for gat hering dat a. Respect ing t he principles of OCAP - Ownership, Cont rol, Access and Possession - is also good pract ice for researchers. Ownership m eans t hat Aboriginal com m unit ies are collect ive owners of t heir cult ural

inform at ion and knowledge. Cont rol signifies t hat Aboriginal people have t he right t o cont rol all aspect s of research t hat m ay im pact t hem in any way. Access refers t o Aboriginal

people’s ent it lem ent t o access t heir inform at ion and t o m ake decisions regarding it s access. Finally, possession provides Aboriginal people wit h a m eans for prot ect ing t heir inform at ion of breech or m isuse ( Schnarch, 2004) . The researchers fully respect ed t hese principles during t his st udy by working in close part nership wit h First Nat ions organizat ions.

The current st udy is part of graduat e t hesis research conduct ed in collaborat ion wit h t he VideoCom research proj ect funded by SSHRC – t he Social Sciences and Hum anit ies Research Council of Canada. VideoCom has t hree First Nat ions organizat ions as research part ners, including K- Net and KORI , Keewayt inook Okim akanak.

4 . Th e N ove l Re se a r ch M e t h od: Focu s Gr ou ps by M u lt i- Sit e

V ide ocon fe r e n ce

The larger goal of t he st udy was t o underst and preferences by First Nat ions people for online healt h inform at ion. User preferences of online healt h inform at ion were explored in dept h t hrough focus group discussions. The focus group m et hod was prim arily qualit at ive but also included gat hering som e quant it at ive dat a and was t hus a m ixed- m et hod approach. A select ion of healt h websit es was m ade t o present t o part icipant s and a quest ionnaire was developed t o collect dat a from part icipant s. The quest ionnaire was reviewed by t he First Nat ions research part ners and t est ed during a pilot focus group int erview wit h First Nat ions people from t he dist rict . The focus groups t ook place rem ot ely using m ult i- sit e

videoconferencing t echnology t hus allowing for t he int erviewer and t he part icipant s t o see and hear each ot her in real- t im e during t he sessions despit e t he dist ance. This was done using t he videoconferencing net work t hat connect s 40 rem ot e and rural com m unit ies in nort hern Ont ario. Ot her web- based t echnologies t hat can do m ult i- sit e videoconference exist but t hese were not explored in t his research.

Part icipant recruit m ent was conduct ed wit h t he help of t he K- Net part ner. Each First Nat ions com m unit y in t he Sioux Lookout dist rict has a Com m unit y Telehealt h Coordinat or ( CTC) who m anages t he t elehealt h operat ions. Because of t heir experience using videoconference and t heir int erest in healt h m at t ers, it was agreed wit h t he part ners t hat t he CTCs would be approached t o part icipat e in rem ot e focus group int erviews for t his research using

videoconference, as part of t heir j ob responsibilit ies. Asking t he CTCs from each com m unit y ensured t hat m ost of t he com m unit ies of t he dist rict were represent ed in t he research. The CTCs were also asked t o invit e ot her m em bers of t heir com m unit y t o part icipat e.

Thirt y part icipant s, bot h fem ale and m ale, were recruit ed and part icipat ed in t he focus groups by m ult i- sit e videoconference. Out of t he 30 part icipant s, 22 part icipant s ret urned t heir quest ionnaire, which allowed t heir dem ographic charact erist ics t o be analyzed. There were m ore fem ale part icipant s t han m ale, wit h 14 fem ale part icipant s and 8 m ale

part icipant s. Most part icipant s report ed t hey were from t he Oj i- Cree cult ure; however t here were ot her part icipant s from t he Oj ibway cult ure and as well as t he Cree cult ure.

Part icipant s were bet ween t he ages of 20 and 59 and highest educat ion levels ranged from prim ary school t o a bachelor’s degree. Most part icipant s spoke an Aboriginal language eit her as t heir m ot her t ongue or as a second language, while all of t hem spoke English. All 22 part icipant s specified t hat t hey used t he I nt ernet at least once a day and had previously searched for healt h inform at ion online. More t han half of part icipant s ( 59% ) were

Com m unit y Telehealt h Coordinat ors ( CTC) . The part icipant s cam e from 14 different First Nat ions com m unit ies in t he Sioux Lookout dist rict .

