MODULE THREE

Whom should I interview?

Session 1: Selecting Households

Session 2: Selecting Respondents

Session 3: Field Practical for Numbering and

Selecting Households

Module 3

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MODULE THREE/Session 1: Selecting Households

PURPOSE:

Participants have identified the general locations of their 19

interviews. They now need to advance to the next step of
selecting respondents and selecting the household(s) they
will visit at each location.

TIME

90 minutes.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this session, participants will have:

1. Evaluated case examples of selecting households.
2. Selected a household at random as a starting
point for a survey.

PREPARATION

Before you begin this session, prepare two large maps

showing houses, rivers, roads, and other landmarks.

DELIVERY

STEP 1Introduce this session.

We are assuming that we have

identified the locations for the
19 interviews and have now gone
to the first location. Our first
task is to select a household at
random, and this session will
teach us how to do that.

NOTE: There are a variety of community/neighborhood

scenarios presented in Appendix 5 that will help you plan
your survey.

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Module 3, Session 1

STEP 2Explain how to assign numbers. Display Overhead #1:

How To Assign Numbers to Households (refer participants to
their copy) and briefly describe how to respond to each of
the three situations presented, as suggested below.

Now we need to talk

about how to number the
households and choose
one randomly

A. The first row on the chart says: A complete

household list/map is available.

In this first situation, we

have a complete household
list. In this case you need
only number each
household on the list/map.
The order of the houses is
not important.

B. For the second row on the chart (If the community

size is about 30 households or fewer), display
Overhead #2: Situation 2: Household List Not
Available - Size about 30.

In this case the interviewer will have

to draw a map of the households in that
location with the help of an informant
(someone who lives in the community),
and then assign numbers to the houses
on the completed map. If a map is
available, however, review it with the
informant to make sure it is accurate
and then assign numbers.

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51

C. For the third row (If the community size is more than
about 30 households), display Overhead #3:
Situation 3: Household List Not Available - Size more
than 30. The goal is to divide a large area, with
hundreds of houses, into smaller sections so we can
easily count a few houses.

In this case, the interviewer will:

(1)

learn that there are more than 30 households

in the community (lets assume there are 700
households);

(2) subdivide the community into two or more equal

sections;
(3) select one of these sections at random;
(4) if the selected area is still too large, subdivide
it again into 2 or more equal sections, number
each section, and select one section at random;
(5) continue until you have one small section with
less than 15 households
(6) draw a map of the section with the help of an
informant;
(7) number the households in this section on this
map (you only need to count the houses in the
selected section).

D. Display Overhead #4: Group of 27 Households

Numbered for Random Selection of 1 Household
(refer participants to their copy). Explain that now
that we have numbered households in a particular
location, we have to decide which houses to visit to
find respondents.
E. Review selecting a random number. Explain that we
need to choose a random number to select the first
household and remind participants that they have
already learned how to do this (using a Random
Number Table) in STEP 6 of Module Two/Session 1.
Ask for a volunteer to describe the process, as he/
she selects a random number from a Random
Number Table. In this example the number must be

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Module 3, Session 1

a two-digit number ranging from 1-27 because there

are 27 houses. Remind the participants to use 2
columns only on the Random Number Table since
the number 27 has 2 digits. Now find the matching
house on the map.
STEP 3Do the Green House exercise to show participants
how to select a household to interview.
A. Have participants gather around one of the two
large maps prepared earlier and now displayed on
a table. The map should have houses (with doors),
roads, rivers, or other natural features.
B. Now go step-by-step through the exercise described
above. Pretend that no one you want to interview is
at this household.

Now lets use this map to do

what we just learned:
divide the community
number the houses
randomly select the house
locate the house
knock on the door
. . . and NO ONE IS HOME!
When this happens, you
should continue to the nextnearest household.

C. Now go to the second map and repeat this process.

To increase interest, green houses from a Monopoly
game can be placed on the maps (with doors
painted on one side). You could also use painted
stones.

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53

D. Explain:

SUGGESTION: Take participants through the process

for the first four interview locations.

STEP 4Role-play on how to make a map in a community.

Explain how to work with the community to make a map.
A. Say, once you are in the community, find a
person (an informant) who is willing to help you
make a map. Often the community leader or
the chief will help you, especially if you let the
community know you are coming in advance.
B. Use a page from a flip-chart to draw the map.
Ask your helper to first tell you if there is a center
of the community, often a plaza or a market. If
there isnt a center, ask the helper to describe a
place in the community where about half of the
people are to the north and half to the south, or
half are to the east and half are to the west.
C. Next, have the helper draw local landmarks
(churches, mosques, schools, shops, football
pitches) or other well-known places. Also ask him
or her where there are roads and footpaths.
Draw all of these features on your map.
D. Next, using roads and other landmarks, divide
the community into 4 sections and label them 14. Using a random-number table, select one
section randomly. Lets assume that section 3 is
selected randomly.
E. Now ask your helper to give more detail about
section 3more information about paths, roads
and other landmarks. At this point he or she may
want to tell you where houses are located. Draw
a small box to represent each house.
F. Now divide section 3 into 2 to 5 sub-sections that
are of about the same size, using paths and
other landmarks. If this is difficult to do, then go

