1

TRUSTWORTHINESS & ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness defines quality criteria in qualitative research (Lincoln and Guba, 2000)

in terms of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. In this study,

trustworthiness is established in the qualitative data collection, analysis and interpretation.

Credibility is the confidence that can be placed in the truth of the research findings.

Credibility establishes whether the research findings represent plausible information drawn from

the participants’ original data and is a correct interpretation of the participants’ original views.

The researcher can use triangulation to show that the research study’s findings are credible

( Oliva, 2018).

Transferability is the degree to which the results of qualitative research can be transferred

to other contexts or settings with other respondents. The researcher facilitates the transferability

judgment by a potential user through thick description.

Dependability is the stability of findings over time. Dependability involves participants’

evaluation of the findings, interpretation and recommendations of the study such that all are

supported by the data as received from participants of the study.

Confirmability is the degree to which the findings of the research study could be

confirmed by the other researchers. It is concerned with establishing that data and interpretations

of the findings are not figments of the inquirer’s imagination, but clearly derived from the data.

The researcher shall give an audit trail that highlights each step of data analysis that was made so

as to provide a rationale for decision made. This helps establish grounds that the findings

accurately portrays informants’ responses (Olivia, 2018).

 2

Lastly is reflexivity which is the process of critical self-reflection about oneself as

researcher (own biases, preferences, preconceptions), and the research relationship (relationship

to the respondent, and how the relationship affects respondents/key informants’ answers to

questions).

Ethical Consideration

The following points will be considered in this study will that ensure that the human

rights will be protected, that the benefits out-weight the risk if there are any, that content,

comprehension and documentation of informed consent will have to be observed, authorization

to access private information will have to be prepared prior to the research data gathering,

confidentiality procedures, debriefing, communications and referrals, and conflict of interest

shall be taken into consideration.

A. Protection of human rights.

The researcher will always at any given time utilizes the ethical principles in engaging this

research. Three basic principles, which will served as the guiding light shall be observed in the

conduct of this research: the principles of respect for persons, beneficence and justice. In

showing respect, the researcher shall treat the participants / individuals as autonomous and shall

give them utmost protection by giving them a chance to decide on their own whether to join in

this research undertaking as participant. In showing beneficence, ethics will always be shown to

the participants by securing their general well-being. This can be ensured by letting them choose

the place and time to make the interview and in subsequent meetings. Lastly, the principle of
 3

justice shall be applied. In the treatment of respondents, the principle of “fairness in distribution”

or “what is deserved” shall be observed. To further promote justice, the following things will be

observed: (a) to each person an equal share, (b) to each person according to individual need, (c)

to each person according to individual effort, (d) to each person according to societal

contribution, and (e) to each person according to merit.

B. Risk-benefit assessment.

There will be risks as well as benefits that shall accrue to the respondents/key

informants’ in the study. Foremost, the key informants likely will experience loss of time, the

feeling of apprehension as well as discomfort when they will participate in the proposed research

process and they will be hesitant to decide whether or not to participate. They might think that it

will be a disturbance to their work or it could be cumbersome to them. They might need enough

time to participate because some will not like to be listened and will not like to answer questions,

some also will be willing to participate but they needed more time to finish and that instead of

finishing it in the day, they tend to finish it the following day. They had the feeling of fatigue in

looking up for some comments and suggestions then cannot immediately compose their thoughts

or share their opinion since most of them will be busy in their task. Some will be doubtful to

give correct information because they will always had the thought that if they tell the truth it may

affect their work status, apparently, they are afraid of future troubles or entanglements in the

future. There will also be stress in recalling traumatic or stressful events in certain activity,

causing some level of suffering from key informants and may need extended period of

flashbacks or recall. Recalling will be actually part of the data gathering. This process will

make them feel the boredom, mental discomfort, anxiety. Even then, they would be able to voice
 4

out their concerns, gripes and among others through their comments and suggestions. They will

be excited that they will be part of the study. This will make them comfortable and satisfied

since they will be able to help the researcher by giving various information as bases for the

researcher’ recommendation in this piece of academic work. The understanding of the concept

of the research participation experience, will be a form of service learning with benefits to all

those involved, whether directly or indirectly.

C. Content, comprehension and documentation of informed consent.

In gathering the pertinent data relevant to this research, an interview guide will be

prepared. This will be the basis or guide in conducting interviews to the key informants. It will

provide the key informants with sufficiently detailed information on the study so that they could

make an informed, voluntary and rational decision to participate. The researcher will

communicate to them as to what time and what type of data needed in the study as it will be an

essential area of a responsible research.