A st aff m em ber from K- Net t ook care of contact ing all pot ent ial CTCs t o ask for t heir

part icipat ion and schedule t he focus group sessions. During t he focus groups, t he K- Net st aff m em ber in Sioux Lookout ensured t he connect ion bet ween sit es was m ade and coordinat ed t he videoconference. He also ensured t he recording of t he videoconferences. Each CTC had access t o videoconference facilit ies in t heir com m unit ies, m anaged cent rally by K- Net in Sioux Lookout .

The int erviewer had access t o a videoconference facilit y at her hom e research inst it ut e in Ot t awa. A lapt op was connect ed t o t he videoconference equipm ent , allowing t he int erviewer t o show t he websit es t o t he part icipant s. Speakers were also plugged int o t he lapt op t o im prove t he sound com ing from t he videos shown. During t he videoconference, t he

int erviewer swit ched t he screen view bet ween t he com put er screen and t he cam era t o show t he websit es. The pilot focus group session also served t o t est t he t echnology as well as t he process used for t he int erview, verifying t he qualit y of t he sound and video, and allowing t he int erviewer t o pract ice t he coordinat ion of t he speakers.

During t he focus groups, each sit e could see only t wo of t he ot her sit es at once: t he sit e of t he current speaker and t he sit e of t he last person t o speak or t he sit es of t he last t wo people t o speak. Five focus groups were conduct ed in t ot al. Every part icipant had a print ed copy of t he quest ionnaire on- hand during t he focus group int erviews. These quest ionnaires were sent by em ail t o part icipant s, who were asked t o print t hem . During t he sessions, t he int erviewer began by providing background inform at ion on t he research, providing som e inst ruct ions regarding t he focus group sessions and reading t he inform ed consent for part icipat ing in t he st udy.

The int erviewer t hen present ed t he first set of healt h websit es. To prevent t echnical

difficult ies and loss of resolut ion due t o t he videoconference, part icipant s were sent t he list of links ahead of t im e for t hem t o view t he websit es on t heir own com put er. I f for what ever

reasons part icipant s could not view t he websit es on t heir own com put er, t he int erviewer also present ed t hem on t he videoconference screen.

Part icipant s were t hen asked t o individually answer som e quest ions on t he print ed

quest ionnaire regarding t heir preferences for t he websit es t hat had j ust been present ed. The int erviewer subsequent ly invit ed part icipant s t o share t heir responses and discuss t heir preferences wit h t he rest of t he group. This process was repeat ed for each set of websit es. The websit es present ed cont ained t ext , im ages, links, and/ or videos.

Part icipant s were t hen asked t o com plet e filling- out t he rem ainder of t he print ed quest ionnaire. Following t his, t hree open- ended quest ions from t he quest ionnaire were asked for group discussions.

Each focus group t ook approxim at ely t wo hours and was com plet ely video recorded.

Transcript s of t he video recordings were m ade for analysis. The videos were archived using t he cont ent m anagem ent server cont rolled by t he videoconference bridge operat or,

prot ect ed by a password, and archived by t he server soft ware by dat e and t im e. Access t o t hese videos was given t o only cert ain individuals connect ed t o t he research t eam . The videos were not edit ed. Following t he int erview, part icipant s sent t heir filled- out

quest ionnaires t o t he int erviewer via fax. The received quest ionnaires were t hen t ranscribed for analysis. NVivo soft ware was used t o analyze t he dat a from bot h t he quest ionnaires and t he video t ranscript s.

5 . Re su lt s

5 .1 Cost a n d Tim e Sa vin gs of t h is Re se a r ch M e t h od

The m ost significant advant ages t o t his research m et hod were t he considerable cost and t im e savings. No t ravel was necessary t o conduct t he focus groups by eit her t he int erviewer or t he part icipant s. Wit hout t he use of t his m et hod, t he int erviewer would have had t o t ravel t o Sioux Lookout from Ot t awa. A round- t rip from Ot t awa t o Sioux Lookout cost s from $750 t o $1,300 wit h Bearskin Airlines, t he only airline t hat offers connect ions t o Sioux Lookout for flight s depart ing from Ot t awa.

