Cross-Cultural Research Methodology as an Inquiry in the Practices of Traditional Health Practitioners for Social Behavioural Change

Abstract

Traditional health practicing, as a practice of tradition and culture, is a sensitive area for researchers and needs attention. Conducting research in this field brings with it many challenges as traditional health practitioners in most cases prefer to guard their trade and do not easily allow sojourners to enter this space. In this study, a qualitative research methodology was employed to gain critical insight on how traditional health practitioners and their patients articulate, understand and act relative to the concepts of disease risk and prevention to their patients. To gather the emic insight of the traditional health practitioners, focus groups and in-depth individual interviews were facilitated by the traditional health practitioners as moderators and interviewers. The study indicated that with desirable research methodology, positive and insightful information can be elicited from the closely guarded emic or idiographic practices. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n3p729