The researcher and the key informants will set up the flow to address issues related to

recruitment management by creating a plan for managing data at the beginning of the study. It

was done to save time and effort. The key informants will be informed on the importance of the

data produced and preserved in a clear, useable format. These will also include the study goals

for it will be the basic reason that key informants can clearly understand the research studies as

well as the procedures in gathering data that must be provided to the key informants. A well-

described data collection process should have been emphasized in any innovative treatment and

to let them understand that data collection procedure is one of the most important stages in

conducting a research to have the best research design. In addition, key informants will be made
 5

aware of the nature of commitment or the timeframe to monitor the expected time commitment

which is 45-60 minutes, at each point of contact and the number of contacts within the given

period to avoid difficulty in the study. The researcher will allocate the committed schedules and

the participants will be informed on how they will be selected during the selection and the

number of people to participate. They will also be told that there is no person sponsoring the

study as it was a voluntary research of the proponent. As to the risk and benefits that will accrue,

the key informants will be advised to clearly understand what the risks are - that will have an

effect on achievement of one or more objective and the specific benefits that can be attained.

Furthermore, they will be provided with information advantageous to them and an appropriate

alternative procedure of treatment that might be helpful to the study. As to compensation of the

study, the key informants were informed that the study will not involve any monetary transaction

and will not pay individuals who participated in the research. They will also be told the assurance

to protect confidentiality or privacy of the management study and to preserve secrecy. Detailed

below are the summary considered in the ethical discussion:

Participant’s Status.

The prospective respondents/key informants is informed that data they provide will be

used for research purposes only.

Study Goals.

The overall goal of the study is to design a Model on Tourist Destination

Competitiveness, Destination Appeal and Risks, furthermore to recommend an enhance

development plan to improve the tourist destination in Pattaya.

Type of Data
 6

The data needed in this study is quantitative as well as qualitative data. Qualitative data

as it is a qualitative research that answers the interview question on the experiences of the key

informants. Prospective key informants were told that qualitative data will only be collected

based on the interview that the key informants has to answer truthfully. The quantitative data

came from the survey questionnaires distributed to the respondents.

Procedure

Prospective key informants were given a description of the data collection procedures.

After the in-depth interview with them, the voice record were transcribed. As soon as the

transcription was documented or recorded in a logbook, the voice record was destroyed to

protect the identity of the interviewees.

Nature of Commitment.

Prospective key informants were told of the expected time commitment at each point of

contact, in this case, the interview was 30-45 minutes per key informant.

Participant’s Selection.

Prospective key informants were told how they were selected for recruitment and how

many people were participating. In this study, there will be 8-10 key informants that were

interviewed. The key informants were selected based on purposive sampling. The criteria were

that the key informants must be an Opinion Leader.

Potential Risk.

As discussed above, key informants shall be informed of any foreseeable risks (physical,

psychological, social, or economic) or discomforts and efforts that will be taken to minimize

risks. The possibility of unforeseeable risks shall also be discussed, if appropriate. If injury or

damage is possible, treatments that will be made available to participants shall be described.
 7

When risks are more than minimal, key informants shall be encouraged to seek advice before

consenting.

Risk.

There is no physical harm that can be anticipated as side effect of the interviewee.

Physical discomfort, fatigue or boredom is expected however, this can be reduced by making the

participant decide on the venue of the meeting or interview that could eliminate such side effects.

Social risks from adverse effects on relationship between researcher and key informant

was also anticipated thereby discussing it before the interview commence. In addition, there

were other social risk that is expected like loss of privacy, loss of time, monetary cost for

example time lost from work, if applicable. This is already discussed with the key informants

that nothing of this sort will likely to happen by proper time management and coordination with

the participant.

Potential Benefits.

The researcher shall give access to a potentially beneficial intervention that might

otherwise be unavailable to them. The following can be available to the key informants:

Comfort in being able to discuss their situation or problem with a friendly, objective person;

Increased knowledge about themselves or their conditions, either through opportunity for

introspection and self-reflection or through direct interaction with researchers; Escape from

normal routine, excitement of being part of a study; Satisfaction that information they provide

may help others with similar problems or conditions; and Direct monetary or material gains

through stipends or other incentives, if applicable.

Alternatives.
 8

Since, this is a social research there are no procedures or treatments that the key

informants will go through.

Compensation.

There was no compensation that the key informants will receive from the researcher.

Confidentiality Pledge.

Prospective key informants should be assured that their privacy will at all times be

protected. Anonymity is hereby guaranteed, as the voice record shall then be destroyed after

transcription.

Voluntary Consent.

In this study, the researcher shall indicate that participation is strictly voluntary and that

failure to volunteer will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits. This is found in the consent

letter.

Right to Withdraw and withhold Information.

Prospective key informants should be told that, after consenting, they have the right to

withdraw from the study or to withhold any specific piece of information. Researcher if needed,

shall describe circumstances under which researchers would terminate the study.