From t here, t o conduct focus groups, all t he part icipant s would have had t o fly t o Sioux Lookout from t heir com m unit ies. Wasaya Airways offers flight s t o and from t he com m unit ies in t he Sioux Lookout dist rict , t o t he except ion of Lac Seul, Slat e Falls and

Mishkeegogom ang. I nquiries were m ade t o get t he regular rat es for a round- t rip wit h Wasaya Airways t o Sioux Lookout from each of t he com m unit ies t hat part icipat ed in t his research. The full price for each t rip is m ore t han $500. Bet t er rat es m ay also be available when flight s are booked 10, 7, 3 or 1 day( s) in advance. Considering t he high price of t ravel from t he com m unit ies t o Sioux Lookout , it is realist ic t o believe t hat t he recruit m ent of part icipant s would have been m uch m ore difficult , if not im possible, if t ravelling was required.

On t he ot her hand, t he int erviewer could have t ravelled t o all of t he com m unit ies inst ead of having each part icipant t ravel t o Sioux Lookout . I n t his case, focus groups including

m em bers from different com m unit ies would have been im possible. The flight rat es for one possible rout e t hat can be t aken wit h Wasaya Airways giving t he int erviewer 1- 2 days in each com m unit y ( excluding Lac Seul, Slat e Falls and Mishkeegogom ang) , for a t rip last ing 18 days was det erm ined. The it inerary was m ade wit h as m uch int er- com m unit y t rips as possible, t hereby m inim izing t rips having t o connect in Sioux Lookout ( Com m unit y X - Sioux

Lookout - Com m unit y Y) . This t rip would have been exhaust ing for t he researcher and dependent on good weat her and no flight delays.

Booking flight s in advance reduces t he price significant ly. Considering t hat t he int erviewer could have booked at least 10 days in advance, Wasaya Airways’ lowest rat e for an it inerary t hat includes a visit t o each of t he com m unit ies for 1- 2 days, st art ing in Sioux Lookout , cost s $1,934.10. I ncluding t he cost of t he t rip from Ot t awa t o Sioux Lookout , t he t ot al flight cost s for t his t rip for t he int erviewer would be bet ween $2,700 and $3,200 at t he lowest rat es, wit h m axim um advance booking. This does not include t he cost of hot els and m eals. The average cost of a room for a visit or in a rem ot e First Nat ions com m unit y in t his region is $150 a night . Meals would have t o be self- prepared using food purchased at t he com m unit y Nort hern St ore, which would cost about $50 a day. The m inim um t ot al cost of t his pot ent ial 18- day m arat hon research t rip for one researcher would be $6,300, not including t he cost of st aying in Sioux Lookout and get t ing t o and from t he airport s in Sioux Lookout and each com m unit y.

These num bers show t he subst ant ial savings for bot h t he researcher and t he part icipant s for conduct ing t he int erviews at a dist ance. Aside from t he ongoing cost s for K- Net t o m aint ain t he broadband net works and t he videoconference facilit ies in t he com m unit ies, t here were no ot her cost s for t he int erviewer and t he part icipant s for using t he m ult i- sit e

videoconference m et hod. Most rem ot e and rural First Nat ions in east ern Canada ( Ont ario, Quebec and At lant ic region) and about half in t he west ern provinces have access t o t he videoconferencing t echnology. The videoconferencing net works and t echnical support is provided by t he First Nat ions SchoolNet program , for which t he necessary infrast ruct ure was im plem ent ed t o provide rem ot e schooling t o First Nat ions schools ( Whit educk, 2009) .

The t im e involved for t he int erviews was also considerably less t han t he in- person

alt ernat ive. Each part icipant only had t o t ake t wo hours of t heir t im e t o part icipat e in a focus group. For t he int erviewer, five focus groups were conduct ed of t wo hours each, plus half an hour given for set - up each t im e, m aking a t ot al of 12.5 hours of int erview t im e for t he int erviewer. The focus groups were done over a period of t hree days, wit h t he researcher st aying in her hom e com m unit y of Ot t awa and being able t o conduct her norm al act ivit ies out side of t he focus group t im es. Therefore, t hree days of focus groups com pared t o 18 days of dedicat ed t ravel and focus groups m eans t im e savings of at least 15 days for using t he videoconferencing m et hod inst ead of t ravelling.

5 .2 Ot h e r Adva n t a ge s a n d W h a t W e n t W e ll w it h t h e Re se a r ch M e t h od

I n general, t he use of videoconferencing t o collect qualit at ive dat a for t he purpose of t his research was very successful. This sect ion describes what went well and som e of t he advant ages associat ed wit h t his new research m et hod.

