Paper short abstract:

This paper critically reflects on the use of respondent driven sampling using mobile-phones for a multi-method (survey and interviews) research project on masculinities and sexual and reproductive health in Ghana, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paper long abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic required a pivot in methods used to carry out this research project, which explores the relationships between men, masculinities, emergency contraception and abortion care in Ghana. The methods shifted from a planned face-to-face household survey, focus groups and in-depth interviews towards a respondent driven sample survey with interviews using mobile-phone methods. The pivot was a response to the ethical imperative to follow pandemic public health advice.

Critically reflections of this methodological shift reveal key strengths and limitations. The use of mobile technology destabilised traditional and (re)produced power dynamics in research environments, by allowing respondents greater temporal and geographical control. The data collected are rich and additional details were captured effectively through the use of laptops. Typing on laptops was significantly faster than writing, and the impact of writing on respondent-researcher dynamics, such as causing discomfort, was not present due to the use of mobiles. Data collected met expectations of quality derived from the (pre-COVID-19) face-to-face pilot study, suggesting the change in methods had a low impact on the ability to effectively gather useful data.

However, such methods have significant implications on the ability for research to recentre certain marginalised populations. Mobile-phone methods require access to technologies and their subsequent structures, which can be significantly less accessible for important groups and populations.

The methodological changes allowed for a critical reflection of the strengths and weaknesses of using mobile-phones, and the future potential of this method in settings where physical proximity is either not guaranteed or unethical.