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Module 3, Session 1

to section 3 and ask a person to take you to a place

where about half the people are in front of you and
half are behind you. Number the sub-sections and
choose one randomly.
G. Continue until you have only a few houses
remaining, few enough to easily count. Number
them and choose one randomly.
H. Update your map, recording all the information
collected about the community. Each time the
NGO carries out a sampling in the community, they
can refine the map. Since they will always choose
sections and sub-sections randomly, they will almost
always go to a different part of the community.
STEP 5 (Optional) Explain the Spin-the-Bottle method. Tell
participants that this method is another random way of
selecting a house. However, it can be easily misused. Say
that it should only be used if one of the other methods
already discussed cannot be used. The simplest way to use
this method is when there are a few houses (about 30) in the
section of the community you have selected.
Go to the center of that section.
Place a bottle on the ground. Spin it so that it rotates
several times.
Once it stops, walk in a straight line in the direction the
bottle is pointing. Count the number of houses along
this line.
When you come to the boundary of the community
section you selectedstop. Lets assume you counted 10
houses along this line.
Choose a random number from 1 to 10 to choose a house.
The same method can be applied in areas with many more
houses, but is much more complicated. In remote areas it is
difficult to use. Avoid following paths that are near to but not
in the direction the bottle points.

IMPORTANT: If you have two or more interview

locations you have to go back to Step 4.D. to identify
each of the other households.

Module 3, Session 1

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MODULE THREE/Session 2: Selecting Respondents

PURPOSE

After participants have numbered households and

randomly selected them, they are ready for the last two
steps of identifying respondents: selecting a household at
random and selecting a suitable respondent in that
household. These two activities are the focus of this
session.

TIME

90 minutes.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this session, participants will have:

1. Determined whether households did or did not have a
suitable respondent.
2. Selected the next-nearest household to the random
starting household.

PREPARATION

Before you begin this session, you will need to do the

following:
1. Decide what age groups of respondents you have to
interview. Also decide whether you need to interview
men and women. Read Appendix 2 to learn more
about how to decide what respondents to interview.
2. You will need to prepare the household composition
scenarios used for the role-play in STEP 4 or use the
scenarios already prepared (Overhead #6). If you
prepare your own, they must be of two kinds:
Those which meet the survey criteria, and are
households with people who should be sampled (see
below).
Those which do not meet the criteria: for example,
different age or gender than needed; empty house;
respondent absent or far away; cant find respondent
within 30 minutes of travel.

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Module 3, Session 2

3. You will, of course, have to decide what the survey criteria

are (what type of respondent you are looking for) before
you can create these scenarios. In this training we will
assume only one type of respondent is used.
4. Each scenario should be printed on a separate piece of
paper, with a unique number written on the back, and
folded so the scenario is not visible. The scenarios on
Overhead #6 can be cut into strips and used for this
exercise.
DELIVERY

STEP 1Introduce the topic of selecting the respondent.

Present the type or types of respondent to be interviewed in
the survey. Explain that questionnaires have been prepared
earlier for these types of respondents. The types of
respondents depend on the health interventions. Please see
Appendix 2 for a discussion of how to prepare questionnaires
if you have different types of respondents.
STEP 2Display Overhead #5: Rules for Identifying
Respondents (refer participants to their copy) and briefly go
through the four scenarios outlined there.

Now that we are at the

house that was chosen
randomly, we need to find
the correct person to
interview!

STEP 3Display again Overhead #4 from Module Three/

Session 1. Show how to select a respondent.

Module 3, Session 2

57

SUGGESTION: Go through several examples on the map in which no one

that can be sampled lives in a house that has been selected. Show how it
is possible to go to other locations in the community by following the rule
of going to the next nearest household from the front entrance of the
household where you are. Practice going to the nearest household at least
5 times to show how this leads you through the community.

STEP 4Role-play selecting respondents. Explain that now we

are going to do a role-play to practice selecting respondents.
A. Divide the group into subgroups of 10-12
participants, assign a trainer to each group, and
have each group move to its own part of the
training area (ideally a garden).

Now we are going to do

a role-play to select
respondents

B. Give each group trainer a set of householdcomposition scenarios, one for each member of the
group. Each scenario describes a household on
one side and has a unique number on the back side
(see Overhead #6).

SUGGESTION: Explain that each piece of paper

in the envelope represents a unique household
that has been assigned its own number.

C. Give a scenario to each participant and arrange

the participants like houses in a pretend community.
The direction the participant faces is the door.

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Module 3, Session 2

D. Ask for a volunteer to select the first household,

using a random number, and then approach the
person holding the scenario with that number.

IMPORTANT: Each time a random number needs to be selected review

how to do it using the random number table. Be sure it is clear that when
selecting a 4 digit random number, the participant uses 4 columns in the
table. S/he used only 2 columns when selecting 2 digit numbers.

E. Have the person holding the scenario read the

description of this first household aloud and then:

SUGGESTION: Ask the volunteer whether anyone in this household

qualifies as the type of respondent needed. If not, what should the
volunteer do? GO TO THE NEXT NEAREST HOUSE.