One advant age of t he m et hod we described earlier is t hat it allows a m ixed- m et hod approach, in our case having t he com binat ion of t he group discussion wit h individual responses from t he part icipant s in t he quest ionnaires. This allows t he researcher t o benefit from t he advant ages of face- t o- face int erviews com bined wit h survey dat a. The int erviewer could record qualit at ive det ails t hat would ot herwise be im possible t o record by sim ply using a quest ionnaire. The videoconference let s t he int erviewer see t he part icipant s’ facial

expression and body language, reducing t he chances t hat answers will be m isint erpret ed. Furt herm ore, t he int erviewer can probe for m ore inform at ion if t he answer given by t he part icipant is not clear or is incom plet e. I n addit ion, if t he answers given on t he

quest ionnaires are not clear, t hey can also be com pared t o t he answers given during t he focus group sessions t o clarify.

The social presence provided by videoconferencing was a definit e benefit as it helped provide part icipant s wit h t he securit y of seeing and knowing who t he researcher is, helping t o build t rust wit h verbal as well non- verbal and cont ext ual elem ent s. This benefit would be absent in ot her form s of online com m unicat ion, such as em ail or chat room s forcing

researchers t o use ot her m et hods for building t rust .

The m ixed- m et hod approach also provided part icipant s who were t oo shy t o speak up during t he focus groups wit h t he opport unit y t o cont ribut e t heir t hought s on t he paper

quest ionnaire. Sim ilar t o em ail com m unicat ion, t he quest ionnaire gave t he part icipant s t im e t o prepare and edit t heir answers, while not being int errupt ed or int im idat ed by m ore vocally dom inant part icipant s.

Following t he focus groups wit h a quest ionnaire m ay have enriched t he answers provided by t he part icipant s, as t he asynchronous nat ure of paper quest ionnaires encourages

part icipant s t o t hink t hrough and re- exam ine t heir answers. I t also gave part icipant s a lit t le m ore cont rol over t he research process since part icipant s could choose t o respond t o cert ain quest ions or revise t hem at a lat er t im e, as well as subm it t heir com plet ed quest ionnaire when it suit ed t heir schedule. Therefore, t his m et hod provided benefit s t hat you would also get from using em ail- based com m unicat ion.

During t he videoconference, t he int erviewer observed act ive part icipat ion in t he focus groups. This som et im es required som e probing on t he part of t he int erviewer t o encourage discussion; however m ost part icipant s appeared t o be relaxed and m ore eager t o speak aft er t he first quest ion. This was an encouraging result for t his research, considering an init ial concern t hat t he dynam ics of t he focus groups could be affect ed by t he different set t ing and considering t he challenges associat ed wit h conduct ing m ult i- sit e videoconferences.

Even t hough t he showing of web pages cont aining t ext was m ore difficult , t he showing of t he videos worked very well. No t echnical difficult ies were encount ered. Part icipant s could see and hear t he videos perfect ly. This was a result of t horough upfront t est ing of t he

t echnology and m at erial used, including t he qualit y of t he videos t ransm it t ed and t he audio. Despit e t he fact t hat t he int erviewer was not on- sit e t o pick up t he quest ionnaires aft er t he int erviews, a good percent age ( 73% , 22 out of 30) of quest ionnaires was ret urned t o t he int erviewer by fax. The First Nat ions part ners were a great help wit h t his by following up wit h part icipant s who had not yet ret urned t heir quest ionnaires.

Having First Nat ions part ners cont ribut ed significant ly t o t he success of t his dat a collect ion m et hod. The part nership wit h K- Net allowed for t he easy and rapid recruit m ent of First Nat ions part icipant s from t he region chosen as t he scope for t he research. The recruit m ent as well as scheduling of t he focus groups would have ot herwise been m ore difficult and t im e consum ing considering t he dist ance bet ween t he int erviewer in Ot t awa and t he com m unit ies of t he Sioux Lookout dist rict . Also, considering t he reluct ance t hat som e First Nat ions have for engaging in research wit h non- Aboriginal people out side of t heir com m unit ies,

est ablishing t rust from t he people would have been difficult wit hout t he involvem ent of t he part ners or wit hout spending a significant am ount of t im e in t he com m unit ies.

