A Systems Approach to Ecotourism, Leisure and Education …
263
3 Case Study
This case study is a preliminary assessment that was conducted between 2019 and
2020. It considered quantitative and qualitative data that were triangulated, as recommended by Patton (1990), to enhance the trustworthiness of the study. Quantitative
data was derived from the demographic information of students who visited/resided
at BFI through the years for internships and projects they accomplished. Qualitative data was derived from a document analysis review of ecotourism in Panamá and
other countries in Latin America. More qualitative data were obtained through a focus
group with stakeholders of an association of ecotourism sites (Reservas Privadas) in
Chiriquí and members of Conservation International.
3.1 The Focus Group
Qualitative data were collected from eight stakeholders (five owners of natural
reserves, including a stakeholder representative of BFI and three members of Conservation International, Panamá), during a two-hour focus group that was held at BFI
on September 21, 2019. The respondents’ group was composed of four men and
four women and they were all citizens of Panamá. Among the women, three were
landowners and one was associated with Conservation International (CI), whereas
among the men, two were landowners and two were with CI. The senior author
served as facilitator in this context by proposing four open-ended questions. His role
consisted in reading the questions to the group while keeping track of time during
the discussion that followed. Approximately 30 min where dedicated to answer each
question. The facilitator ensured that every person could participate without monopolizing the conversation and/or diverging into issues that were out of context. To
reduce the investigators’ bias, and as recommended by Glesne (1999), the facilitator
maintained a neutral stance. He took notes on his computer without showing any
non-verbal cues that might have indicated agreement or disagreement with what was
being said. The focus group was conducted in Spanish, and four questions were
considered:
• What is your personal definition of ecotourism?
• What are the challenges and opportunities for successful ecotourism programmes
in Chiriquí?
• What are the needs for enhancing education about ecotourism among stakeholders,
professionals and tourists, while staying at your reserve?
• How much emphasis does leisure play in your ecotourism programme without
irreversibly affecting the ecological integrity of your site?
At the end of this focus group, the investigator thanked the subjects for their
participation and asked them to jot down on a blank card that he distributed any
additional issues or topics that in their opinion could have been considered in this
263
3 Case Study
This case study is a preliminary assessment that was conducted between 2019 and
2020. It considered quantitative and qualitative data that were triangulated, as recommended by Patton (1990), to enhance the trustworthiness of the study. Quantitative
data was derived from the demographic information of students who visited/resided
at BFI through the years for internships and projects they accomplished. Qualitative data was derived from a document analysis review of ecotourism in Panamá and
other countries in Latin America. More qualitative data were obtained through a focus
group with stakeholders of an association of ecotourism sites (Reservas Privadas) in
Chiriquí and members of Conservation International.
3.1 The Focus Group
Qualitative data were collected from eight stakeholders (five owners of natural
reserves, including a stakeholder representative of BFI and three members of Conservation International, Panamá), during a two-hour focus group that was held at BFI
on September 21, 2019. The respondents’ group was composed of four men and
four women and they were all citizens of Panamá. Among the women, three were
landowners and one was associated with Conservation International (CI), whereas
among the men, two were landowners and two were with CI. The senior author
served as facilitator in this context by proposing four open-ended questions. His role
consisted in reading the questions to the group while keeping track of time during
the discussion that followed. Approximately 30 min where dedicated to answer each
question. The facilitator ensured that every person could participate without monopolizing the conversation and/or diverging into issues that were out of context. To
reduce the investigators’ bias, and as recommended by Glesne (1999), the facilitator
maintained a neutral stance. He took notes on his computer without showing any
non-verbal cues that might have indicated agreement or disagreement with what was
being said. The focus group was conducted in Spanish, and four questions were
considered:
• What is your personal definition of ecotourism?
• What are the challenges and opportunities for successful ecotourism programmes
in Chiriquí?
• What are the needs for enhancing education about ecotourism among stakeholders,
professionals and tourists, while staying at your reserve?
• How much emphasis does leisure play in your ecotourism programme without
irreversibly affecting the ecological integrity of your site?
At the end of this focus group, the investigator thanked the subjects for their
participation and asked them to jot down on a blank card that he distributed any
additional issues or topics that in their opinion could have been considered in this