F. Have the volunteer move to the next nearest

household or door, if necessary, until he or she finds
a respondent who qualifies.
G. After the first volunteer finds a household with a
suitable respondent, have other volunteers practice
the steps of this process, starting with selecting a
random number. Continue until most scenarios have
been discussed.

SUGGESTION: Entertain questions/discussion before closing the session.

Module 3, Session 2

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MODULE THREE/Session 3: Field Practical for

Numbering and Selecting Households
PURPOSE

This session includes a field trip to a pre-identified community

to practice numbering and selecting households.

TIME

3 hours.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this session, participants will have:

1. Assigned numbers to households to select one at
random.
2. Selected a household at random as a starting point.
3. Identified the next nearest household to the starting
point.

PREPARATION

This session needs much planning and effort by the trainers.

Before the start of this session, be sure to complete the
following tasks:
1. Ask a trainee to identify a location that has enough
sites so participants can work in groups of 10-12.
Each group will need its own site of at least 40-50
households. 100-500 households also make a good,
but more complex exercise.
2. Ask a trainee or a volunteer to develop a general
map of the site(s).
3. Identify and meet with gatekeepers for each site;
that is, officials and others whose permission or
approval is necessary before bringing participants
into the site for the training exercise. Explain to them
the purpose of the exercise, ask permission to bring
trainees on the scheduled days, and arrange that
they or someone else can be available on those
days to meet the trainees.

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Module 3, Session 3

4. Assign participants to each of the sites (no more than

10-12 a site) and assign one facilitator to each group.
5. Arrange for transport to the sites and all other
logistics.

DELIVERY

STEP 1Introduce the session. On the day of this field

practical, bring the group together to introduce this session.

SUGGESTION: Explain the preparations you have made

and explain that the goal of this exercise is to practice
numbering and selecting households in an actual site.

STEP 2Explain the protocol for entering the community.

Have the person who arranged the field visit present the site
map(s) (drawn in #2 under preparation) and explain with
whom the group will meet in the community.
STEP 3Review the steps of the field practical. Display
Overhead #7: Process for Field Practical (refer participants to
their copy) and discuss each of the steps. Also display and
discuss the site maps developed for this exercise. Inform
participants which site they have been assigned to, any
arrangements that have been made for meals, and the
logistics of drop-off and pick-up.

This is the process for this

field practical. I would also like
to tell you about the logistics
for this exercise: meals,
transportation, etc.

Also, if you find that

once you are in your site
that the map is not
accurate, you will need to
revise it or start again to
make a new map.

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61

STEP 4Once you are at the site, take your group through the
field practical using the process presented in Overhead #1.
A. Meet with the community leader as prearranged.
B. Create or revise the community map. Ask the
community leader or someone he or she selects to
corroborate the accuracy of the map you are using
and make any necessary revisions.

IMPORTANT: If you do not have a map, walk through

the community with an informant and draw one now.

C. If necessary, the group should now subdivide the

community into multiple sections of equal size
about 2-5 sections. Number these sections and
choose one at random. If the selected section is still
too large an area to easily count the number of
households, then continue subdividing and
choosing subsections at random until you have a
subsection with 15 or fewer households.
D. The group should then number the households in the
community (or in the section they have chosen) and
select a starting household at random. They should
select it using a random number table.
E. Go to the first household and ask the group what
they should do next.

Answer: Determine if an eligible respondent

lives in this household.

F. Ask the group what they should do if a respondent

of the type they are looking for does not live in this
household.

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Module 3, Session 3

Answer: Go to the next nearest household.

G. Ask the group how to identify the next-nearest

household.

Answer: It is the household closest to the front

entrance of the first household selected at
random.

H. Ask the group what they would do if a respondent

does not live in the next-nearest household either.

Answer: Go to the next nearest household.

I. Ask the group how they would identify this

household.

Answer: This would be the house closest to the

front entrance of the house nearest the
household.

J. Ask the group what they would do if there is a

suitable respondent in a household but he or she is
visiting a neighbor less than 30 minutes away.

Answer: Ask someone to take you to him/her.

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K. Ask the group what they should do if the respondent

who lives in a household is visiting a location that is
far away more than 30 minutes.

Answer: Go to the next nearest household.

NOTE: When correctly using the next nearest house

rule, one may move from one house to the next and
cross into other sections on the community map or into
other communities/villages/towns. HOWEVER, you may
NEVER move into another SA.

L. Continue the process as necessary.

(The questions listed here dont have to be
asked; they are more of a checklist of
procedures the group should be sure to
practice. The trainer, in fact, should try not to
intervene in the groups work unless the group
asks for help or makes a mistake.)

IMPORTANT: If there are two or more interview

locations in the same community, go back to Step 4.C.
to identify randomly, each of the other households.

STEP 5Debrief the field practical. After the groups

finish their exercise and return to the training site (or while
still in the village, if this is more suitable), lead a discussion
of the experience.

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Module 3, Session 3

What went well and what was

challenging? What was the most
important thing people learned
from this experience? Are there
any questions . . .?

Module 3, Session 3

65