The part nership wit h K- Net provided t he researcher wit h access t o videoconferencing

t echnology and expert ise. Since K- Net offers videoconferencing services t o t he com m unit ies of t he Sioux Lookout dist rict , all part icipant s had t he necessary t echnology t o part icipat e in t he rem ot e focus groups. This cont ribut ed t o t he fact t hat t here were no cost s involved for t he researcher for doing t he videoconferences. I n addit ion, all of t he part icipant s had experience using videoconferencing since t his is how t hey oft en com m unicat e wit h people

out side of t heir com m unit ies. This reduced t he risk of part icipant s encount ering t echnical difficult ies. Moreover, t he expert ise of t he part ners in videoconferencing was of great help as t he int erviewer could concent rat e on t he focus groups t hem selves wit hout worrying about t echnical issues.

Finally, t he part nership wit h t he First Nat ions organizat ions allowed t he researcher t o fully respect t he principles of OCAP. The part ners are part of a t ribal council and are t he liaison wit h t he CTCs who work for t he sam e t ribal council. Collaborat ive planning and preparat ion was done wit h t he part ners; all work, including a draft copy of t he t hesis and of t his

m anuscript , was reviewed before being finalized and suggest ions and opinions given by t he part ners were respect ed and applied t o t he research. Archives of t he video recordings of t he focus groups as well as t he final copy of t he t hesis were m ade available for fut ure review and analysis on t he research proj ect websit e, which is host ed on a server owned by t he part ners. Bot h t he CTC’s and t he part ners have access t o t his cont ent on t he websit e, which is password prot ect ed. The result s of t he research were also shared wit h t he part ners. At t em pt s t o m ake t he result s relevant for t he part icipat ing First Nat ions were m ade t hroughout t he st udy. The research proj ect is long- t erm and t he relat ionship wit h t he part ners will cont inue for at least anot her four years following t he st udy described in t his paper.

5 .3 Lim it s a n d Ch a lle n ge s of t h is N ove l Re se a r ch M e t h od

Conduct ing t he focus groups rem ot ely had several significant advant ages, m ost ly cost and t im e savings. However t his m et hod does have it s challenges and lim it s. First , conduct ing focus groups rem ot ely could possibly have an im pact on t he dynam ics of t he sessions. Even if t he part icipant s and t he int erviewer could see each ot her on t he videoconference screens, not being physically face- t o- face in t he sam e room m ay influence t he m ood of part icipant s and creat e a different at m osphere t han an in- person focus group. The feelings of closeness and privacy wit h t he group m ight not be as st rong. Also, not seeing every m em ber of t he group at once m eans t hat part icipant s cannot see every person’s react ions and facial expressions when speaking. This can however be accom m odat ed wit h som e

videoconferencing t echnology t hat allows for every sit e t o be seen sim ult aneously on a split screen. However, t his m eans t hat every sit e im age will be sm aller, which m ay not work in cert ain sit uat ions, such as when m any sit es are part icipat ing.

I n addit ion, coordinat ion bet ween speakers during videoconferences is m uch m ore difficult t han doing so in- person. As only t he current speaker and t he last person t hat had spoken could be seen on t he screen at once, part icipant s had t o speak up and int errupt if t hey want ed t o add som et hing t o t he conversat ion, inst ead of lift ing t heir hand or giving anot her t ype of signal t o indicat e t hat t hey want ed t o speak. Several part icipant s m ay decide t o speak all at once or som e users m ay t alk less because t hey are not sure when it is t heir t urn t o speak or t hey m ight be afraid t o int errupt som eone. Group discussions could possibly be less act ive in t his case.

The int erviewer worked around t his challenge by ensuring t hat everyone had t heir chance t o speak at t he appropriat e t im es. During a videoconference, it is easier t o get everyone’s input by doing round t ables, where t he int erviewer calls out each part icipant ’s nam e or sit e and allows t hem t o speak. I t is essent ial t o use different t echniques t o accom m odat e every part icipant ’s part icular needs. I nt erviewers should be skilled facilit at ors wit h videoconference experience.

As discussed, t he social presence afforded by videoconferencing has several benefit s;

problem t hat researchers face when doing face- t o- face int erviews in t hat t he answers of part icipant s m ay be shaped by t heir int erpret at ion of t he researchers’ values and at t it udes conveyed t hrough social charact erist ics, such as age, race, gender and facial expressions.

