4858 Mental Health Report - National University of Ireland, Galway

Methodology
semi-structured interview. In order to develop a clear picture of the project
background, project partners were asked to forward any relevant documentation
they had to the Centre for Health Promotion Studies at NUI, Galway. In particular,
information concerning the following was gleaned:
• Project focus and rationale.
• Project aims and objectives.
• Project duration and funding.
• Intervention approaches.
Telephone Interviews
In addition to the project documentation review, semi-structured telephone
interviews with the key players involved in the project development and delivery
were also undertaken. These interviews were carried out in order to develop an
understanding and appraisal of the levels and mechanisms of collaboration
involved across the various projects.
Each project was asked to nominate up to four project members for interview,
preferably two members from the North and two from the South. These included
project members involved in varying capacities from project worker to manager.
Those nominated and interviewed were not necessarily the named contact
persons shown in the description of the case studies.
Following the letter forwarded to the project partners, Dr. Patricia Clarke of the
Centre for Cross Border Studies contacted all interviewees by telephone and
asked them to participate in a semi-structured interview regarding their
respective study.
An interview protocol was drawn up for this purpose with the aim of exploring:
• Cross-border co-operation structures - project management, progress reports,
evaluation.
• The nature of cross-border contact involved - frequency, locations, nature and
benefits of contact made.
• Perceptions of cross-border working - motivation, expectations, benefits,
difficulties and experiences of cross-border working.
A copy of the interview protocol is available in Appendix 2. The interview
protocol was either e-mailed or faxed through for review prior to the telephone
appointment. Typically the telephone interviews lasted between 20-25 minutes.
The interviews were not recorded but verbatim notes were taken throughout
each conversation. These notes were entered onto the computer immediately
following each interview.
Interviewees were requested to forward any progress or
evaluation reports mentioned during their interview to the
Centre for Health Promotion Studies, National University of
Ireland, Galway.
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