An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

Qualitative method can, however, be seen as becoming more scientific as technology anddata analysis packages are increasingly used to categorize and classify data. Thesepackages make qualitative data more quantitative and therefore more scientific in that theyprovide precise data in the form of numbers. Quantitative content analysis may be marriedup with qualitative discourse analysis by more recent computer software packages such asNvivo, although it is important to remember that the traditions of quantitative andqualitative research „represents two different sets of intellectual habit and two differentframes of mind and require different techniques and quantitative conclusions cannot bedrawn from qualitative wor (McCrac n 1988:17-18). Co-operation between the twoapproaches through triangulation of data sources was being urged by Hammersley (1993)even before the widespread development of qualitative textual analysis software.3.4 Sampling MethodThe sample of informants selected from the two congregations for in-depth informantinterviews might be described as a purposive convenience sample. The sampling processused convenience, purposive and snowball sampling (Seale and Filmer 1998). Therespondents were selected from the particular churches specifically for the purpose ofinterrogating their views on spiritual healing in their respective churches that is within thecommunity of the church environment where they attended church regularly or they were amember of the church organization. They were also convenient as they were within thefield and with easy access where the ethnographic research was conducted. They wereeasily accessible and be willing to volunteer for interviews and informal conversationsabout spiritual issues. They were part of a theoretical sampling process as described byGlaser and Strauss (1978) that is, they were selected to exemplify the widest possible range70