Furt herm ore, in t he case of t his st udy, websit es were present ed t o part icipant s, which increased t he challenges. There is a loss of resolut ion when showing a com put er screen t hrough a videoconference screen. Even t hough t he int erviewer ensured t hat all part icipant s had no t rouble viewing t he Web pages during t he focus groups, t he loss of clarit y of t he websit es on t he video conference screen could influence t he preferences of t he users and t hus t heir responses t o t he research quest ions. I m proved t echnology, such as higher bandwidt h, could resolve t his issue.

The videos were easier t o see t hrough t he videoconference screen, but t he t ext on som e of t he web pages was som et im es t oo sm all and t he size had t o be increased t o allow for part icipant s t o read. This m eant t hat only a sm all port ion of t he Web page could be seen at once, which forced t he int erviewer t o scroll every few m inut es t o show t he whole page. However, it is im port ant t o not e t hat part icipant s did have t he libert y of viewing websit es on t heir own com put er, if t hey had access t o one, during or aft er t he int erview. This was t he preferred m et hod for cert ain part icipant s, especially when show ing Web pages t hat cont ained t ext .

I n a sm all num ber of cases, som e part icipant s had difficult y opening t he Web pages. The int erviewer and t he videoconference coordinat or worked t o help t hese part icipant s wit h t hese t echnical problem s; however doing so at a dist ance also appeared t o have it s

challenges. For exam ple, in one case it was difficult t o underst and what t he user was doing wrong, as t he int erviewer could not see what t he user was doing and t he user had t rouble com m unicat ing using t echnical t erm s. I n t his case, part icipant s t hat are com fort able using a com put er and t he I nt ernet would have been required.

Dat a collect ion always requires lot s of planning and preparat ion. This was also t rue for t he m et hod used for t his research. This m et hod requires access t o videoconference t echnology, not only for t he researcher but for all t he part icipant s as well. I t also requires som eone t o t ake care of connect ing t he sit es, m aint aining t hose connect ions t hroughout t he whole videoconference, and ensuring t hat no t echnical difficult ies are encount ered. This m et hod t herefore requires a part nership wit h skilled people in videoconferencing. Wit hout t his part nership, researchers would have t o add t he cost s of rent ing videoconference facilit ies t o t heir research expendit ures as well as t he ext ra t im e and effort required t o organize and coordinat e t he videoconferences.

I n addit ion, since int erviews are conduct ed rem ot ely, t he int erviewer m ust ensure t hat all part icipant s have t he necessary m at erial for t he focus groups ahead of t im e. I n t his case, part icipant s had t o have t he print ed quest ionnaire on hand as well a list of links t o Web pages open and ready on t heir com put er. This m at erial was sent t o part icipant s via em ail. Before each focus group session, t he int erviewer verified t hat every part icipant had t he required m at erial ready.

Also, collect ing dat a rem ot ely oft en m eans t hat recruit m ent of part icipant s m ust also be done rem ot ely. I t could be m ore difficult t o reach part icipant s at a dist ance and t o schedule t he focus groups. Collect ing t he paper quest ionnaires following t he int erview can be anot her challenge. Since t he int erviewer is not on sit e t o pick- up t he quest ionnaires, som e

quest ionnaires were never ret urned and som e part icipant s t ook som e t im e in sending t hem back causing delays. As well, t here is no guarant ee t hat t he responses provided on paper

were t he act ual t hought s of t he part icipant s. Again, having research part ners in t he area can be advant ageous and efficient .

Finally, t his st udy was conduct ed wit h part icipant s experienced in videoconferences. Part icipant s were not only accust om ed t o t he t echnology but also fam iliar wit h t he process and were com fort able in front of a video cam era. I n fut ure research, having part icipant s wit h no experience wit h videoconferencing could possibly pose a problem . However, t he help of part ners, especially local part ners, in t his case could significant ly reduce t hat risk as t hey can help wit h t echnical issues and wit h t he coordinat ion of t he speakers.

