Given Hapunda

114 evaluator with the help of the local stakeholders to draw a diagram depicting what was observed and this also acts as a validation process. Below is an example of a diagram drawn after a transect walk concerning a project evaluating land uses. Figure 1: Land Use Transect of Mae Kam Pong village, Thailand (Amnaj, 2014). As shown above, the figure depicts the natural vegetation, cultivated land with vegetables, human settlement, water source, forest fruits among others. Semi-structured Interviews A semi-structured interview is a qualitative data collection method that uses partially pre- determined open-ended questions contained in an interview guide. This research method allows the researcher to follow the interview guide but at the same time gives an opportunity to probe further, by straying from an interview guide when needed and in the process questions may change from general topics to specific variables. During the interview, the interviewees are free to express themselves as they do not have preconceived choices of responses. From a monitoring and evaluation standpoint, semi-structured interviews are important for developing in-depth understanding of a qualitative phenomenon (Guijt & Woodhill, 2002). Such interviews give rich descriptive data and assist one to gain a deeper understanding