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Strategies to Recruit Middle-aged Participants for an Ethnographic Study

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Y. Chen, N. Chaloumsuk, W. Fongkaew, and B. Suksatit 1
1 Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Thailand

Background: Successful recruitment of study participants is significant for a research study. An
ethnographic study was conducted by the researcher to explore how middle-aged people manage their
hypertension in Chinese context. Middle-aged people are usually responsible for work and family care, time
can be constraining factor for participation in research. In addition, it is especially difficult for researchers
to identify and recruit middle-aged people with chronic diseases who are not hospitalized but live at home.
During the data collection process of this ethnographic study, the researcher used purposive sampling
and snowball sampling strategies to select participants. Photovoice and in-depth interview were the data
collection methods. The participants should complete taking pictures, taking part in focus group discussion,
and some of them should be selected for in-depth interview in order to supply information relate to the
research. The strength and lessons from the recruit process were reflected and concluded. These will offer
tips for qualitative nursing researchers pursuing successful recruitment.

Objective: To provide strategies and lessons from the process of participants recruitment in an
ethnographic study.

Methods: Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle to reflect the strength and weakness of different methods used
in the participants recruitment process, and to adjust the strategies to improve the recruitment for Oral Presentation Abstracts
middle-aged participants. By using purposive sampling and snowball sampling strategies, through
multi-methods to obtain participants with low cost.

Results: Leveraging pre-existing social networks and personal contacts, providing sufficient information
about the research, developing trusting and respectful relationships with potential participants, allowing
flexibility in timing and place for interview, providing reasonable compensation, and building participant
motivation are useful strategies for recruit participants in this study.

Conclusion: Critical reflection offers valuable insights for researchers into the elements that may
promote successful recruitment. Flexibility and creativity multi-methods and strategies can be
employed for participants recruitment in qualitative studies in nursing.

Keywords: ethnographic study, middle-aged participants, recruitment, strategies

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Correspondence: Yingchuan Chen, Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
E-mail: 1040702311@qq.com

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