6 . D iscu ssion a n d Con clu sion s

I n sum m ary, t he dat a collect ion st age of t his st udy went well allowing t he researcher t o obt ain useful result s while cost and t im e savings were high. The findings of t his research highlight ed t he preferences of online healt h inform at ion for First Nat ions people. The research helped det erm ine t he principles t hat should govern t he concept ion of healt h

websit es in t he Aboriginal cont ext . This knowledge could be useful for healt h com m unicat ion professionals, First Nat ions healt h professionals and policy m akers. Considering t he value of t hese findings, t he use of videoconferencing for dat a collect ion has shown it self t o be a valuable m et hod t o collect qualit at ive dat a for research in t he Aboriginal cont ext . The

im port ant cost and t im e savings also proved t his m et hod t o be even m ore advant ageous. Of t he lessons learned, t he m aj or one was t hat part nership wit h researchers from t he

rem ot e locat ions in quest ion are crucial t o ensure t he success of t his m et hod, especially for Aboriginal research. This helps wit h t he recruit m ent of t he part icipant s as well as t he

planning and scheduling of t he videoconferences. Furt herm ore, part nership wit h researchers t hat have experience wit h videoconferencing is also essent ial t o ensure t echnical aspect s are t aken care of for set up and during t he videoconferences.

This st udy builds on our previous research findings t hat com m unicat ing by videoconference is an appropriat e m et hod for rem ot e and rural First Nat ions com m unit ies in Canada, and t hat First Nat ions com m unit ies appreciat e having t he opport unit y t o engage in act ivit ies using t his com m unicat ion m edium ( O’Donnell et al., 2009b; 2010) . We have argued elsewhere t hat m ult i- sit e videoconferencing can reconfigure t he space of First Nat ions ( McKelvey & O’Donnell, 2009) . The t echnology encourages people t o feel, t em porarily at least , as if t hey exist in t he sam e space. As one First Nat ions speaker in a recent st udy em phasized, “ videoconferencing, one of t he enablers, is like you’re walking int o an office

t hat feels like it ’s next door and it can be like 3,000 kilom et res away, so t hat ’s a very good feeling” ( quot ed in McKelvey & O’Donnell, 2009) . I ndividuals using t he t echnology are less

concerned wit h dist ance. Part icipant s oft en describe t he t echnology as convenient ; t hey do not have t o t ravel t o at t end a m eet ing. Videoconferencing does not of course overcom e all t he problem s of space and t im e, but it allows First Nat ions com m unit y m em bers t o

concept ualize t heir place in a shared net worked space, inst ead of a geographic space. Several opport unit ies for fut ure research have com e out of t his st udy t o expand on t he current findings. The m et hodology for dat a collect ion used for t his research could be used in fut ure qualit at ive research wit h different groups, such as ot her cult ural groups, or could be applied t o ot her areas of qualit at ive research, when dist ance is an issue.

Fut ure research could explore how t his m et hod could also be used for quant it at ive research. The quest ionnaire t hat part icipant s filled- out during t he focus groups was part ly used for quant it at ive purposes but as t his st udy was qualit at ive in nat ure, t he sam ple size was

lim it ed and t oo sm all for t he result s t o be st at ist ically significant . That said, if a larger group could be m anaged, t his m et hod could be applied in a quant it at ive st udy. Advant ages would include est ablishing t rust by m eet ing, seeing and speaking t o part icipant s over t he

videoconference while t hey fill- in t he quest ionnaire inst ead of sim ply sending t he quest ionnaire by m ail or elect ronically. This also allows for t he int erviewer t o answer quest ions t hat t he part icipant s m ay have concerning t he quest ionnaire.

The lim it s and challenges t o using videoconferencing for dat a collect ion encount ered in t his research could be looked at in m ore det ail in fut ure st udies t o discover new approaches t hat could help overcom e t he challenges. For inst ance, t he loss of resolut ion when showing a com put er screen over a videoconference screen was m ent ioned as a lim it at ion of t his st udy. An in- dept h look at how t echnology can be used different ly t o im prove t he resolut ion could be exam ined.

Fut ure st udies could also explore t he opinions of part icipant s by int erviewing or surveying t hem regarding t heir experiences wit h videoconferencing. The result s of t his could be used t o help discover new ways t o im prove t he m et hod.

Finally, anot her possible fut ure research could be t o repeat t his st udy wit h face- t o- face focus groups, if resources are available, and t o com pare t he findings wit h t he findings from t his st udy. Will t he sam e result s be obt ained if t he int erviewer and part icipant s are present in t he sam e room ? The goal would be t o det erm ine whet her or not videoconferencing has an

influence on t he findings.