Contact Information.

The researcher shall tell participants whom they could contact in the event of further

questions, comments, or complaints, that CTU- Ethical Review Panel has approved the study,

and may be reached through the following contact information regarding rights of study

participants, including grievances and complaints: Cebu Technological University, M. J. Cuenco

Avenue, Cebu City.

D. Authorization to Access Private Information.

 9

In this study, the consent form shall be signed by the key informants, before they answer

the interview. They are to read and understand the provision in the authorization to access

private information, before the interview. They can continue with the interview or refuse. They

werer informed who the recipient of the study will be, who will read it.

E. Confidentiality Procedures.

Prior to the interview, the prospective key informants shall be informed about their right

to confidentiality of the information given to the researcher. The right to privacy is also

guaranteed as there will be no mention of names and the setting of the research in the

manuscript. Anonymity, the most secure means of protecting confidentiality, occurs when the

researcher cannot link participants to their data. Thereby, readers of the study will not have a

glimpse of where and whom this study is conducted.

A promise of confidentiality is a pledge that any information participants provide will not

be publicly reported in a manner that identifies them, and will not be accessible to others. This

means that research information should not be shared with strangers nor with people known to

participants (e.g., relatives, others), unless participants give explicit permission to do so.

Researchers can take a number of steps to ensure that a breach of confidentiality does not

occur, including the following: Obtain identifying information (e.g., name, address) from

participants only when essential; Assign an identification (ID) number to each participant and

attach the ID number rather than other identifiers to the actual data; Maintain identifying

information in a locked file; Restrict access to identifying information to only a few people on a

need-to-know basis; enter no identifying information onto computer files; destroy identifying

information as quickly as practical; make research personnel sign confidentiality pledges if they

have access to data or identifying information; and report research information in the aggregate,
 10

if information for an individual is reported, disguise the persons’ identity, such as through the use

of a fictitious name.

F. Debriefing, Communications and Referrals

In this study, the researcher always show respect to the key informants and proactively

minimize emotional risk by carefully attending to the nature of the interactions they have with

them. For example, researchers shall always be gracious and polite, shall phrase and rephrase

questions tactfully, and shall be sensitive to cultural and linguistic diversity. The researchers can

also use more formal strategies to communicate respect and concern for participants’ well-being.

For example, it is sometimes useful to offer debriefing sessions after data collection is completed

to permit participants to ask questions or air complaints. Debriefing is especially important when

the data collection has been stressful or when ethical guidelines had to be “bent” (e.g., if any

deception was used in explaining the study).

In this study, it is planned to communicate with participants after the study is completed

to let them know that their participation was appreciated and to validate and confirm the result of

the study.

G. Incentives and Compensation.

In this study, there is no incentive or compensation that will be offered to participants.

This shall be discussed openly with them prior to the interview.

H. Conflict of Interest

There is no conflict of interest as the researcher is not known to the participants. There is

no bias in professional judgment and objectivity. An apparent conflict of interest is one in which

a reasonable person would think that the professionals judgment is likely to be compromised. A

potential conflict of interest involves a situation that may develop into an actual conflict of
 11

interest. It is important to note that a conflict of interest exists whether or not decisions are

affected by a personal interest; a conflict of interest implies only the potential for bias, not

likelihood. It is also important to note that a conflict of interest is not considered misconduct in

research, since the definition for misconduct is currently limited to fabrication, falsification, and

plagiarism.

I. Collaborative Terms of Reference.

Collaborative terms of reference is not applicable to a dissertation study where the

research must follow the academic procedure and requirement. In this study, no collaboration is

expected to occur since the researcher is the only investigator of the study. The co-research

agrees that there is no term that this study will require her appearance in any research conference

for presentation.

J. Recruitment

The prospective participants shall be recruited based on purposive sampling where the

participants must qualify according to the criteria of selecting the participants.

K. Treatment of Vulnerability Groups (Provide discussion in this section if it is applicable in

your study)

In this study, there is no participant that belongs to the vulnerable group like mentally

retarded people or may be at risk of unintended side effects because of their circumstances like a

pregnant woman, and a child.

In summary to the above disclosure, the participants of the study will be informed that a

voluntary informed consent form will have to be signed as the prerequisite for a subject's

participation. In this research, the participation will be strictly voluntary and failure to volunteer

will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits. In this research, the prospective participants
 12

will be told that after consenting they have the right to withdraw from the study or to withhold

any specific piece of information .

Furthermore, the researcher will inform the participants that if they have questions or

concerns about their role and rights, they should obtain information or offer input, or would like

to register a complaint about this study. The researcher also provides proper information to the

participants as to whom they could contact in the event of further questions, comments or

complaints.