7 . Ack n ow le dge m e n t s

The aut hors would like t o acknowledge t he significant cont ribut ion of our research part ner, Keewayt inook Okim akanak ( Nort hern Chiefs Tribal Council) in Nort hwest ern Ont ario, and t o offer t hem our sincere t hanks and appreciat ion for part icipat ing in t his st udy. I n part icular we would like t o t hank KO/ K- Net st aff m em ber Lyle Johnson for liaising wit h t he

com m unit ies, scheduling t he focus groups, and providing t echnical advice and support . We would also like t o t hank t he Com m unit y Technology Coordinat ors ( CTCs) working wit h Keewayt inook Okim akanak Telem edicine who generously and graciously part icipat ed in t he research. The aut hors also appreciat e t he helpful com m ent s provided by t he t wo anonym ous reviewers on an earlier version of t his art icle. The st udy was part of t he VideoCom proj ect (ht t p: / / videocom .first nat ion.ca) , funded by a St andard Research Grant from t he Social Sciences and Hum anit ies Research Council of Canada ( SSHRC) for 2006- 2009 and 2009-2012.

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developm ent in rem ot e and rural First Nat ions. Paper present ed at t he Com m unit y

I nform at ics Research Net work ( CI RN 08) , Prat o, I t aly.

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MARI E- FRANCE GRATTON is a Business Analyst at t he Nat ional Research Council Canada’s I ndust rial Research Assist ance Program in Ot t awa, Canada and a recent graduat e of t he Universit y of Ot t awa’s Mast er of Science in Elect ronic Business Technologies program . Her research int erest s include Web t echnologies, inform at ion t echnology, hum an- com put er int eract ion, and

part icipat ory research wit h First Nat ions com m unit ies. Address: Nat ional Research Council, 1200 Mont real Road, M- 55 Room 261, Ot t awa, ON, Canada, K1A 0R6 [ em ail: Marie- France.Grat t on@nrc.ca]

SUSAN O’DONNELL is a Senior Research Officer at t he Nat ional Research Council Canada I nst it ut e for I nform at ion Technology and an Adj unct Professor of Sociology at t he Universit y of New Brunswick in Frederict on, Canada. Her research int erest s include part icipat ory research wit h First Nat ions com m unit ies, com m unit y inform at ics, social analysis of digit al

com m unicat ions, and video com m unicat ions. Address: Nat ional Research Council, 46 Dineen Drive, Frederict on, New Brunswick, Canada, E3B 9W4. [ em ail: susan.odonnell@nrc.ca]

Figu r e 1

Figu r e 1 : M a p of t h e Siou x Look out dist r ict Fir st N a t ion s in N or t h w e st e r n On t a r io ( Sou r ce : KO Te le m e dicin e 2 0 0 9 )

Ta ble 1

Re qu ir e m e n t Ye s, N o or N / A

1 . Est a blish st r on g pa r t ne r sh ips w it h r e se a r che r s fr om t h e r e gion in volve d in t h e r e se a r ch

2 . Est a blish pa r t n e r sh ips w it h or h ir e t h e se r vice s of

vide oconfe r e n ce e x pe r t s t o h a ndle t e chn ica l t a sk s dur in g t he in t e r v ie w s

3 . Con side r h a ving a fa cilit a t or t o coor dina t e be t w e e n spe a k e r s du r ing t h e in t e r v ie w

4 . En su r e a ll pa r t icipa n t s ha ve a cce ss t o vide oconfe r e n ce fa cilit ie s

5 . M a il, fa x or e m a il pa r t icipa n t s a ny m a t e r ia l n e e de d for t h e in t e r v ie w s a h e a d of t im e ( in cludin g m a t e r ia l t ha t w ill be pr e se n t e d)

6 . V e r ify t h a t e a ch pa r t icipa n t h a s t he r e qu ir e d m a t e r ia l pr ior t o t h e in t e r vie w se ssion s

7 . Te st t e ch n ology u se d w it h ot h e r pe ople fr om va r iou s sit e s ( vide oconfe r e n ce e qu ipm e n t , a u dio a nd im a ge qua lit y,

t r a n sm ission of vide os)

8 . Pr a ct ice u sin g m u lt i- sit e vide oconfe r e nce t e ch nology by con du ct ing pilot s of t h e in t e r vie w s pr ior t o t h e a ct ua l in t e r vie w s 9 . En su r e w it h t h e vide oconfe r e n ce pr ovide r t ha t vide o

r e cor din gs of t h e in t e r vie w s a r e m a de

Ta ble 1 : Ch e ck list of r e qu ir e m e n t s a n d pr e pa r a t or y st e ps for con du ct in g focu s gr ou ps ove r vide ocon fe r e n ce